ã€ŠWithin Our Nation - A Team Rocket Storyã€‹


 Prologue - A Dim Story, Told in a Dim Room

    For a city so obsessed with electricity, Vermilion sure does have some shittily lit businesses.

    They were probably going for some hokey ¡®local culture¡¯ shtick, with the dugtrio-themed lights and the sea-coloured stone tabletops and the ugly brown-orange walls. She loved orange, it was her second favourite colour, but whoever painted this shitty pub had chosen a tone that made her gorge rise.

    And the furniture was obviously cheap, store-bought crap, too. Nothing made custom, nothing with effort put in. None of the many clashing aesthetics really matched; even the employee uniforms failed to stick to a theme, just a generic apron-with-white-shirt ensemble.

    The people, at least, were promising enough. There were a few construction workers clustering like exeggcute along the left-side booths, with a smaller number of business-casual suit-and-tie types scattered around nearer the bar.

    The rest of the pub¡¯s patrons weren¡¯t readily sorted into any one category, which was good ¨C it meant she didn¡¯t stand out too much. Just enough to get noticed.

    And she was noticed, alright. Every time she turned her head, she saw men ¨C and a few women ¨C looking her way appreciatively. She mentally marked out a few, some with potential¡­ and some to ignore.

    Those guys in the corner are definitely Weepinbell Riders; better to stay away. That duo of girls are wearing ¡®Free the League¡¯ patches ¨C I¡¯ll have to talk to them at some point. But not today. She had only been let loose in Vermilion City for four days, and would prefer to take it slow for a bit. Find her footing with a few easy, solitary, marks.

    One in particular caught her eye. Dressed like a construction worker, but sitting alone. He¡¯s scrawny, and sort of foreign-looking, too. Big poofy eyebrows that didn¡¯t match his face at all ¨C a bit of Fuchsia blood, maybe?

    For a moment she hesitated. He almost looks like me ¨C exotic, but safe. He isn¡¯t a plant for someone else, right? But then she let the suspicion flow away. Well, so what if he is? Information is information.

    There was a trick, a way of angling your body, that they tried to teach at the Rocket academy. She liked to think that she had already known it before hitching her cart to theirs, but wherever it came from, she was good at it. A tilt of the chin, a motion of the eyes and spine, and suddenly the isolated worker¡¯s attention snapped right to her. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m sitting here, drinking by my lonesome.

    Come on, talk to me.

    He hesitated, eyeing the other men who were obviously building up their courage to chat up a young, attractive woman¡­ but in the end he stood up before anyone else. He was tall, and though he didn¡¯t exactly rush there was only enough time to blink before he was sitting on the shitty, Pok¨¦ball-patterned stool next to her own.

    ¡°Hey,¡± he said, and she smiled; his voice was more attractive than his face, stronger and deeper than she would have guessed. ¡°I¡¯m Hoshi. You here to meet people, or just to drink?¡±

    They talked for nearly a half-hour. He wasn¡¯t charming, or witty, but within the first few minutes she started feeling pretty good about the situation; even if she didn¡¯t hook him, she¡¯d at least have someone interesting to spend the night with.

    She fed him bits of her story ¨C which was even mostly true, for now ¨C but most of the time she was able to steer him into talking about himself. He was harder to reel in than some men she had gotten on her line ¨C he was obviously carrying a big mass of bullshit on his back, enough daddy issues sloshing around in his head to make a teenage call-girl blush ¨C but the words started to flow easier as he drank.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been here in Vermilion since I was¡­ a year old, I think.¡±

    He¡¯s somewhere in his early twenties, so¡­ ¡°Your family moved because of the dragon attacks?¡±

    His eyes were just the slightest bit unfocused, beginning to fill with liquor. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Dad never¡­ That makes sense, but I don¡¯t know.¡±

    She let her hair fall forward over her face as she leaned in. ¡°You¡¯ve lived a pretty hard life, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    His face went tense, then slack again as he met her eyes, and she knew right that second she had him.

    <hr>

    Hoshi Mutsu was twelve years old when his father began to die.

    The exact moment it began was etched into his brain in too-vivid colour; the yellow-red-gold floral pattern of the wallpaper set behind his father¡¯s imposing features, the deep purple of his hair forming a halo around his head as the shining blue of his eyes reflected the television.

    ¡°What.¡±

    The word was not loud, but it was intense. As the news lady drawled on his lips split to reveal white teeth, the enamel somehow duller than his eyes despite the former¡¯s mirror sheen. ¡°They have to be joking. Some little Johto punk is Champion? They want us to believe that?¡±

    Years later, Hoshi would begin to put together the context; he had been only nine when Red had become Champion, and he hadn¡¯t seen the strangeness of two boys his age taking the title in sequence ¨C it had just been how the world was. Normal.

    But that late fall day, with red light streaming in through the windows courtesy of the thick clouds of Cinnabar ash still drifting in the air, his father had seen something he couldn¡¯t believe. His arm moved, and empty cans ¨C soda, not beer, that wouldn¡¯t come until much later ¨C went flying, dull aluminium coated in electric yellow labels catching the light as they tumbled.

    ¡°They think they can-¡±

    He cut himself off. Shenja Mutsu always loomed large in Hoshi¡¯s memories, but that day he had been a towering skyscraper ¨C a thing of hard steel and fragile glass. ¡°Lance thinks he can pull something like this? We¡¯ll see about that¡­¡± The anger in his voice went cold, but his face never changed from a rictus scowl. ¡°I¡¯ll call up Surge and some of our war buddies, see if we can¡¯t-¡±

    Again, he cut himself off ¨C but this time, it was different. Hoshi watched from the doorway as his father¡¯s eyes bugged out, something strange dancing in the black of his pupils.

    ¡°¡­Dad?¡± That was when he had become afraid; it was normal for his father to yell at the TV, especially the news. It was not normal for him to freeze, still as a statue, his eyes focused on nothing.

    The man jerked, his chin snapping to the side in a move that must have been painful, and for a fraction of a second Hoshi saw his father look at him without even a hint of recognition.

    Then it was gone. ¡°Hoshi.¡± Shenja blinked, the strange energy in his vacant eyes draining away. ¡°Hoshi,¡± he said again, putting a hand on his forehead.

    The anger was softened, cut with embarrassment. He looked at the scattered cans. ¡°Ahh, I really overreacted there, didn¡¯t I?¡± A bit of fumbling with the remote turned off the news, the lady¡¯s yellow dress and green hair replaced by dull black-grey. ¡°Did you see that? Nonsense. Like some kid from out west could do what our home-grown Pallet boys did, trained by the Pok¨¦mon Professor himself!¡± His voice had transformed from cold rage to consternated amusement, but an echo of that previous anger still showed itself in the tenseness of his jaw, the angle his fluffy eyebrows made as they met.

    He laughed, and despite the lingering weirdness the tension in Hoshi¡¯s gut uncoiled.

    They had gone out for ice cream, later, after visiting Uncle Bob. His memories of the rest of the day were unclear, the colors washed out, faded like they had been left out too long in the sun.

    But years later, he could still remember his father¡¯s eyes as he stood, immobile, strange colours dancing somewhere deep inside.

    It was far from the last time he would see it.

    <hr>

    Hoshi Mutsu was sixteen years old when his father took his last breath.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    The hospital was clean, white walls and cream floors almost glowing in the bright fluorescent lights. It wasn¡¯t at all like their apartment, dirty and torn-up by his father¡¯s intermittent rage.

    Shenja lay on the bedding, and for once he seemed small. He wasn¡¯t actually small; his arms were still thickly muscled, even in his forties, connected to a torso that more resembled a machamp¡¯s than the average human¡¯s. His face was stately, carved from hard stone by a harder chisel. He didn¡¯t look like he was dying.

    But somehow, he was diminished. His candle was guttering, and there was an animal part of Hoshi''s brain that could just tell.

    ¡°Bob will take care of you,¡± his father said, because he could tell, too. ¡°You still have the land in Viridian. You¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Hoshi couldn¡¯t open his mouth. His lips may as well have been welded shut for all he could move them, stuck together by dreadful anticipation. Because any second now, it would-

    And then it happened, right on cue ¨C he had more than enough practice predicting it, after all. Shenja¡¯s limbs seized, his eyes bulging out as his tongue lolled, pink against the white pallor of his skin, completely different from the clean, painted brick of the walls. A thousand years of agony passed in the span of a second before the man¡¯s muscles released, returning to normal.

    A rare type of seizure, the doctors said. Caused by an allergic reaction to the barely-refined gasses used as plane fuel in the later years of the war, they said.

    Easily treatable if it was caught in the first few years, they said. If you didn¡¯t scoff at the notion of visiting a doctor, if you didn¡¯t write it off as stress, then an old injury, then a Johtonian conspiracy¡­

    Hoshi watched his father gather himself back together. It didn¡¯t hurt ¨C even now, in the end, his father said it didn¡¯t hurt ¨C and yet the flame guttered, finding the end of its wick. They looked at each other, and suddenly every emotion in Hoshi¡¯s body turned red.

    His body vibrated with it, and it was all he could do to avoid lashing out, hold back from beating his fists against his father, or the stupid infantile clefairy-branded bedsheets, or his own body. Shenju eyed him with tired understanding ¨C Hoshi hadn¡¯t inherited his father¡¯s build, or his skill with his hands, but when it came to anger, they were exactly the same.

    That was the last time Hoshi saw his father as himself, his eyes clear, full of understanding and regret, the madness finally gone for one last, clear moment.

    Shenja Mutsu died December sixth, 2004, in the early hours of the morning. He was forty-one years old.

    Hoshi watched as the doctors moved in their eggshell coats and vibrant candy-blue gloves, their hands swift and dextrous as they attempted to restart a corpse¡¯s heart. They brought in a raichu, the Pokemon¡¯s movements, too, swift and self-assured, like it had gone to college to learn medicine the same as the doctors.

    Hoshi left the room. It wouldn¡¯t work; even then, he had known it wouldn¡¯t work. The fire was gone. He leaned his forehead against the smooth, clean bricks as a crackle of lightning accompanied by a resounding ¡°Chuuu!¡± echoed through the painted stone.

    ¡°Chuu! Chuu! Chuu!¡±

    And then, silence.

    Hoshi¡¯s fist met the wall, producing only the softest sound of impact despite the immediate pain he felt cutting up his arm. It felt good, so he did it again, and again. His anger, his frustration at the sheer tragic stupidity of the world travelled down his arm, returning as cathartic suffering like copper turned to gold in an alchemist¡¯s alembic.

    But no magic or alchemy would appear to return his father ¨C or his smashed fist, for that matter. He spent the next week in the hospital as they put his bones back together, then went back home to his dirty, empty apartment.

    <hr>

    Hoshi Mutsu was eighteen years old when he killed for the first time.

    ¡­Well, maybe killed was a bit dramatic. It was only a Pok¨¦mon. But the incident stood out all the same.

    He had a job as a cook in a burger joint, back then. It wasn¡¯t the worst job, or the best, but it was money. He could feed himself, clothe himself, and keep the apartment himself.

    He had proved that he didn¡¯t need Bob Surge¡¯s charity, no matter what the old veteran wanted.

    ¡°Number two, extra mustard,¡± came an order from the front, and he flipped the disks of frozen meat like he had been taught.

    Orders, and orders, and orders, grey and pointless in the painting of his memory. The morning passed, the lunch rush ended, and then he was off for the day.

    It had been a completely normal afternoon, from what he could recall; the sun shone down, reflecting off the waters of Vermilion Bay like scattered jewels, beachgoers frolicking in their preferred habitat even as the heavy rhythm of construction sounded out from the northeast. The Young District had been just starting to go from idea to skeletal foundation, and the city was booming.

    Hoshi had walked along, not thinking much, just taking in the city ¨C and eventually he reached the point where civilisation turned to wilderness. The transition was immediate; his foot left concrete to set down in grass that reached his ankles, green dotted with the red-blue-yellow of coloured wildflowers like drops of paint.

    Travelling outside the city was dangerous, doubly so when he didn¡¯t have a Pok¨¦mon of his own, but Route Eleven had been ¨C still was ¨C safer than most.

    Safe, and full of gamblers. TauroBurger had paid well for the hours, and on a lucky day his paycheck could double in the span of an afternoon.

    Or at least, that had been his plan; he never reached the gaggle of old men, who wore their rags with an odd sort of pride.

    ¡°Hey you!¡± The voice was an obnoxious screech in Hoshi¡¯s memory, tones only a young child¡¯s immature vocal cords could produce. Time was probably exaggerating it ¨C or maybe not. It was impossible to know.

    What he did know was that the following sequence was burned into his brain just as vividly as that day six years before:

    Hoshi turned to see a boy dressed in denim shorts, a sky-blue t-shirt, and a red trainer¡¯s cap ¨C branded with the League symbol, an L stylized to form most of a triangle, because of course he would be wearing a rare collector¡¯s item. He brandished a Pok¨¦ball, one of the newer ones that Silph had been sending out. Hoshi had seen them now and then, displayed front-and-centre in the neighbourhood Pok¨¦mart¡¯s display window, easily five times the price as an upgraded Great Ball.

    Unlike the smooth red-top standard Pok¨¦ Ball that he remembered drooling over as a ten-year-old, the one the boy held was textured with small bumps, its top jet black while the bottom remained white. ¡°When trainers¡¯ eyes meet, they have to battle! Send out your Pok¨¦mon!¡± With a warbling whoosh-oosh-oosh, the ball popped open, unleashing a torrent of red light that resolved into a lavender rat the size of a medium housecat. ¡°Go, Rattata!¡±

    Fucking really? That¡¯s what he had thought. He looked back up to the kid, who couldn¡¯t have been more than six, and irritation spiked up and down his face. Those balls cost an arm and a leg. Who¡¯s shelling out that kind of cash so their brat can play around pretending to be a trainer? A fucking rattata. What a waste; at least get a magnemite or drowzee or something. He isn¡¯t even old enough for a license! He scowled. ¡°Sorry kid, I¡¯m not a trainer. Go bother someone else, ¡®kay?¡±

    He turned, but the kid failed to do as he was told. ¡°Not a trainer?¡± He sounded so confused, Hoshi just had to turn back to give him a look. ¡°What¡¯re you doing out here? Only trainers are allowed to go in the tall grass!¡±

    That¡¯s just something your mom told you so you wouldn¡¯t get eaten by an ekans before she got you a four-figure birthday present, you snot machine. ¡°None of your business. Piss off.¡± He was officially done talking to kindergarteners for the day; he had money to make. Dirk probably has a poker game going on right about now. I don¡¯t know why he keeps it up, he must be the worst poker player in Kanto, but as long as he does¡­

    But again, the kid was undeterred. He pointed, still holding the nonsensically expensive prototype ball. ¡°If you refuse to send out your Pok¨¦mon, that means I win!¡± His stupid voice combined with his smug grin to make Hoshi¡¯s vision tint red. ¡°And that means you¡¯ve gotta pay up! It¡¯s the Pok¨¦mon law!¡± His other hand made a grabbing motion.

    At the mention of paying, the red filter over Hoshi¡¯s vision doubled. His teeth clenched as muscles stood out along his arms and back, rational thought being washed out by a torrent of fury. ¡°The fuck did you just say?¡±

    He took a step, and the kid, now sporting a worried look, retreated ¨C but his legs were short, and Hoshi grew closer. ¡°You think you can push me around? Because you have a fucking rat? Fuck off.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t actually meant to hit the kid. Even in the privacy of his own head, he swore he didn¡¯t. He was just going to scare him.

    But when the little shit with his blue rat and his expensive fucking merch stepped back, he must have turned his foot over a rock or something ¨C because he reversed, stumbling forward, and Hoshi¡¯s soft backhanded swipe caught him right in the eye.

    ¡°Oh, fuck.¡± The kid stumbled away and fell on his ass, holding his free hand over his face. Then, expression filled with real fear, the stupid fucking child said the words that would turn this into one of the worst days of both their lives.

    He pointed again, choking out a command. ¡°Rattata, help! Use B-bite!¡±

    The memory stopped at that point, or maybe it would be more accurate to say it skipped ahead, his brain simply lacking any coherent information to dredge up. There was nothing but a sea of pain and fury, red of a dozen different tones mixing together, and when whatever had happened was over, Hoshi was standing over a pile of crushed meat. Hints of lavender mixed up with red and brown and sharp bits of white.

    The kid was still on his ass, his expression horrified, his mouth open, brandishing the now-useless Pok¨¦ball. No words came out; maybe he had been screaming and had run out of air, or maybe he was too scared to breathe.

    Hoshi ran, then, and kept running all the way through Vermilion until he hit water, only stopping when his socks were soaked through with salty ocean suds. His clothes were ruined, soaked through with blood ¨C mostly his own ¨C and his arm felt like it was hanging by a thread.

    Later, in the hospital, he would tell Surge he had been bitten by a wild Pok¨¦mon. Whatever happened to the kid, he never found out.

    <hr>

    He stared at the woman, his eyes tracing from her sky-blue eyes to the sapphires dotting her nose and ears, down her bust to the curve of her stomach. I must be drunk, he thought. I¡¯d never tell anyone this, otherwise.

    He obviously hadn¡¯t told the whole story ¨C he was trying to get laid, not be put in a psych ward ¨C but he had told this woman more about himself than anyone he had ever met. He wasn¡¯t even sure why; something about her just made him¡­ talk.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± he sputtered. ¡°What was your name?¡±

    A strand of fluorescent orange hair moved, tucked behind her ear by the motions of her fingers. ¡°Cascade,¡± she reminded him. ¡°But call me Casca.¡±

 1.01 - To Protect the World From Devastation

    Hoshi woke up with a girl in his bed, and being honest with himself, he kind of freaked the fuck out for a minute ¨C at least until he found the used condoms in his wastebasket, put his scattered memories in order, and verified that he probably hadn¡¯t set down the path to becoming an unmarried father at the age of twenty-two the previous night.

    Actually, now that he had calmed down, the situation seemed pretty good. He had only the lightest buzz of a hangover, and an attractive woman in his bed ¨C Casca, that was her name ¨C wasn¡¯t exactly a problem¡­ Though it looked like she probably wouldn¡¯t wake up before he left.

    Construction work required him to get up before dawn, which wasn¡¯t exactly conducive to other people¡¯s schedules. Well, whatever. It isn¡¯t like I have anything worth stealing. The most expensive thing in the apartment was his boots, and he would be taking those with him; if she wanted to nick his salvaged, two-generations-old CD player, or his tiny television, she was welcome to them.

    Shame I won¡¯t be here when she wakes up, though. He drew his eyes down the curves her body made under the covers, recalling the previous night. Or would she be embarrassed to see me in the light of day? She was probably drunker than I was¡­

    He took his time in the bathroom, shaking off the last dregs of sleep as he shaved what little stubble had grown in and wrestled with his short but frizzy hair. The mirror showed him what it always did: a man of narrow figure with an equally narrow face, thin lips and a flat nose beneath small purple eyes. Short hair of the same colour, with a crinkled texture that made it puff out at the slightest touch of humidity.

    Bob said he took after his mother, but Hoshi didn¡¯t see it; dad¡¯s old pictures showed a woman whose face was short and wide, not narrow, with a small pointed nose and large eyes. Maybe he just means that I¡¯m thin like she was.

    He was dressed and ready for work before the time his alarm would have gone off, if he had bothered to set the thing last night. But before he stepped out the door, he turned back and spent a minute fishing around for a pen and paper.

    ¡®Sorry to leave you hanging,¡¯ he wrote, ¡®but I¡¯ve got to get to work. Feel free to help yourself to something from the fridge.¡¯

    <hr>

    Vermilion was, in his personal opinion, the most beautiful city in Kanto.

    When he expressed that opinion verbally, some people tried to argue. They¡¯d bring up Cerulean¡¯s tourist-trap waterparks, or Viridian Forest¡¯s unspoiled nature, or even Saffron¡¯s big-city energy. Fuchsia¡¯s Safari Zone and traditional architecture, Cinnabar¡¯s active volcano, Mount Moon¡¯s desolate atmosphere¡­

    Sure, they were pretty. But to Hoshi, it wasn¡¯t even close. Vermilion was strong, in a way that even the deep mountains of Pewter and Lavender couldn¡¯t match. It remembered everything, in a way the rest of the country seemed to have forgotten.

    On his way to the worksite he passed along the coastline, and the dark blue of the pre-dawn horizon blending into the sea, separated only by the lighter cream of the concrete pier and wooden docks beyond, caught his eyes. He nodded to himself as the perfect illustration of his musing was silhouetted against the gradually brightening sky.

    Along the shore stood huge emplacements, giant cannons that could fire on both ships and aircraft ¨C disarmed, obviously, but it wouldn¡¯t take more than ten minutes for a trained professional to grab the parts from the nearby Vermilion Military Museum, and just slot them in.

    A shiver went down his spine as Hoshi just stood for a long second, drinking in the steel machines, the weapons that hundreds walked past every single day without a second thought. The curve at the bottom where a voltorb would sit, ready to explode. The smooth, segmented barrels, kept polished despite the multiple years since they had seen action.

    No, Vermilion wasn¡¯t like other cities.

    The rest of his trip to work was less profound, and it wasn¡¯t long before he was once again in the Young District ¨C the northeastern section of the city, newly built and bustling with life.

    His boss spotted him as he came in ¨C which made sense, since he was easily twenty minutes early, the first person besides the supervisor to arrive. The hefty man stood up as Hoshi approached, already sweating despite the morning chill.

    ¡°Early day today, Mutsu?¡±

    ¡°Eh,¡± he grunted. ¡°Woke up before my alarm. Nice enough day to just sit for a while.¡±

    His boss, Dedwin Everheart, fit the term ¡®construction worker¡¯ like he had been moulded for it. He was tall and more than a bit fat, a yellow hardhat crowning his bologna slab of a face. His overalls were worn over his lower half, yellow highlights gleaming over heavy blue fabric as the sun rose, but tied at the waist to leave his upper body covered by only a thin grey wifebeater.

    The man had been a supervisor since before Hoshi started, and in those three years he hadn¡¯t seemed to age a day; his thinning brown hair was combed over exactly the same, his chin sported stubble of exactly the same length each day, and his skin remained exactly the same shade of processed-meat pink regardless of the season.

    Hoshi and his co-workers had a nickname for the man, which they kept well away from his meaty ears: Ditto.

    ¡°Well then sid¡¯down. Won¡¯t be long before the sun rises and things heat up.¡± He said the last few words with a grumble; Everheart was the sort of man who started overheating the moment the temperature ticked up past fifteen degrees, and it was liable to get closer to twice that as the day wore on.

    The overweight man took his own advice, plopping down heavily as Hoshi manhandled the cooler containing his lunch and water down into a nook, where hopefully the summer sun wouldn¡¯t get it too bad. A second later he sat down as well, and they watched the sun rise from their perch of evenly cut lumber.

    Weirdly good day today. I feel like something bad almost has to happen, just to even things out a bit.

    <hr>

    Despite his pessimism, the worst thing that happened to Hoshi was being needled a bit for taking a woman home the night before. Vermilion¡¯s newest shopping mall took another step towards completion under the careful eyes of Everheart, men operating power tools as little blue-grey machop and their older machoke parents hefted the heavy loads in place of fragile human hands.

    Lunch came and went ¨C sandwiches of canned magikarp, flavoured with hot peppers and mayo ¨C and as the radio tolled four o¡¯clock, things started to wrap up. But as the equipment went back under lock and key, a grumbling bellow went up.

    ¡°Oi! Anybody seen a stray Pok¨¦ball floating around?!¡±

    The Ditto¡¯s yell spread over the shopping-mall-to-be, catching the ears of every man and woman. Over the course of the next minute people set their own end-of-day tasks aside and rummaged around; a missing ball was serious.

    After examining his own section thoroughly enough to avoid a dressing-down, Hoshi went over with a shake of his head. ¡°Nothing on my end, boss.¡±

    Said boss grumbled, eliciting a flinch from his side. Beside the obelisk of sweat stood a smaller man, one whose figure fit his profession perhaps even less than Hoshi himself: Dabi Mokusen.

    Mokusen looked like he would have been more at home in a classroom or laboratory than a worksite, even decked out in overalls and hard yellow helmet as he was. He was small, hitting four feet only with the aid of his steel-toed boots, and had glasses so thick it was hard to see his eyes through the lenses.

    His voice was fit for his frame: nervous and small. ¡°I swear I put it away with the rest of them, supervisor! Exactly the same place every day- it isn¡¯t like I could forget!¡± He fidgeted as he spoke, his hands and feet constantly moving with anxious energy.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Everheart responded in an even-gruffer-than-usual tone. ¡°But then where is it?¡±

    More fidgeting. ¡°I tried asking Benny, but¡­¡± He looked over to a machoke ¨C Benny, probably; Hoshi didn¡¯t know them well enough to have their names down.

    The machoke blinked and tilted its head. The extremely muscular humanoid lizards were pretty smart as far as Pok¨¦mon went, but it wasn¡¯t like they could understand more than a few simple commands ¨C if you wanted a conversation, pretty much your only option was a kadabra, at least in Kanto.

    Benny wouldn¡¯t be telling them where his ball was, even if he had seen where it went.

    Everheart huffed, visibly annoyed, and little Dabi Mokusen cowered. Come on, man. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to hit you; show some spine.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    The other workers filtered in, and their answers were universal: none of them had found the missing ball. The Ditto sighed, his meaty chin wobbling.

    ¡°Alright. I was hoping it wouldn¡¯t come to this. Everybody turn out your pockets.¡± The collective groan at his words only steeled his resolve. ¡°Not a request, people! Those things aren¡¯t cheap; nobody goes home until we find what''s missing!¡±

    They were each frisked, then their bags and other containers got the same treatment. The supervisor even made people unscrew their water thermoses so he could look inside ¨C but no matter how thoroughly he searched, or how red and sweaty he became, the missing ball failed to appear.

    In the end, Everheart was made a liar; they were sent off without anything being found, aggrieved workers grumbling all the way. Hoshi thought a little grumbling was more than fair; the useless search had taken nearly a full hour. He followed his usual crowd for a bit, heading north, but as they turned east to search for a bar or restaurant, he just kept going.

    Mikan, one of his friendlier co-workers, turned. ¡°Not drinking today, Hoshi?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± He adjusted the strap hanging off his shoulder, the weight of his cooler drawing a depression in the fabric of his overalls ¨C and the meat underneath. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve got something to do ¨C probably be late for it, now.¡±

    Mikan gave him an upwards nod, but as they headed off Hoshi caught a little last-minute gossip. ¡°Who drinks on Thursday but not Friday?¡± ¡°Think he¡¯s got that fat chick waiting for him at home?¡±

    A feminine chuckle. ¡°No way. I¡¯ve seen the inside of that apartment; once was enough.¡±

    Hoshi went on his own way ¨C and found that, strangely, the banter hadn¡¯t dampened his spirits at all. Do I have someone waiting..? No, there¡¯s no way she¡¯ll still be there. It was just a one-night stand; by now Casca¡¯s at some other bar, probably picking up some other guy.

    I only mostly remember our conversation last night, but I know she isn¡¯t local. Given the hair¡­ probably a tourist coming down from Cerulean. I¡¯ll be just a memory to her.

    The thought wasn¡¯t sad; today really had been a good day. At least so far. Let¡¯s see how that keeps up.

    He adjusted the lay of his strap again, and headed off.

    <hr>

    To the north of Vermilion City stood a power plant, similar in structure to its abandoned twin over on the east coast, its bright red paint dominating the coastline like a hundred-year gyarados. Then, even further north, was something a bit less majestic: a junkyard, hugging the invisible line where Vermilion turned to Route Six, just large and close enough to qualify for grants as a city service.

    The owner was a man who went by Danny Houndoom ¨C and in addition to being a literal garbage-tier human being, he was also, quite possibly, Hoshi¡¯s closest friend.

    As the stink of trash ¨C and the even more potent fumes of semi-wild grimer ¨C grew stronger, Hoshi¡¯s thin smile became increasingly wooden. He didn¡¯t mind the dump, not really¡­

    But something about the mere thought of poison gas always put him on edge. It¡¯s stupid. They tested me for the allergy way back, and I came back clean.

    Putting aside his paranoia, he entered the fenced-in area through the open gate. Despite the stink the air retained some of the freshness of the surrounding countryside, and as his eyes scanned around he beheld a salvager¡¯s paradise: mounds of garbage, almost entirely discarded electronics, plastic and silicon piled up like mountains.

    The owner himself was nearly hidden, camouflaged by his stained jacket against the background of refuse ¨C Hoshi only saw him because of the weird, multicoloured cap thing the older man always wore.

    ¡°Danny,¡± he hollered as he approached. ¡°Sorry to drop in unannounced, hope I¡¯m not interrupting.¡± His smile gained an edge as he hefted his cooler.

    But as he stepped closer, the old man failed to reply. He was kneeling, working on something that might have once been a car engine, seemingly completely absorbed in the task. To his side one of the tamer grimer ¨C Hoshi recognised it by its brighter green sheen, just slightly different from its more desaturated brethren ¨C leaned close, making bubbling sounds like the mass of slime it was.

    ¡°Danny.¡± He stepped right up to the man¡¯s side ¨C still no response. He was wedging a screwdriver into a crack in the metal jumble. ¡°Danny!¡±

    Hoshi snapped his fingers directly in front of the salvager¡¯s face, and he finally jolted to attention, recoiling.

    ¡°Damnit!¡± he cried, his voice overly loud in the nearly silent junkyard. ¡°Whazz- Hoshi? Damn kid, don¡¯t do that when I¡¯m working!¡±

    Though he had known the man for years, Danny Houndoom¡¯s origins were mysterious; his skin was weathered enough it could have started as any of a dozen colours, his facial structure was just plain aberrant, and his accent wasn¡¯t anything Hoshi had ever heard before, a slurred-together river where each word bled into the next ¨C his sentence had actually sounded more like ¡®Damkid, dundoo tha¡¯wenay mworkin.¡¯

    But while the length of time they had known each other did little for Hoshi¡¯s knowledge of the man himself, it was really useful in determining what the fuck he was saying.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Hoshi replied. ¡°But I thought you¡¯d want to see what I¡¯ve got right away. Check this out¡­¡±

    He plopped down his cooler and bent to pop open the top. Inside were a few wrappers, an orange he should really eat before it went off, and, most importantly, a few bags of slightly-melted ice.

    Or at least, that was what they appeared to be. With a grin, Hoshi opened one of the bags, then reached in and drew out a second plastic bag hidden inside. While the outer bag was clear, this one was white-blue, nearly invisible inside the tube of ice.

    Danny abandoned his mystery machine, standing up to look as the second bag opened to reveal a standard-issue Pok¨¦ Ball, the classic red-top white-bottom an increasing rarity as newer models came into fashion. Hoshi rolled the ball around in his palm; it was in its storage mode, half the size of the orange it had been sharing the cooler with since lunch break. Dabi was lying; he didn¡¯t put the ball in with the others at all. Dumbass left it out in the open while he was eating his overpriced fast food.

    Well, his loss was Hoshi¡¯s gain ¨C or the company¡¯s loss was his gain, at least.

    Danny eyed the ball with speculation behind his dark glasses. ¡°Used?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sorry.¡±

    The junk dealer shrugged. ¡°No skin off my nose. But I¡¯ll need to reset it before selling ¨C that¡¯ll lower what I can pay.¡±

    Hoshi continued to roll the ball around in his palm. ¡°Obviously. A hundred even?¡±

    Danny¡¯s tongue peeked out, clenched in his remaining teeth like he had swallowed a lemon. ¡°Fuck no. Fifty.¡±

    ¡°You owe me for that speaker, still. Eighty.¡±

    The sixty-something man in his stained jacket and weird hat made a noise like he was watching his family be dissolved in acid, but Hoshi was familiar with this song and dance. He held steady with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Danny finally gave, ¡°Eighty. Half now, half when I sell the thing.¡±

    Hoshi tossed him the ball underhanded, and the old man caught it with a sharp motion, obviously familiar with the tool¡¯s use. ¡°Deal.¡±

    As the scrap ¨C and contraband ¨C seller went to stow the merchandise and collect his pay, Hoshi¡¯s eyes went down to the mechanical heap, and the grimer still leaning in, seemingly as curious as he was about what the thing did.

    A minute passed, but no matter what angle he looked at it from, Hoshi couldn¡¯t determine what the machine was. It¡¯s definitely made from mostly engine parts, but¡­ No, I¡¯ve got no idea. ¡°Hey Danny, what the fuck is this thing?¡±

    The man emerged from behind a pile of computer bits and rusted turbines ¨C clutching a few wrinkled bills in his hand, to Hoshi¡¯s satisfaction.

    ¡°Hm? Oh, right. The thing.¡± He drew close, his lips pursed. ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t say. Gang shit, you know how it is."

    Gang shit? Hoshi¡¯s brows rose. ¡°Fuck off. That ain¡¯t a bike or a weapon or anything. It¡¯s a modern art piece at best.¡±

    The old man snorted. ¡°I wish I could sell it for that kinda cash. Naw it¡¯s- it¡¯s not anything like that. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    For a moment Hoshi¡¯s curiosity burned blue like a torch behind his ears, but it was snuffed out as he reached for the bills. ¡°Well, whatever. Pleasure doing business with you, Danny-¡±

    As his fingers grasped for the cash, Danny angled them away. ¡°Wait,¡± he broke in. ¡°I had an idea. Instead of me voiding the thing, scrounging up a buyer, and then paying you¡­ Why don¡¯t you just keep the thing?¡± He smiled, surprisingly well-cared-for teeth peeking out from the crescent of his dark lips. ¡°I¡¯ll just take a little fee for my technical expertise, and you get a whole-ass Pok¨¦ball for a fraction the going price. Savvy?¡±

    Hoshi frowned. ¡°No, Danny. A few years ago, maybe, but¡­¡± With the league cracking down after all those accidents, if I get caught owning a Pok¨¦mon without a license¡­

    That¡¯s jail time. A fucking lot of jail time, maybe.

    The good mood he had been basking in since he woke up began to curdle slightly. ¡°That¡¯s not gonna work. Just give me the money.¡±

    With a reluctant face, the old man relinquished the pair of twenties.

    In an effort to rekindle his previous emotion, Hoshi spent a while shooting the shit with the older man. They left work to the side, just talking about the summer weather, their lives, and a little bit of politics near the end ¨C luckily, they were birds of a feather when it came to those opinions.

    Hoshi kicked around a worn soccer ball for the grimer to chase, and after about an hour he made his way home, money in his pocket, some edge of good feeling regained.

    In the waning light before sunset, the city seemed to be tinted gold. No, he thought, not gold. It looks more like vermilion.

    <hr>

    If a child were to draw a map of Kanto¡¯s booming port city, the largest building would be the Pok¨¦mon Gym. It wasn¡¯t actually the largest, not even close, but in terms of cultural impact it towered, leaving the rest of the city in its shadow.

    Hoshi¡¯s apartment was well into that shadow, both figuratively and literally. Standing all the way to the southwestern edge of the city, right near the water, the nondescript block of concrete rested behind the gym, a red roof and white walls blocking the tenant¡¯s view of both the ocean, and the sun. Again, literally in the gym¡¯s shadow.

    It was a supremely shitty place to have built an apartment building ¨C but that was fine with Hoshi. It meant his rent was cheap.

    Other than its location, the building was actually fine. He had never had problems with the heat or water, and his neighbours kept to themselves. As he ascended the stairs, he was struck with the thought that things could actually be a lot worse.

    Got a roof over my head. Food. A job I don¡¯t hate. Yeah, he was doing pretty okay.

    And as he unlocked his front door and swung it open, the thought repeated itself. Holy shit. Yeah, I¡¯m doing pretty okay.

    Against all his expectations, Casca seemed to have stuck around. She looked over from where she was perched on his couch, watching his shitty junkyard TV, and raised her brow.

    When she spoke, her voice was a playful drawl, perfectly taking the edge off of what otherwise might have been a statement of annoyance. ¡°Wow, you like to leave a girl waiting, don¡¯t you?¡±

 1.02 - Connections

    It was Friday, June 18th, in the year 2010, and for the first time in recorded history, a woman had decided to stay with Hoshi Mutsu two days in a row.

    Well, I suppose she hasn¡¯t exactly decided to stay yet ¨C but spiritually, it feels that way. She waited all day just to talk with me, so I¡¯m counting it.

    ¡°Casca. Sorry, I- I didn¡¯t think you would be here. When I got back.¡±

    Seeing her on his couch, dressed up in her tight little black dress, was eliciting two reactions from his hindbrain: bright lime-green joy, and the red-black of warning bells.

    Actually, why did she..? She isn¡¯t homeless, is she? His eyes went to her earrings, where small but definitely-real sapphires were held in cages of silver wire. No, bad explanation. Maybe she actually has a thing for me?

    The idea was foreign; Hoshi knew he looked weird, and not in an exotic way. He was unattractive, poor, and had a foul temper; the opposite of a winning combination. Not impossible I suppose, but-

    His inner monologue was cut off as Casca answered. ¡°Thought I¡¯d bolt?¡± She giggled, and where the sound touched his synapses, it cut through the suspicion like a saw through rotten wood. ¡°Nah. You¡¯re interesting, Mister Mutsu.¡± She leaned back. ¡°I like interesting. So unless you''d rather I go¡­¡± A raised eyebrow, the fluorescent orange crescent more vivid against her pale skin than the full moon against the midnight sky. ¡°I feel like crashing here for a few days. What do you say?¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s mouth was dry. In the light of the setting sun, it was almost like he was looking at a mythical siren, seeing the woman for the first time.

    Casca was chubby, maybe some would say fat, but the way she held herself with absolute confidence dispelled any notion that she was uncomfortable in her skin. Black fabric hugged her generous curves, the strapless dress showing not only her shoulders, but her belly and a dangerous amount of cleavage. It ended well above her knees, and although Hoshi knew from the previous night that she wore a pair of tiny shorts underneath, the idea that she would move her legs just right and reveal something was impossible to ignore.

    Her face entranced him no less than her body; round in shape, with eyes of softest blue and peach-painted lips; she looked somehow both youthful and mature at the same time. Piercings on her ears and nose held delicate pieces of jewelry, sparkling sapphires like teardrops ¨C and he was aware of other piercings as well, lower down, hidden under fabric.

    She probably wasn¡¯t the most sexually-charged woman Hoshi had ever seen ¨C the strip of city next to the docks had a staggering number of prostitutes, whose careers were sex ¨C but she was easily two steps above his wildest fantasies.

    But of course, sirens were a myth; in reality the only things enticing seamen were carnivorous jynx, singing away to lure them into the rocks.

    He managed to swallow. ¡°Yeah, sure. Stay as long as you like.¡± There¡¯s a catch, there has to be a catch. She can¡¯t like me for me, that¡¯s¡­ That wasn¡¯t reasonable. He wasn¡¯t the least successful pickup artist, but the moment women got a whiff of his personality, they disappeared.

    Unable to hear his thoughts, Casca smiled. ¡°Glad to hear it. So¡­¡± She lounged, putting her hands behind her head to cradle it in place of a nonexistent pillow. ¡°I know you¡¯re a construction worker, but what do you do? Work with your hands? Drive a big machine?¡± The curve of her lips drew his eye like a conductor¡¯s baton. ¡°Command a Pok¨¦mon, maybe?¡±

    His mouth continually failed to produce enough moisture, and he took a moment to bend down, untying his boots before he answered. ¡°No, no Pok¨¦mon for me. Don¡¯t have a licence.¡±

    ¡°Right. Because of your father.¡±

    He paused. She remembered that? ¡°...Yeah. I couldn¡¯t get my certification, not while¡­ Well, you know.¡± Most kids who went on to be trainers started when they were ten. Hoshi ¨C or maybe his father, it was far enough back that his memory wasn¡¯t reliable ¨C had decided, instead, to wait a little bit.

    And then the seizures, and then the downwards spiral, and then, and then, and then¡­

    He had never gotten around to taking the tests. And now, with the new, more restrictive requirements¡­ Basically impossible. Johto is strangling us in our sleep, and our own government is helping them adjust their grip.

    Casca¡¯s lips went straight in a not-quite-frown. ¡°Damn, that was my best guess. It¡¯s easy to picture you with a Pok¨¦ball in your hand ¨C not really sure why. So, no Pok¨¦mon¡­ Handiwork, then? That¡¯s my runner-up.¡±

    <hr>

    They talked, long into the night ¨C long for Hoshi, anyway, who usually went to bed with the sun.

    Then they did other things, and finally they slept. Hoshi¡¯s bed was just large enough for two people to sleep without touching, but Casca clung to him despite the summer heat, pressing her body against his.

    It was sexual, but also not; the warmth that Hoshi felt had a different flavour from what the other things they had done in this bed left, something¡­ Not better, exactly, but different. More spread out, dull where the other was sharp.

    Fuck, he said over and over in his head, the curse gaining extra mental weight with every repetition. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I¡¯m not in love. That¡¯s stupid. I¡¯ve known her for two days ¨C for less than that. Fuck.

    At some point he must have managed to drift off, because between one blink and the next, it was suddenly morning. Not light, Hoshi had woken up before the sunrise, as he always did, but still morning.

    For the second day in a row he had failed to set his alarm ¨C but this time it was deliberate; it was Saturday. He had the weekend off, as mandated by Machamp and Sons, LLC.

    And also for the second day in a row, he had a girl in his bed. This time, he did not freak out ¨C but she must have slept poorly as well, because even moving with care it seemed that his stirring had forced her awake, too.

    Casca rubbed her eyes, the motion doing interesting things to her chest. Fuck, no. Don¡¯t notice that; you had sex all night. You aren¡¯t even close to recharged, which means you shouldn¡¯t feel anything, because you aren¡¯t in love.

    ¡°Morning,¡± she slipped out with a yawn. ¡°Damn, you wake up early. Any plans for today?¡±

    His feet touched the floor, the carpet pleasantly cooled overnight. ¡°No, not really. You have something in mind?¡±

    After a late-night shower, Hoshi had seen the woman without makeup for the first time. He had liked it, and as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes he found he still liked it. Her soft smile was bare, the colour of her lips less striking, but they made his heart jump in his chest nonetheless. No. I can¡¯t. Even if I wanted it, I can¡¯t afford a serious relationship. It¡¯s not gonna happen, so stop dreaming.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°How about a date? My treat.¡±

    <hr>

    Casca was good at her job.

    That wasn¡¯t just her ego talking; the big-wigs out in Viridian like to keep score ¨C metrics, to use their term ¨C and while she wasn¡¯t top of the list, she was close.

    She liked to think it was because when she talked to a guy, she meant it. All the acting skills in the world couldn¡¯t beat a little earnestness ¨C and it just so happened that she had both. Some might accuse her of having no standards, but Casca had never met a man without something to like, something to dig into.

    For example, consider her current mark: Hoshi Mutsu. When a pretty girl asked a man to take them on a date, most would choose a restaurant, or a club, or maybe an amusement park or something like that. Vermilion had more than enough variety to cater to any combination of activity and taste.

    But Hoshi had decided to take her to the Vermilion Military Museum.

    ¡°Really? That seems dangerous.¡±

    Hoshi replied to her statement with a thin smile, his eyes far-away as he looked up at the tiny, one-person airplane, the vehicle hanging from the ceiling by a collection of nearly-invisible wires. ¡°Not as much as you¡¯d think. Voltorb are actually pretty docile; you need to train them up, if you want them to explode on command.¡± His tone was wistful. ¡°Uncle Bob says you need to work with one for at least a month before sending it into battle, or its first instinct will be to run away. That¡¯s what they do in the wild ¨C they only blow up as a last resort, if they get cornered.¡±

    It was fascinating. She loved the subdued energy, the undercurrent of giddiness that had been flowing beneath his skin since the moment he walked in the door. It was childish, but in a good way; she could tell that Hoshi really, truly felt a connection to this place, to these dusty relics and the dry plaques describing them. I¡¯ve met a lot of war orphans, and a lot of veterans, too, and each of them has a unique way of looking at the war.

    Some of them get sad, some of them get angry, some of them get proud¡­ and some of them try to ignore that part of their past, act like it never happened. I thought Hoshi would be the angry sort, or maybe sad and angry together, but this might be the most at peace I¡¯ve ever seen him. Even asleep, the man had sported an irritated expression.

    It turned what might have been a boring slog into a genuinely interesting day. ¡°But in a plane, though?¡±

    He chuckled, his deep voice resonating. ¡°Is it that weird? If they can power a city, why not a plane? One turbine is the same as another.¡± His eyes slid to her, caught her expression, and brightened even further. ¡°Oh, I remember one of Dad¡¯s stories. Him and Bob were deep in dragon territory, way north past Blackthorn, looking to drop a load of drugs into the water. They were flying low-¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she interrupted. ¡°Drugs? Like, poison?¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s face was narrow in a way that made his smile seem wider than it was, like at any moment it would extend past the confines of his head and break into the open air. ¡°No, the kind that get you high. The Johtonian bastards were really hammering us with gyarados, and stress would just make the magikarp more likely to evolve, so¡­¡± He left the rest for her to put together.

    A pregnant moment, then she failed to contain her giggles. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s so silly! Getting them high, so they weren¡¯t stressed out?¡± Another fit of giggles, Hoshi joining in. ¡°Arcus, that¡¯s a military plan all right. What happened? They were flying low, and¡­¡±

    ¡°Right, they were flying low, to avoid the dragonite patrolling the mountains. Dad was in a Model 22, Bob was in a 20 ¨C that¡¯s the one they¡¯ve got up there ¨C and Dad¡¯s engine just goes, dead stop, hundred to zero in a second. He signals Bob and starts going in for a landing ¨C usually those things can glide pretty far, but they were hugging the mountains already, so¡­

    <hr>

    The southwest of the city was called the Old District, a name that fittingly pre-dated the Young District by over five decades, and most of it was centred around trainers. The Pok¨¦centre, Pok¨¦mart, and a bunch of other specialty shops were all clustered around the Gym, as one would assume.

    But there were a few businesses that had nothing to do with Pok¨¦mon, and one that Hoshi frequented semi-regularly was a little tucked-away ice cream shop near the docks.

    ¡°Raspberry,¡± he ordered, passing the owner a fiver.

    ¡°Island Special,¡± came his companion¡¯s order a few seconds later, Casca handing her own money to the man.

    He was mildly embarrassed to not be paying for her food, but she had insisted.

    They walked the docks, their treats gradually disappearing, passing sailors and fishermen as they watched the ocean shimmer in the noon sun.

    ¡°So¡­¡± he started, and Casca turned her head, her lips stained with artificial orange colouring. ¡°I¡¯ve been debating in my head where you¡¯re from, and I¡¯ve narrowed it down to either Cerulean, or the islands.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Her tongue flicked out, a flash of pink disappearing the melted cream. ¡°Are you going to ask?¡± Her face told him she already knew the answer. Am I predictable, or has she really been paying that much attention to me?

    ¡°No, I want to guess.¡±

    They leaned against the railing, and Hoshi broke off a piece of soggy cone to toss to the pidgey below. The tiny birds fought for it lazily, flinging the sugar-soaked wafer around until one of them managed to swallow it down, puffing its feathers in triumph.

    ¡°Cerulean. I¡¯m ninety percent sure.¡± He turned, and his companion shot him a raised brow. ¡°It was the sapphires. The Orange Archipelago has only the one mine, and it exports mostly fossils, not gems. Kanto¡¯s exports are taxed to Orre and back; that many stones would cost as much as a house, over there.¡±

    ¡°I could have bought them after coming here,¡± she replied, her tone playful.

    ¡°Nope. You wouldn¡¯t have come over for a vacation without jewelry, and those piercings aren¡¯t recent.¡± He paused. ¡°And besides, we get sailors from the islands all the time; they have a particular accent, even after living here for years. You were born in Kanto.¡±

    She tilted her head back and forth, letting the moment draw out, but eventually she raised her cone in a salute. ¡°You caught me. Cerulean, born and raised.¡±

    He nodded, satisfied. I knew it. ¡°Related to the Katsumi clan, by any chance?¡± While there were other families prone to the distinctive orange hair, the five-generations-strong holders of the Cerulean Gym were the largest and most famous.

    ¡°No,¡± she rejected with a shake of her head. ¡°Well, maybe real far back. My family name is Kichi.¡±

    He nodded. Down below, the pidgey were jostling for position, just in case he decided to throw some more dessert their way. Sorry, birds. He finished off his cone as Casca did the same.

    ¡°You seem to know a lot about a whole pile of topics, Hoshi. You sure you¡¯ve never gone to university?¡±

    He laughed softly. ¡°No, I think I¡¯d have mentioned that by now if I had. You?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, actually.¡±

    Her words made him turn, surprise flickering briefly across his features. ¡°Oh?¡± Really? I was so sure she was younger than me¡­

    ¡°Yeah, a local one actually. Ever heard of Electric Academy?¡±

    The surprise made a return, stronger. ¡°The rich kid''s school, out east? You¡¯re pulling my leg.¡±

    She shook her head, reaching up to lick at sticky fingers. ¡°Nope. It was only a three-month course, but you''re dating an official graduate of Vermilion¡¯s most exclusive academy.¡± She raised a finger, waving it like a flag. ¡°Go, Electivires!¡±

    He shook his head slowly, but he was smiling. ¡°I can hardly believe it. I¡¯ve heard they let in ten, maybe twenty people a year ¨C are you secretly a rich princess? Got a fancy estate up north?¡±

    Her smile dimmed, and a spark of terribly cold panic shot through Hoshi¡¯s spine. Wha-? What did I say? What Did I say?!

    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ not talk about my family situation, okay? I know it¡¯s unfair with how much I¡¯ve asked you about yourself, but¡­¡± She gazed out over the waters, which sparkled even brighter than the jewels adorning her body. ¡°Not today. I¡¯ll have to build up to it.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Sorry ¨C I get it. Family¡¯s personal." Not her fault I talked her ears off about all my own shit. Quickly, Hoshi scrambled to change the subject. ¡°So¡­ What was the school like? I¡¯ve heard the doorknobs are carved from solid lightning stones, but there¡¯s no way that¡¯s true.¡±

    To his delight, Casca¡¯s face brightened once again. ¡°Ha! No, nothing like that. There¡¯s money, but it¡¯s actually pretty understated ¨C I guess when you¡¯re really rich, you¡¯re secure enough to not flash it around.¡± Her elbows resting on the guard rail, she cupped her cheeks. ¡°You know, I still know a few guys who know a few guys, if you catch my meaning. I¡¯m sure I could get my boyfriend in on a night class, or something.¡±

    For a third time, surprise welled up, not only on his face, but deeper inside ¨C why did that make me feel..?

    He grappled with it, tried to shove it down, but a blush rose steadily up to his forehead. Idiot, you got her in your bed the night you met. Why are you blushing? Stop acting like a teenager.

    ¡°...Uh, maybe. My schedule is pretty full. I¡¯ll think about it?¡±

    She turned, and he could pinpoint the exact moment she saw how flustered he was. You bitch, you said that on purpose, to fuck with me! But any irritation he felt was tiny compared to the rush of warmth circulating through his body, completely unrelated to the summer heat.

 1.03 - Type Coverage

    ¡°Okay, what about cloyster?¡±

    Hoshi thought about it for a half-second, then snorted. ¡°No way. Cloyster¡¯s the shittiest ice type in Kanto.¡±

    Casca stopped packing clothes into her suitcase to shoot him a pout. ¡°No way! Cloyster¡¯s cool.¡± He kept his face still, not reacting to her pun, and eventually she gave up in favour of actually doing what they had come for. ¡°Besides, dewgong exists. That¡¯s a way worse Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    It turned out that the Cerulean girl was, indeed, not homeless ¨C by all but the broadest possible definition of the word, anyway. She had been staying in a hotel for the past few months, but now that she had somewhere else to sleep, she didn¡¯t want to keep paying for it.

    Which was why Hoshi was using his Sunday afternoon to pack a seemingly bottomless dresser¡¯s worth of clothes into a few equally large suitcases.

    ¡°Is dewgong ice type? I thought it was water.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s both, same as cloyster. And lapras.¡±

    He grunted in acknowledgment. All three? That doesn¡¯t sound right¡­ But I suppose she would know better than me. ¡°Lapras! That¡¯s a much better pick. I¡¯m choosing that one.¡±

    At some point he couldn¡¯t quite remember, the monotony of the task had driven their conversation towards the current League lineup, and then to how a prospective challenger might beat said lineup.

    It was an overdone topic, almost more common than commenting on the weather, but it served well enough to pass the time.

    The first member of the Elite Four was Koichi Tatsujin, Saffron¡¯s own Karate Master. With a solid team of fighting types, the ¡®weakest¡¯ member of the Four was actually the biggest filter to reaching the Champion. You absolutely needed a psychic Pok¨¦mon, or you would suffer too many losses to beat the next three¡­

    Only for the next Elite, Heavenly Medium Jiei Enoki of Ecruteak City, to render that psychic Pok¨¦mon completely worthless with his ghosts. After that came a second one-two punch: Will Zelcovia, the mysterious Masked Magician, and Dark Mistress Karen Rosewood.

    To survive, you¡¯d need to beat the Four at their own game ¨C each was weak to one of the others, so the obvious answer was to have four Pok¨¦mon, each matching a Master¡¯s type, of your own.

    ¡°Lapras are so rare, though.¡± Casca held up an oversized polka-dot shirt, her expression radiating confusion. Hoshi could imagine her exact thoughts: ¡¯Why do I have this? I don¡¯t even remember buying it!¡¯ ¡°I still think starmie is the best; it learns ice and psychic moves, so it could beat both the Champion, and Jiei.¡±

    Well, the ¡®beat them at their own game¡¯ strategy was obvious to Hoshi, at least. Casca had been sceptical, reasoning that as the Elite of the elite, they would obviously be able to cover their most blatant weaknesses. She thought the best thing to do was build your own specialist team, one not strong or weak to any of theirs, and use a varied spread of moves to grind through the four-against-one gauntlet.

    And of course, she fulfilled the Cerulean stereotype by suggesting a water-based offensive. ¡°Bah, spoken like a rich girl. Move disks aren¡¯t cheap, you know!¡± And the Karate Master¡¯s Lightning Punch would take out your whole team, anyway,

    The packing went on, the lovers bantering back and forth, and just as the topic started to turn stale Hoshi reached down to find his fingers brushing along a bare wooden drawer, rather than an endlessly replenishing pile of feminine-cut fabric.

    He looked down suspiciously, not quite trusting his senses, but it seemed the monster was truly slain. ¡°I¡¯m done over here. You close to finishing?¡±

    ¡°Just some jewellry to go.¡± She held up a small box, shaking it to produce a colourful jangle. ¡°I don¡¯t want to just dump it in, or it¡¯ll tangle. But I don¡¯t need another pair of hands; you can start with the suitcases. Or wait around ¨C this¡¯ll take, like, ten minutes, tops.¡±

    She fished out a necklace, but to her consternation it seemed that the entire contents of the box had fused together into a tangela of gold and silver. ¡°How did this even..? It was all fine a week ago!¡± She huffed, sour, before returning the mass to its box and just tossing the whole thing in her final case. ¡°Nevermind, I guess I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s get out of here before they sneak another week onto your bill.¡±

    She stood, brushing off her knees, as Hoshi hefted three of the four suitcases. ¡°Oh?¡± she asked, her eyes trailing up and down his body. ¡°You sure you¡¯ve got that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡± He demonstrated by hoisting the cases above his head for a moment ¨C they were mostly clothes, and he was used to moving wood and stone. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to carry them the whole way, easy.¡±

    His¡­ girlfriend continued to eye him with a hint of worry, and for what must be the thousandth time he cursed his scrawny figure. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve got plenty of muscles. Even if it doesn¡¯t look like it.¡±

    The trip back to his apartment wasn¡¯t very eventful. Hoshi had exhausted his capacity for smalltalk, and Casca seemed to have picked up on his mood; they walked through the streets silently, listening to the city.

    Though a nagging thought did tug at Hoshi¡¯s brain.

    Koichi. Jiei. Will. Karen.

    And of course¡­ Indigo League Pok¨¦mon Champion, Dragon Empress Clair Blackthorn.

    Of the five Elites of the League, only one was Kantonian ¨C and that lone Kantonian was considered the weakest, forced to live in the shadow of his predecessor, Bruno, who had held the title uncontested for nearly four decades.

    The last time the Elite Four had seen a Kantonian majority had been when he was ten years old¡­ and even then, the Champion was a Johtonian. A far cry from his father¡¯s time, where the Pallet League had smashed the Silver League, Samuel Oak crushing Burgh Blackthorn so decisively the latter had retired in shame.

    But as he ascended the steps up to his little apartment, Hoshi put those dark thoughts aside.

    ¡°Oh, lemme get the door for you¡­¡±

    He smiled as Casca rushed ahead. Yeah, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. There isn¡¯t anything I can do about it ¨C I¡¯m not even a trainer. And even if I was, where would I get the kinds of rare, powerful Pok¨¦mon you need to beat the League?

    No point speculating. I¡¯ve got my own life to worry about.

    <hr>

    As always, Hoshi woke long before the sun. He quietly slid out of bed, turning a curious eye towards his partner, but it seemed that her early awakening on Saturday had been a solitary miracle; she didn¡¯t stir even slightly as he dressed, cleaned himself, and prepared for the day.

    Before leaving he ghosted a kiss along her forehead, but even that contact failed to wake her. The front door opened with a soft click ¨C but he lingered in the doorway a moment, looking back.

    Can this last? Casca came to the city for a few months of school, and if I understand the bits I¡¯ve caught, she¡¯s just been loitering around since the end of spring. Is she planning to stick around and find a job, or..?

    He could ask her. She probably wouldn¡¯t make a big deal out of it ¨C Casca Kichi was, he was learning, casual to a fault.

    ¡­No. Not yet. If it¡¯s going to end, I¡¯d rather not know until it happens.

    <hr>

    A week passed, then another as June became July. Hoshi went to work in the morning, came home in the afternoon, and spent almost the entirety of his free time either with his girlfriend, or doing odd jobs for Danny Houndoom.

    The old man was stingy, but he paid. Hoshi wanted to eventually be able to afford to pay for her meals too, after all ¨C and that meant he needed to increase his income beyond what a common labourer made.

    His life had entered a new routine, similar but distinct from his old one, and it was almost entirely better no matter how he was measuring ¨C but still, sometimes annoyances reared their ugly heads.

    ¡°Hoshi!¡± bellowed Everheart, his voice hoarse as always. ¡°Get over here!¡±

    Hoshi put down his electric handsaw, already beginning to feel a headache reaching dark fingers around the edges of his temples. ¡°One sec, boss!¡±

    The tool went back in its proper place, unplugged ¨C the Ditto would berate him twice as hard for a lack of safety compared to just making him wait, though of course there wasn¡¯t an option where he didn¡¯t get yelled at ¨C and after no more than thirty seconds he stepped away from his section, towards where Everheart was waiting.

    In a moment of deja vu, Hoshi suddenly realised that Dabi Mokusen, the short, nervous worker with thick glasses, was standing just behind the larger man. Wait. Did they figure it out? But I didn¡¯t leave any- no, don¡¯t panic. ¡°What¡¯d you need, boss?¡± Act natural. There¡¯s no way they could have tracked that ball to you.

    The fat, middle-aged supervisor gestured impatiently, and Dabi stepped forward. He lined up to Hoshi¡¯s side, and the sack of lard eyed them both sourly. ¡°Took you long enough, Mutsu. The blue suits finally got back to us about that ball ¨C it¡¯s gone. Wiped from the registry; Silph can¡¯t find the radio signal.¡±

    Hoshi relaxed, hoping the relief wasn¡¯t showing on his face. Good job, Danny.

    Everheart continued, ¡°The replacement¡¯s over at the nearest Pok¨¦mart. You two go there with the ¡®mon and capture it right there ¨C I don¡¯t want you to take your eyes off that ball for a second, hear me?¡± He zeroed in on Dabi. ¡°You¡¯re lucky we¡¯ve got insurance, but if you lose another one, it¡¯s coming out¡¯a your paycheck! Now, get going!¡±

    The final exclamation was accompanied by a meaty finger-point, causing flecks of sweat to spring off the digit onto the fresh, once-spotless concrete. Hoshi, still relieved, managed to suspend his disgust. ¡°On my way, boss,¡± he said with a salute.

    ¡°R-right¡­¡± stuttered Dabi. ¡°Come along, Benny ¨C yes, this way, we¡¯re going on a little trip.¡±

    The machoke ¨C Hoshi honestly had no idea how the tiny man was picking it out from the rest ¨C took a few tentative steps, followed by a more confident strut as they exited the worksite.

    <hr>

    Okay, this vibe is weird.

    Hoshi didn¡¯t think he was an antisocial guy, exactly. Sure, he got in fights all the time, didn¡¯t have many friends, preferred to keep to himself¡­

    Actually, some of those aren¡¯t true anymore. I haven¡¯t punched anyone¡¯s teeth in for¡­ about two weeks. Hm.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    The thought passed as he was drawn back to the present almost against his will ¨C because walking just behind Dabi and his machoke was fucking weird.

    Most of the time, Hoshi didn¡¯t give the big blue lizards ¨C reptiles? They lose the tail when they evolve, so¡­ whatever, not important ¨C any thought. They were roughly human-shaped, yeah, but in terms of intellect they weren¡¯t much smarter than a pidgey or rattata. Treating them like people would just get someone hurt as they misunderstood a phrase they hadn¡¯t heard before; he had seen it a few times over the last three years, and the results of super-strength construction accidents weren¡¯t pretty.

    But there was something about the way this machoke moved that was¡­ odd. Too human. He isn¡¯t following Dabi, he¡¯s walking beside him. As he watched, the Pok¨¦mon subtly looked both ways before crossing the street.

    Okay, I¡¯ve gotta say something. ¡°Hey, Dabi.¡±

    The man did a full-body flinch like a haunter had passed through him, nearly tripping over his own feet as he looked back. ¡°Huh? Yeah?¡± His glasses, thicker than the bottom of a glass bottle, made it nearly impossible to tell what his eyes were doing ¨C but Hoshi knew, instinctively, that the man¡¯s eyes were wide with fear.

    Dude, come on. You have to know that just makes you look pathetic, right? ¡°You seem real friendly with Benny there. You work together a lot?¡±

    Hoshi passed the tiny man, who continued to stand stock-still for a moment before scrambling to catch up. ¡°O-oh, yes. Benny. I¡¯ve been¡­¡± For a moment his stance seemed to firm up, before devolving right back to the level of a spineless worm. ¡°Well, I suppose you could say we¡¯re friends. My mother used to work in¡­ well, th-that¡¯s not important.¡± Arcus fuck, talk like a human being. ¡°She raised machop, and when her work ran dry she donated them to the city. A-and Benny is the child of one of those machop¡­ So I guess I feel a connection to him.¡±

    Hoshi grunted. ¡°Got it. But does he seem¡­ smarter than the other ones, maybe? Look¡¯it him, he¡¯s obeying traffic lights.¡±

    He gestured to the ¡®mon, who was patiently waiting for the crosswalk¡¯s light to go from red to green. Dabi paused again, his jaw working.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Well, maybe a little. They¡¯re very well trained, you know, to w-work around dangerous machines all day¡­¡± He looked away.

    Hoshi was silent as the light turned, and the strange trio crossed the street without any incidents save a few odd looks from passer-by. ¡°Sure.¡± Bullshit. I¡¯ve been doing this three years, I know how machoke act. ¡°I guess he¡¯s just a bit smarter. Some people are geniuses, so why can¡¯t there by machoke geniuses, hm?¡±

    Dabi¡¯s posture exuded a strained sort of relief, as in the distance the Young District¡¯s tiny, unpopular Pok¨¦mart became visible against the surrounding buildings. ¡°O-of course. Let¡¯s get this done, shall we?¡±

    His tiny legs worked to move him forward, the hunched posture reminding Hoshi of a cockroach scrabbling on hard tile.

    ¡­Ugh, my head hurts too much to think about this. I just know there¡¯s something weird going on ¨C I¡¯ll be staying far away from that mutant machoke from now on. Dabi, too.

    <hr>

    A Pok¨¦mart was, theoretically, the one-stop-shop of choice for every Pok¨¦mon trainer, from bug catcher to Route Ranger. Each was stocked with balls, health items, virtual training regimens packed into compact disks to near-instantly teach new attacks, and, of course, food for the wide assortment of different critters any random customer might be carrying in their pocket when they walk in.

    But in reality, some were better than others.

    Hoshi had been in his local Pok¨¦mart a few times ¨C they sold human-centric goods too, like hiking gear. That one was a paragon of its kind; aisles and aisles of carefully-sorted top-of-the-line equipment, Pok¨¦mon accessories, and nutritional supplements. The steel-toed boots he was currently wearing had been bought from that mart.

    The Pok¨¦mart near the work site was not like the one near the Gym. It was small, with only four aisles, and from what Hoshi could see while walking to the counter, sold mostly the Pok¨¦mon equivalent of snack food. I see skim milk in that cooler over there. Did they refit an out-of-business grocery store, or something?

    The mediocre store had equally mediocre service; only a single half-asleep man behind the counter. He hadn¡¯t even looked over when they entered. Actually, I think- yeah, he¡¯s looking at his ¡®gear under the counter. A flash of jealousy burned hot and green through Hoshi¡¯s stomach for a moment; a Pok¨¦gear wasn¡¯t just a wireless phone ¨C which was valuable enough on its own ¨C but a smart map, radio, television, and emergency signal all in a device that was more durable than a solid steel slab.

    Silph had been promising a cheaper, non-trainer version since the original release, but those promises always turned out to be smoke, as the price remained locked in place year after year.

    ¡°H-hello?¡± Dabi stuttered at a criminally low volume. ¡°We¡¯re here from Machamp & Sons? About a..? Pok¨¦ball..?¡±

    The man, who was maybe eighteen at most, didn¡¯t even look up.

    Arcus. ¡°Hey,¡± Hoshi snapped, and the cashier jolted ¨C at maybe a tenth the level Dabi had jolted on the way over, if that. He turned his head, caught sight of the pair of humans and a machoke, and nearly dropped his ¡®gear.

    ¡°Ah! I mean- welcome to Pok¨¦mart! How can I help you today?¡±

    Again, Dabi spoke with all the assertiveness of a piece of litter stuck between two paving stones. ¡°A Pok¨¦ball? For Machamp & Sons, LLC?¡±

    The man blinked, then seemed to remember he was a person with a fucking job who was being paid to do that fucking job. ¡°Of course. One sec, I need to get it from the back.¡±

    Hoshi watched the cashier go, a sneer threatening to overpower his composure. Fuck. My head hurts. It was possible he was getting the first symptoms of heat exhaustion ¨C the temperature had hit forty degrees just before noon, and it probably wouldn¡¯t drop until after the sun went down. Fucking July. I swear it never got this hot when I was a kid¡­

    The heinously overpriced sugar water displayed near the counter beckoned like shining gold. Should¡¯ve brought some water from my cooler. Arcus, how long does it take to grab a single Pok¨¦ball?

    Hoshi would have sworn a full quarter-hour had passed since the slow-ass fuck had retreated into the back rooms. Questing black roots dug into his brain as red began to fog his vision, and-

    Tap.

    Like an exploding electrode, a persistent sound completely obliterated his waning patience. Tap, tap, tap.

    He rounded on the tiny man, tapping his tiny foot on the tile floor. ¡°Will you fucking cut it out already?!¡±

    For once, Dabi did not flinch. He turned, mouth half-open in an expression of confusion. ¡°P-pardon? Were you talking t-to m-m-¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was talking to fucking you, who else is in here?¡± And there it was, the man curling in on himself like a sad little bug. ¡°Stop tapping your foot, and stop acting like a fucking weedle. Seriously, how do you function? Are you like this at home? Why are you so fucking weird?¡±

    Dabi stood, half-crouched, his mouth continuing to hang open. A smidgen of the red receded, paint draining out the bottom of a leaking bucket. Fuck. I was doing good ¨C I literally thought about how I haven¡¯t been getting into stupid fights on the way over.

    Fuck. Fuck! If I lose my fucking job..! His hand reached for the counter to steady himself.

    Dabi opened his mouth even wider, then closed it with a snap. ¡°You don¡¯t- you d-don¡¯t get to talk to me that-¡± He paused, his breathing heavy, and for a moment the red surged as Hoshi¡¯s body prepared for a fight. ¡°If you knew who I was-¡±

    In the middle of his sentence, the Pok¨¦mart employee returned, cradling a black Pok¨¦ball in both hands. Conflicting emotions of rage and relief flooded Hoshi¡¯s system, a rainbow of sensations allowing him to break through his flight-or-fight reflex for a moment and take two large steps away from his diminutive co-worker.

    ¡°Finally. How long does it take to fetch a damn ball? Why the fuck doesn¡¯t this place have any fucking air conditioning?!¡±

    The young man stopped, and for a moment the room was absolutely still, absolutely silent.

    ¡°...Sorry for the wait, sirs. With all the new regulations, we need to authenticate every single Pok¨¦ball before selling them.¡± Everything was swirling, light of too many colours diffracting through crystal spheres, the stupid slow cashier turning his head, his eyes squinting in blue and black. ¡°Sir? Are you..?¡±

    Hoshi grabbed something, some expensive potion of salt and sugar and slammed it on the counter. ¡°This,¡± he said, or at least he thought he said. The man opened his mouth but Hoshi couldn¡¯t wait any more, he scrambled to twist the cap and-

    He gulped it down. Flavour, too much to understand, colour bleeding into texture bleeding into sound. Oh, Arcus, is this it? Is this what he saw, when his eyes shone? I don¡¯t want to go. I¡¯m in love. I don¡¯t want her to leave, to leave back north and marry some rich fuck with a hundred dragonite in his back yard. I don¡¯t want them to find me glued to my bed, back arching until it breaks, eyes glowing with distant spots.

    What are they seeing, right now?

    What colour am I?

    <hr>

    Hoshi woke up. His eyes opened to see blue and white ¨C the sky, clouds drifting high above.

    ¡°Mutsu? You awake?¡±

    The voice was familiar. He smacked his lips, wetting them as a face like processed pork came into view.

    ¡°Boss.¡± I¡¯m awake. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Dedwin Everheart was sweating, which was normal. What wasn¡¯t normal was the lack of annoyance on his face ¨C in fact, he had an expression Hoshi had never seen his features make before.

    What¡¯s he afraid of?

    ¡°You passed out, Mutsu. I¡­¡± His own tongue rolled in his mouth as he chose his words. ¡°I¡¯ve been working you guys a bit hard. I get that, alright? Why don¡¯t you take some time off. Say, two weeks? Paid leave?¡±

    Hoshi did absolutely nothing for a moment, confused beyond the ability to move. Then, over the course of about two seconds, epiphany came rushing in to fill the void.

    I passed out from the fucking heat. That counts as an on-the-job injury. The urge to laugh came and went, a second of giddiness before a wave of oh fuck my head hurts drowned the emotion like¡­ like a metaphor he didn¡¯t have the brainpower to come up with.

    ¡°Ugh,¡± he choked out. ¡°Help me stand.¡±

    Dedwin reached out a sweat-soaked hand, and together they managed to hoist Hoshi¡¯s body up into something that could be called standing.

    He was back at the worksite, the nearly-completed shopping mall. It was just the two of them in the empty-

    Actually, no. Camouflaged by Hoshi¡¯s disorientation and his own smallness was Dabi Mokusen, jumping into visibility only because of what he was holding: the man was toying with a Jet Ball, its distinctive matte-black top visible even from across the room.

    ¡°How¡¯d I get back?¡± You didn¡¯t call an ambulance, or I¡¯d have woken up in the hospital.

    ¡°Mokusen carried you.¡± At Hoshi¡¯s incredulous look, he clarified. ¡°Had the machoke carry you, I mean.¡± His arm came up to ¨C very lightly ¨C slap Hoshi on the back. ¡°So, whaddya say? No reason we have to get the blues involved, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re bribing me.¡± The words came out without any input from his consciousness, but after a moment¡¯s thought he decided he probably would have said it the same anyway.

    Everheart¡¯s face twisted. ¡°...Yes. What do you want more, a wad of cash from a one-time settlement, or to still have a job tomorrow?¡±

    Hoshi looked at the man. His head was clearing, and as his vision focused he simply stared, his brow fixed, pupils steady.

    Sweat continued to pour down the man¡¯s face, but for whatever reason Hoshi was convinced that, just this once, it wasn¡¯t the heat. ¡°What? You asking for more? Don¡¯t think you can extort me, Mutsu.¡±

    ¡°Obviously, it¡¯ll cost you more to fire me than pay me off. You wouldn¡¯t be doing this otherwise. A whole month.¡±

    The man¡¯s nose flared, his nostrils deep black pits. For a moment Hoshi thought he saw dancing lights in those endless pits, but then he blinked and they were gone. I¡®m not crazy. It was heat stroke. My brain overheating. Temporary ¨C it¡¯s already gone.

    ¡°...Four business weeks. You come back on the second, and this didn¡¯t happen.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s arm flashed out with a speed that surprised him. ¡°Deal.¡±

    On his way out, Hoshi passed close to Dabi, the man still cradling the specialty Pok¨¦ball. He turned it this way and that, inspecting it like a jeweller checking a diamond for flaws.

    Hoshi slowed, and their eyes met ¨C but Dabi didn¡¯t seem interested in talking. His eyes went back to Silph Co¡¯s crowning glory, and Hoshi kept walking.

    <hr>

    Hoshi got home somewhere between six and seven, according to where the sun hung in the sky. In another moment of deja vu Casca was there, lounging on his couch, watching the news.

    ¡°Hey Hoshi. Late day today- hm?¡± He must have looked like shit warmed over, because when her eyes caught him she turned, her face contorting in concern. ¡°Hoshi? What¡¯s happened? You look like a wild machop used you as a punching bag.¡± Despite the playful overtones, real worry lay under each word. ¡°Seriously. Do you need me to call an ambulance?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°No, I¡­¡± I love you, was what he wanted to say. ¡°Are you going to leave?¡± were the sounds his mouth made.

    Casca inhaled. She looked up to his face, then down to his boots. Her head raised, their eyes meeting and connecting.

    ¡°...Can you wait ten minutes?¡±

    His heart resumed beating. ¡°Why? So you can pack your bags?¡±

    ¡°So I can go grab some smokes.¡±

    Wearily, he stepped through the door of his apartment, not bothering to close it behind him. He collapsed on the couch next to his maybe-girlfriend, and if his limbs had been even slightly less attached he was sure he¡¯d have fallen to pieces right there.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you smoked.¡±

    She smiled, and if this was the last time he saw her he was glad it was a smile that would live on, peach paint engraved in his memories.

    ¡°Only sometimes.¡± The smile thinned, but did not disappear. ¡°Only for the really hard conversations.¡±

 1.04 - To Extend Our Reach

    Casca Kichi did not feel fear very often.

    Sometimes, she wondered if maybe there was something a little bit off about that part of her. She worked for a dangerous criminal organization, after all; she was near scary people all the time. Wouldn¡¯t it be normal to be afraid?

    She stood outside the door, an oversized pack of smokes in hand, psyching herself up ¨C but even now, she wouldn¡¯t say she was afraid, exactly. Isn¡¯t that weird? Hoshi¡¯s a fighter; I noticed the scars on his knuckles that first night in the pub, the faded bruises. He gets angry easy.

    If he doesn¡¯t like what I say, he might actually kill me. It wouldn¡¯t even need to be on purpose ¨C he¡¯s a hard man who¡¯s had a shitty day. This could go really bad.

    But Casca Kichi was good at her fucking job. She had chosen Hoshi Mutsu for some pretty strong reasons, and her logic had only gotten more right as she uncovered more and more of his personality. So she stood outside his door, listening to the distant hiss of his tiny apartment shower, and repeated the mantra until the hesitancy ebbed away.

    Casca Kichi is good at her job. Casca Kichi is good at her job. Casca Kichi is good at her fucking job.

    She opened the door.

    <hr>

    Hoshi could never bring himself to take cold showers. Every time a health magazine or doctor¡¯s pamphlet endorsed the practice he would give it a shot, and every time he would make it maybe thirty seconds before he turned the heat up.

    Cold showers were fucking miserable. The supposed health benefits could go jump in the bay, if they loved freezing to death so much.

    But today, that feeling of ice dripping down his body and soaking through his skin felt soothing. I guess I just needed to balance it out by having an Arcus damned heat stroke first.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how long he had been in the shower, and he wasn¡¯t sure how long he would stay in there, either. He definitely wasn¡¯t trying to clean himself; his shampoo and body wash sat untouched, and he had no intention of even combing his hair. He just stood, letting the water pour over him with his eyes closed.

    Will she be there when I step out? Or did I scare her off? He didn¡¯t want to find out.

    But his body could only follow his mind so far, and eventually the lack of heat went from soothing to annoying, then painful. Hoshi was forced out of his shower, shivering, a clinging cold holding fast to his bones the only sensation making it past the numbness in his limbs.

    He dried himself, dressed, and waited a few minutes more, dread pooling in his gut as he eyed the bathroom door. But eventually, conviction overpowered hesitation.

    I don¡¯t want to know. But I need to.

    He opened the door.

    She was there. Casca Kichi sat on his couch, her back straight, staring at the blank, grey-green screen of his inactive television. Her expression was bland and far-away, an unlit cigar held between two fingers.

    He moved. He sat on the couch, next to her, and after bathing the day¡¯s heat in cold he felt¡­ closer to normal. Still tired, but he could probably get through whatever this was without freaking out too badly.

    ¡°Hey,¡± he said.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she replied. ¡°So¡­ Ask me again.¡± He blinked at her. ¡°C¡¯mon, ask me again.¡±

    The corners of his mouth raised, just a touch. The levity was a good sign. ¡°Are you leaving?¡±

    She reached forward, grabbing something he hadn¡¯t noticed from off his coffee table: a novelty lighter, the lid shaped and painted to resemble the head of a magcargo. She flicked it on, and lit her cigar.

    ¡°Okay so, there are two ways this can go,¡± she said through half-clenched teeth. Inhale, exhale, and when the smoke reached Hoshi¡¯s nose it was fragrant, heavy with a whole host of things that were far more intoxicating than mere tobacco.

    Ha. Where did she even find a gourmet cigar shop in Vermilion? He nodded, and she continued.

    ¡°Option one: I tell you who I am, and you don¡¯t like it. Life goes on for a while¡­ then my long vacation in Vermilion City ends. I go back to Cerulean, and that¡¯s that.¡±

    His jaw tightened. ¡°And option two?¡±

    ¡°I tell you, and you¡¯re into it. We see how far the diglett can dig.¡±

    He swallowed. How bad can it be? His brain attempted to conjure the worst thing it could imagine, but it was stalling out. A Johtonian spy? No, that¡¯s stupid. I genuinely can¡¯t think of anything that I would give a fuck about that isn¡¯t wild fantasy shit. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m ready, hit me.¡±

    A few seconds passed as she puffed, his apartment filling with weirdly pleasant smoke. ¡°¡­You know that I have money.¡±

    Another nod. ¡°Yeah.¡± You¡¯re literally burning what must be two hundred pok¨¦dollars. Seriously, where did you get that? All the rich guy shit is up north.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly come into it¡­ legally.¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay?¡± His mouth moved without thought, just as it had earlier in the day. ¡°I steal stuff from work. Or pickpocket people¡¯s phones and shit. I know a guy who does electronic stuff, he pays me for it and sells it on as salvage.¡±

    For a moment Casca¡¯s face scrunched, her eyebrows going down and her nostrils flaring, and in that brief moment Hoshi felt like he would die. I fucked it up. She meant some kinda white-collar crime shit and I fucked up everything.

    Then, to his mixed relief and confusion, she giggled. The tip of her cigar bobbed, its bright afterimage turning into dark scribbles in his vision. She plucked the smoke from her lips as her reaction intensified, breaking into full-on laughter for a handful of seconds before her breath petered out.

    She looked him in the eye, her face reddened. ¡°Hoshi. Hoshi, I respect you, but that isn¡¯t what I meant. That is some kiddie shit, compared to what I do.¡±

    Irritation. ¡°Hey. C¡¯mon. I stole a Pok¨¦ball once.¡±

    Her brows raised. ¡°A Pok¨¦ball?¡± Yeah, yeah, stupid, I know. ¡°Okay, I take it back. That¡¯s actually pretty hard.¡± She took a long drag, and when she exhaled he doubted an angry dragon would produce so much smoke. ¡°I was going to try easing you into it, but in hindsight that plan was stupid. Simple and direct, here we go.¡± She looked at him again, and for the first time since meeting the woman Hoshi saw the smallest spark of fear in Casca Kichi¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Have you ever heard of Team Rocket?¡±

    Hoshi blinked. Rocket? The terrorist group? But as he asked himself the question, he recalled something deeper. No, they weren¡¯t always called terrorists. They used to be just petty criminals ¨C and before that¡­

    <hr>

    ¡°Don¡¯t they know anything about Team Rocket?!¡±

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The memory wasn¡¯t clear. It wasn¡¯t faded, either ¨C no, it was simply indistinct. Something that he only half-recalled, because he had never bothered to mark the information as important.

    Hoshi had been¡­ young. Young enough to be held by his mother ¨C young enough that his mother was still alive.

    Four, maybe? I¡¯m surprised I remember it at all¡­

    When the news of the peace negotiations broke, his father had been livid. Hoshi could remember that part, or at least flashes of it ¨C Shenja tearing a newspaper clean in half, nights where the three of them held each other and his father wept quietly.

    This would be after that, he thought. After the Pallet and Silver Leagues joined together.

    ¡°It¡¯s those bastard appeasers in the government, I know it is!¡± The purple haired giant made a wild motion, but stopped himself at the last moment; his fist made soft contact with the table, not even making a sound.

    ¡°Honey, not in front of Hoshi. You¡¯ll make him cry,¡± came a voice, familiar but too washed-out to really describe.

    The toddler¡¯s face sours. I was irritated, I think. I wasn¡¯t afraid ¨C I was never afraid of dad.

    Shenja¡¯s voice became softer. ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± His father¡¯s face stood out perfectly in the faded world, enough that Hoshi knew it had to be a lie ¨C his mind inserting a clearer picture into the eighteen-year-old memory. ¡°But this is important. This is history they¡¯re messing with. Team Rocket were the best damn saboteurs this country could have asked for! They stole the Pok¨¦mon Storage System right from under that bastard Bill¡¯s nose! And now the damn pencil-pushers¡­¡±

    Blurs and smeared sounds were the only thing to follow, his mind failing to dredge up anything more.

    But there were other memories, far apart, scattered like the last dying stars resisting dawn¡¯s light.

    <hr>

    Casca watched her lover¡¯s face carefully. She thought that she had managed to navigate through the tricky part, the point where he might decide to kick her out, or worse, but even a trained intuition wasn¡¯t perfect.

    Hoshi chewed on her question for long seconds, as she puffed on her Kalosian Kiloude Cloud Fountain. She would have honestly preferred something sharper, but Hoshi didn¡¯t smoke, so she had gotten the smoothest thing she could afford; the thing was more perfume than nicotine, and she was barely buzzed despite being halfway through the frankly oversized cigar.

    A bead of sweat threatened to drip into her eye. Did I rush in too fast? Maybe I should have eased him into things after all¡­

    Her numbers were good. Near the top, even ¨C but she had plenty of failures under her belt, too. C¡¯mon, Hoshi. Talk to me. This is freaking me out.

    After however many minutes of silence, the man moved. He sat up, his eyes clearing. ¡°Team Rocket, huh?¡±

    She had to stop herself from wincing at his skeptical tone. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯ve heard of it, then?¡±

    ¡°Here and there.¡± He crossed his arms and leaned back, sinking into the couch. ¡°But everything recent is from the news, and fuck the news. The media says whatever it thinks will get people to turn on their television, when they aren¡¯t being blatantly paid off by Johto.¡± He turned to her. ¡°So I¡¯d prefer to hear it from you. What¡¯s Team Rocket?¡±

    Team Rocket is money. A roof over my head that actually has some people under it. A shitty collection of greedy assholes that¡¯s somehow not quite as bad as everywhere else.

    She smiled as her personal answer flitted through her head. Those were good, true answers, but not what Hoshi wanted or needed to hear. Time to put those three months of boring lessons to use.

    ¡°Team Rocket was,¡± she began, but a thought made her pause. ¡°Do you want the long version?¡±

    ¡°I want what¡¯s important.¡± His dark purple eyes drilled into her. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll ask for the whole story at some point, but now¡¯s not the time. This is about me and you, not anything else.¡±

    While the conversation had been going, her smoke had dwindled. She took one last extra-long inhale, savouring the tingle, before standing. A few steps took her across the room, and as she slid open the apartment window she bid a silent farewell to her month¡¯s singular hit of nicotine. Maybe more than a month; I have a good feeling about this.

    She left the window open, sitting back down.

    ¡°Okay,¡± she said, Hoshi¡¯s positive reaction pepping her up. ¡°Team Rocket was a gang back in the sixties, then a black ops group for the government, then a gang again after the unification. You heard about Giovanni back in ¡®97?¡±

    He nodded, his expression still serious. ¡°Of course. Not every day a Gym Leader quits and flees the country. I remember my father thinking¡­ Well, it doesn¡¯t matter right now. But I also remember it disbanded ¨C did that actually happen?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, it was apparently basically dead for a few years there. But at the turn of the millennium the remaining die-hards hijacked a radio station for a bit, and it got the gang back together.¡±

    She took a breath. ¡°And.. that¡¯s where I come in. My parents¡­¡± A twist of emotion stabbed into her gut, and she mentally recoiled. Okay, no, too much. ¡°I lived on the streets a bit, when I was a teenager.¡± She flashed him a smile, as much to buoy her own spirits as anything. ¡°Rocket took me in. I¡¯m not going to tell you they¡¯re good people, but they take care of their own. If you¡¯re out there stealing Pok¨¦balls already, you¡¯re a much better catch than I thought, and I already thought you were a shoe-in.¡±

    His face didn¡¯t move; his eyes might as well have been carved from amethysts. ¡°That¡¯s your job, isn¡¯t it? Finding guys.¡±

    A moment of tension ¨C then, she raised her hand to her forehead, giving a two-finger salute. ¡°Guilty! You got jynx¡¯d, motherfucker!¡±

    His stoic expression strained, strained, and then broke, cycling through incredulity, to anger, then back again. Then, finally, her words had their intended effect: Hoshi Mutsu let out a snorting laugh, doubling over as tears gathered in the corners of his eyes.

    ¡°Yup,¡± she continued. ¡°I¡¯ve done this with so many guys. Like, maybe a three-figure number.¡± He gasped, fighting to breathe. ¡°Call me vespiqueen, ¡®cause I am a honey. Trap.¡±

    Hoshi continued to snort-laugh. ¡°Fuck you,¡± he managed to choke out. ¡°You did not just brag about how many guys you¡¯ve fucked.¡±

    Her smile widened. ¡°I totally did, and you totally liked it.¡±

    He shoved her, not hard, and she shoved back. They ended up tangled together, leaning against the couch, their heads on each other¡¯s shoulders.

    Hoshi spoke, his normally deep voice whisper-thin. ¡°If I choose option two¡­ won¡¯t you have to leave anyway? If you get paid to bring people in¡­¡±

    ¡°I get paid for a bunch of things,¡± she whispered back, hugging her arms around him as tightly as their weirdly positioned bodies would allow. ¡°I actually get most of my pay from smuggling. The recruiter thing is just way safer.¡±

    A moment of silence. ¡°So what happened to all those other guys? That ¡®three figure number¡¯?¡±

    Ah, here was another tricky part. Sincerity. People can smell lies, so never, ever lie. She pulled back, and Hoshi reluctantly let her go.

    ¡°Most of them were just flings. I¡¯d float the idea to them, and if they joined¡­ great. But they weren¡¯t¡­ serious. A few were, the way we are.¡± His eyes had hardened again, but not as much. ¡°They didn¡¯t last long either. Turns out that most relationships fail, and that doesn¡¯t change when you add crime into the mix.¡± A brittle smile. ¡°I¡¯m too much for most guys. They can¡¯t handle me.¡±

    Another moment of silence, and the bead of sweat finally managed to overcome her brow, forcing her to blink first. She pouted at her once and maybe-current lover, urging him to fucking talk, asshole.

    Finally, he did. ¡°Was it real? Us?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely. Casca Kichi doesn¡¯t lie ¨C in fact, I¡¯d say not lying is her most marketable skill.¡± Then, with a waggle of her brows, she drew a hand down her body. ¡°If we ignore all this, obviously. The personality¡¯s a bonus, we all know what gets people through the door.¡±

    He shook his head slowly, but a smile was tugging on his lips. ¡°I thought this was supposed to be a serious conversation?¡±

    She flopped back, the couch¡¯s plush cushions deforming under her weight. ¡°Smoke went out the window a while ago. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m too complicated a woman; you should know me well enough to understand, I don¡¯t have enough serious for a whole conversation. Especially with those brooding silences.¡±

    He stared at her, and she stared back, and then he put a hand to his forehead. ¡°Fuck, I have had too much of a day for this. Did I tell you I passed out at work?¡±

    Her brows rose, and some of the levity disappeared. ¡°What, passed out? You didn¡¯t mention that!¡±

    He grunted, still cradling his head. ¡°Yeah. My brain is soup, right about now. I can¡¯t make a decision when I¡¯m this fucked up¡­ Tomorrow.¡± He slicked back his wet hair, looking at the ceiling. ¡°Is that fine? If I spend the night thinking about it?¡±

    She kicked him lightly, the impact moving her more than him. ¡°Obviously! Are you sick? Seriously Hoshi, you should have said something sooner! I¡¯ve got, like, so much time before I need to check in!¡±

 1.05 - Conglomerate

    Flowerberry Sambus ¨C or rather, Danny Houndoom, because his parents had been hippie assholes who didn¡¯t understand what being named Flowerberry did to a man ¨C had a pretty good rhythm going today.

    ¡°Money, money, gonna get me some mon-ey¡­¡±

    The radio buzzed along, producing a mostly-audible pop song in like Paldean or some shit, he didn¡¯t give a fuck. Maybe it was just Kantonian put through ten kinds of static ¨C what was important was that it was bopping, and he was, like, nine-tenths of the way to his next payday.

    ¡°Money, money, spend it on a Sunday bun-ny¡­¡±

    A swarm of magnemite hovered around him in a loose cloud, the head-sized steel Pok¨¦mon happily buzzing as they bathed in the modified radio waves his cracked machine was putting off. He tapped his foot to the rhythm as he worked, hip-deep in a welded-together box of scrap metal.

    ¡°Money, money, days are looking sun-ny¡­¡±

    Everything electronic in the modern age was either shielded, or spewed out particular wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, all specifically to put these beauties off their supper. But if you were to flip a few wires around just so¡­

    He soldered the last bit in place, and as one the swarm of fifteen-plus magnemite stilled. In a moment that would have been eerie if he hadn¡¯t triggered it himself, the cycloptic orbs turned to fix him ¨C or rather the all-you-can-eat electricity buffet he was standing in ¨C in their gaze.

    His already-wide grin widened even further. ¡°That¡¯s right boyos, come to daddy. Money, money, guzzle that shit like-¡±

    ¡°Danny! Arcus fuck, stop singing!¡±

    He blinked, then turned towards the entrance to see a beanpole of a man walking in, one hand in his pocket and the other on the strap of a beat-up cooler.

    ¡°Hoshi? Damn, I didn¡¯t think it was that late already.¡± It didn¡¯t even feel like noon, yet. ¡°Whatever, check this out! Lemme just get outta here¡­¡±

    He shimmied himself over the lip of the box, and the moment the potentially-dangerous human wasn¡¯t in the way, the Pok¨¦mon lunged. The first ones hit the bottom of the trap, then the rest piled on top, all of them vibrating and buzzing,

    Hoshi stepped back, holding his ears. ¡°Agh- fuck, that¡¯s somehow even worse! Go back to singing, it was shit but at least-!¡±

    Danny hollered over the noise. ¡°No no, see, we haven¡¯t gotten to the fun part!¡±

    He hoisted the hinged lid up and let it slam down, locking the magnemite in ¨C not that they would have willingly left before the batteries ran dry. The cacophony mostly cut off, though the box itself was vibrating like mad.

    The kid hesitantly took his hands away from his head. ¡°Okay? Great, you¡¯ve got some magnemite in a box. What¡¯s the point?¡± He stepped forward, standing beside Danny as he admired his masterpiece. ¡°Trainers won¡¯t pay for magnemite, they¡¯re too common around here.¡±

    ¡°Just wait. Any second now¡­¡± Anticipation sparked through his chest, streams of imagined electricity dancing from rib to rib. C¡¯mon, I know you greedy things can suck power like no-one¡¯s business¡­

    On cue, his trap let out a deep, metallic clunk as the first set of batteries died. The lack of current would, if he had wired it right, trip the-

    BANG

    With a sound like a gunshot, the box exploded. He was blown back two paces by the wave of pressure as beside him, Hoshi fell on his ass. Magnemite went flying, screeching out their displeasure and sending sparks out in random directions.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± he exclaimed, his ears ringing. ¡°Thought I¡¯d fixed that.¡±

    Hoshi lay on the ground for a second, before he bounced up, his big blue-and-white cooler swingling like it weighed nothing, and- oh fuck that¡¯s a fist.

    The punch hit him square in the nose and so he went down, clutching his face as his head rang in a completely different tone. A deep, murderous-sounding scream echoed around the junkyard as the kid gave him one good kick to the side, really driving the point home.

    ¡°You fuck! You built a grenade, you senile old fuck!¡± He wound up for another kick, but it never came ¨C Hoshi growled and turned, walking away a few steps before turning back. ¡°What the fuck was that about, Danny?¡±

    The salvager stood, not letting the hits keep him down. Huh. Kid¡¯s really mellowed since he started getting laid ¨C couple weeks back I¡¯d have ate three or four kicks before Grimy tackled him off.

    ¡°One sec, lemme get my legs under me.¡± Fuck me, I wasn¡¯t expecting that. Really thought the third-gen design would be stable¡­

    ¡°Well?¡±

    He sent a gesture the man¡¯s way. ¡°Fuck off, you got your hits in. We¡¯re even.¡±

    ¡°You blew me the fuck up,¡± Hoshi hissed, with enough venom to fill a beedrill¡¯s stinger twice over. But then he paused, and eventually snorted. ¡°Fine, whatever. But seriously, what was that?¡±

    Danny¡¯s grin returned. ¡°Magnemite fuser.¡±

    The kid opened his mouth, thought better of it, and turned to look at Danny¡¯s poor, smoking machine. ¡°Does it work?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s find out!¡±

    <hr>

    Hoshi stayed ten paces back as Danny lifted his deathtrap¡¯s lid, angry black smoke billowing out in a tiny mushroom cloud as whatever was inside was exposed to the open air. He braced himself for some kind of ridiculous bullshit, like lightning jumping up into the sky, or Danny somehow creating a magnezone-evolver out of junkyard scrap¡­

    But the man just turned, shooting his partner in crime a gap-toothed grin. ¡°Yo, it worked. Check it out!¡±

    Intrigued despite the threat of further explosions, Hoshi hurried to look. Waving away a stream of lingering smoke, he peered inside the cavernous box, piercing the murk to see¡­

    ¡°Danny, that isn¡¯t a magneton.¡±

    He just kept smiling. ¡°Nope!¡±

    ¡°Danny, that¡¯s just five magnemite glued together by¡­ magnetic shit, or something.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Yep! Gonna sell it for big money!¡±

    Hoshi looked back down at the softly vibrating mass of magnetic spheres, bits of metallic scrap dusting their smooth bodies. ¡°...Fucking how? Is this..?¡± He rounded on the man. ¡°This is like that fake gloom shit, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Danny snapped, visibly offended. ¡°People ate that shit up. If the fertilizer hadn¡¯t cost so damn much¡­¡±

    They both went back to watching the ¡®magneton¡¯ roll around in its enclosure. It didn¡¯t seem able to fly more than a millimetre off the ground, and tumbled wildly when it tried, screeching in anger ¨C or possibly nausea.

    ¡°No, Danny, this isn¡¯t going to work. Those fatass oddish at least looked like gloom; this is obviously not an evolved Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    ¡°Ah, kid, that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong.¡± Danny tapped the side of his head. ¡°I know what a magneton looks like, and you know what a magneton looks like, but¡­¡±

    ¡°No, man. I know people are stupid, but this is¡­ I refuse to believe any trainer who managed to survive the trip to the Pok¨¦mart to pick up their first ball, would fall for this.¡± I¡¯m a cynic, but there has to be a bottom line somewhere.

    Danny¡¯s reply was swift. ¡°If you walked in right now and I told you this was a weird foreign Pok¨¦mon ¨C like, an Alolan magneton or whatever ¨C would you have questioned it?¡±

    Hoshi paused. For a moment he actually entertained the question, and¡­

    ¡­Shit, I might¡¯ve just believed him. Who the fuck knows what¡¯s up with Alola? They¡¯ve got psychic pikachu and shit.

    ¡°Okay, you got me. Someone who doesn¡¯t know you¡¯re full of shit might just buy this thing. You happy?¡±

    ¡°Extremely. Respect the hustle, Hoshi.¡±

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    <hr>

    ¡°So, what¡¯d you come down for? It isn¡¯t even noon yet ¨C you get fired or some shit?¡±

    ¡°Got some time off. No business today; I just came to hang out.¡±

    The two of them were laying on a pair of lawnchairs, Hoshi¡¯s battered cooler opened between them to reveal soda and sandwiches.

    Danny stuffed his mouth with mayo-infused magikarp, then mumbled something too indistinct for even Hoshi¡¯s well-tuned Danny translator to make out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk with your mouth full, ass. Have some respect for the food.¡±

    The junkyard¡¯s owner swallowed, smacking his lips. ¡°Damn, Hoshi. Couple weeks into a relationship and you¡¯re talking about respect and shit. You getting whipped, kid?¡±

    ¡°Fuck off.¡± He laid back in the plastic chair, listening to the quiet sounds of the junkyard¡¯s Pok¨¦mon going about their business, interspersed with Danny choking down what was probably the only thing he had eaten today ¨C when he started building something, the man was a machine.

    ¡­Holy shit, this was a good idea.

    Explosion aside, just sitting with the old guy was really helping him settle down from last night¡¯s¡­ stuff. He tossed his empty can, nailing the magnemite¡¯s box and receiving happy buzzing in return.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t feed the merchandise. Who knows what¡¯s in that soda!¡±

    Hoshi snorted, grabbing another can of Volt Switch from the cooler. A cartoonish rendition of his uncle proudly announced ¡®Lt. Surge¡¯s drink of choice!¡¯ from a speech bubble as he popped the top with a sharp snap. ¡°Corn syrup, Dan. Nothing but corn syrup and yellow food colouring.¡± Despite his words, he drank it down like he had just spent a week straight walking through the desert.

    The can emptied in a long unbroken chug, while Danny threw little bits of fish meat to a pile of curious grimer.

    This time when Hoshi threw, he overhanded the empty in the direction of the wriggling collection of slimes, and they scrambled after it even harder than they did the fish.

    Eventually, they ran out of food. The sun hit the top of the sky, and as the temperature climbed the two men took shelter inside Danny¡¯s ¡®office,¡¯ the only halfway-habitable building on the property.

    It was a shack, if a well-appointed one, too much furniture piled into a too-small space. The place was¡­ mostly clean, with the computer area in particular being completely spotless.

    ¡°Ar-kay-us it is boiling out there,¡± Danny complained. He pulled out a chair from what was obviously a repurposed chemical bath being used as a table, and sat. ¡°You think there¡¯s somethin¡¯ going on with Cinnabar?¡±

    Hoshi grunted, taking his own seat: a wheeled office chair near his friend¡¯s computer. ¡°Nah, there¡¯d be ash if the volcano were acting up. My bet¡¯s on some legendary Pok¨¦mon.¡± He spun around a few times before letting himself coast to a stop. ¡°Like the Moltres or something.¡±

    Danny let out a snort. ¡°That¡¯s such a cop-out answer. ¡®Oh, there¡¯s snow a week early this year, I guess a big blue god-bird is pissed, somewhere!¡¯¡±

    Hoshi responded by snagging a knick-knack ¨C a little statue of some brand-name character ¨C off the computer desk and tossing it at the other man, who ducked with a yelp. ¡°Your first thought was that a volcano was erupting. That¡¯s not exactly better.¡±

    ¡°Bah. You¡¯ll think that right up until we¡¯re hip-deep in ash.¡±

    They bantered lazily for a minute more, then swapped seats so Danny could turn on his computer. The massive rig rumbled to life, the startup jingle bleating out from about a dozen speakers strung up in the rafters.

    The scrap merchant put on some music ¨C actual music, not whatever he had been listening to outside ¨C and Hoshi took the opportunity to briefly become a vegetable while his friend worked on one of his projects.

    But he didn¡¯t get as much rest as he would have liked. A few minutes later Danny spoke up, his tone uncustomarily soft.

    ¡°Hey, Hoshi. Did something like¡­ happen?¡±

    Hoshi cracked open an eye. ¡°Like what?¡±

    The clack of keyboard strokes filled the silence for a moment before Danny answered. ¡°Dunno. You¡¯re just giving off a weird vibe, man.¡±

    ¡­Shit, I didn¡¯t think it was noticeable. Hoshi grunted, and let his thoughts put themselves in order before speaking. ¡°Relationship trouble, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Hm? What, you do something to piss this girl of yours off?¡±

    Another grunt. ¡°No. I just¡­ found out what she does for money, and I¡¯m not sure I like it.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± Came a returning exclamation. ¡°I knew she was a hooker! You owe me twenty pokes!¡±

    To Hoshi¡¯s good fortune his friend had bothered to pick up his knick-knack after dodging it, so he didn¡¯t need to bend down to huck the statue of whatever-it-was a second time.

    ¡°Ow!¡± Danny turned the chair, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°In my own home? Rude.¡±

    ¡°She isn¡¯t a damn hooker, Danny.¡± But as the lightest tinge of red receded from the corners of his vision, Hoshi reconsidered. ¡°...Except, fuck, I guess she kind of is? Arcus damnit, I¡¯m all over the place. Can¡¯t think in a straight line¡­¡±

    Danny continued to rub his head, eyebrows raising over the top of his dark glasses. ¡°What, really? I was fucking with you! What¡¯s up?¡±

    Internally, Hoshi waffled. Do I tell him?

    ¡­Fuck it. Maybe he knows something. A good chunk of his customers are criminals.

    ¡°She runs with a gang. She¡¯s a¡­ recruiter, I guess would be the term?¡±

    The man¡¯s eyebrows disappeared under the brim of his rainbow-vomit cap. ¡°No shit?¡± Then his expression turned more considering. ¡°Weepinbell Riders?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Geo ¡®97?

    ¡°No. Danny, I¡¯ll just tell you if-¡±

    ¡°Naw, this is fun. Big Onix Truckers?¡±

    Hoshi prepared to shoot his friend down, but hesitated. ¡°Never heard of those guys. Kind of a juvenile name, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Danny flashed his gums. ¡°That¡¯s ¡®cause it was my gang back when I was, like, ten.¡±

    ¡°Pff. Seriously, I¡¯m having a serious issue here.¡± He paused in thought. Behind Danny¡¯s head the monitor glowed, framing his head like a halo. ¡°Danny, you deal with that shit, right?¡±

    The man¡¯s tongue swirled from one cheek to the other, as if he had to physically resist the urge to speak. ¡°...Yeah. At a distance, once in a pink moon.¡±

    ¡°Ever done a job for Team Rocket?¡±

    The tiny cabin was nearly silent, only the whirring of the computer¡¯s fans providing ambiance. Danny was usually expressive to the point of parody, but as he took in Hoshi¡¯s question his black sunglasses suddenly seemed to hide his entire mood.

    He leaned back in his chair, the old wheels squealing as they moved across the bare concrete floor. ¡°Fuck, man. Rocket?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hoshi affirmed with a faint nod. Is it that bad? I knew they were wanted, but like ¨C I haven¡¯t heard anything big about them since the nineties. An actual terrorist group would be obvious, right?

    ¡°...Okay. Here¡¯s the deal.¡± Hoshi leaned forward at his friend''s serious tone. ¡°I¡¯ve never done anything man-to-man with the new Rocket. You get me? It¡¯s always through a proxy, ninja black ops shit.¡±

    But you have done work for them. Hoshi nodded to show he was listening.

    ¡°Every now and then, they ask for something. A bit of tech, old parts that aren¡¯t in circulation anymore. The pay is never great, but it¡¯s prompt and they haven¡¯t fucked me on a deal yet.¡± Under his breath, he added, ¡°Unlike those bastards in Celadon. But! I¡¯ve also heard some scary shit.¡±

    Hoshi was gripping his knees, fingers tight. ¡°What kind of scary, Danny?¡±

    ¡°Like, people just gone kind of scary. I knew this guy, way back when the internet was a thing, a fucking ''kazam with computers. He¡¯d come to me, and he¡¯d say ¡®Rummy,¡¯ ¨C I was going by Rummy back then ¨C ¡®you¡¯ve got to get a piece of this. I¡¯m making hand over fist, here,¡¯

    ¡°And I considered it, Arceus knows I did. Was almost about to convince myself to break my no joining a gang rule when just like that, pop,¡± Danny snapped his fingers. ¡°Dude was gone. House was empty, no furniture, neighbours didn¡¯t see him leave or nothing.¡±

    ¡°...And you think Rocket did it.¡±

    The old man put his hands up, palms-out. ¡°Don¡¯t got any proof. But my gut says the new Rocket¡¯s bad news. And I trust this guy with my life.¡± He patted his belly. ¡°If your girl¡¯s doing gang shit, might be best to just let it go. Once you¡¯re in, that shit doesn¡¯t let you go, man.¡±

    <hr>

    Hoshi left the cabin with mixed spirits. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust his friend; the ancient piece of shit had been doing this since before he was born. But¡­

    But also, he¡¯s a fucking dumbass, sometimes. A mild electrical buzz caught his ear. Like, for example, when he builds explosives in his backyard.

    Peering over the rim of the scrap-box, Hoshi watched the collection of magnemite bob around their six-by-six-foot space. They weren¡¯t tumbling; it looked like the things had figured out how to work together. Makes sense. They glom together to evolve, so¡­

    ¡°Hey Danny!¡± he yelled back towards the shack. ¡°Are these things just, like, going to be like this?¡±

    A second later, the building¡¯s one window jostled, sliding open with a faint squeak. Danny¡¯s voice echoed out. ¡°Naw! Box keeps ¡®em together ¨C a few hours outside, they¡¯ll all fall apart!¡±

    Hoshi looked back at the collective. Hm. That¡¯s good, I guess. Bad for you, since your customer¡¯s gonna be pissed, but whatever.

    But Danny wasn¡¯t done. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s a metaphor! Drop that shit, Hoshi!¡±

    His piece said, the window slid back into place.

    Hoshi snorted. A metaphor, huh? The fake magneton hovered in place for a moment, one of its component magnemite tilting its eye up to look at him. A louder, higher-pitched tone sounded out, one Hoshi couldn''t help but read as interrogative.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do.¡± He rested his arms on the box, watching as the conjoined Pok¨¦mon seemed to lose interest and go back to floating around in circles. ¡°Ha. Look at you go. You¡¯re not worried at all about what¡¯s going on, are you?¡±

    The magnemite just bobbed. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just talking to myself. But you are a metaphor, aren¡¯t you?¡± Hoshi let out a breath. ¡°Isn¡¯t this how you¡¯re meant to be, even if it isn¡¯t perfect? Wouldn¡¯t you rather keep being a shitty, fake magneton as long as you can, rather than go back to being alone?¡±

    The Pok¨¦mon didn¡¯t answer, and after a moment Hoshi stepped away. Damnit, I¡¯m talking to wild Pok¨¦mon now. I don¡¯t know what to do at all.

    He huffed, then squared his shoulders. Whatever, I''ll just have to work it through ¨C talk it out with Casca. That¡¯s what you¡¯re supposed to do, right? A few steps took him towards the exit, but a patch of yellow caught his eye. Then again¡­

    He walked over to the discarded can. It was mostly bare aluminum now, the grimer having eaten almost all the paint, but patches of faded yellow were still visible, together with the vaguest outline of a man, visible only if you knew to look for it.

    Hoshi stared at it for a lingering second before winding up, kicking the can deep into the jungle of scrap. It plinked off something beyond his vision, just another piece of garbage waiting to be either recycled or eaten up by nature.

    I could use a little more advice. He looked up; the sun was just starting to descend from its zenith. He¡¯s probably at work¡­ Whatever, I haven¡¯t spoken to him in a couple months. He¡¯ll be more relieved than annoyed, probably.

    Hoshi left the junkyard behind, heading south. Next stop, Vermilion Pok¨¦mon Gym.

 1.06 - The Lightning Lieutenant

    Vermilion was the second largest Gym in Kanto.

    First place was taken by either Viridian or Celadon, depending how you measured; Viridian had been expanded over and over during the early nineties, turning the once-humble haven of bug catchers into the largest indoor Pok¨¦mon Stadium on the continent, surpassing even Hoenn¡¯s vaunted Battle Dome. Celadon Pok¨¦mon Gym, in contrast, had the largest total size, containing the massive Celadon Gardens within its borders.

    But again, Vermilion was second, measured by both indoor and total space. The massive, red-roofed structure was preceded by the equally large Battlegrounds, four roughly-equal training fields, themselves broken into sub-fields of differing terrain, set up both to host local trainer tournaments, and to act as a buffer zone during Gym Season.

    Hoshi could not see a single trainer from where he stood, just inside the entrance pavilion.

    Actually, isn¡¯t it still Gym Season right now? I know Vermilion sees most of its trainer rush happen in spring, but things can¡¯t be this dead normally, right?

    There should have been at least a few trainers taking advantage of the facilities; a Pok¨¦mon Gym wasn¡¯t just a place for a Gym leader to lord over, it was a dedicated space for its city¡¯s local trainers and Pok¨¦mon Rangers to keep themselves sharp. Hoshi stepped through the large open spaces, feeling perplexed. Did I forget a holiday, or something?

    Sure, the amount of new trainers had slowed when the prerequisites increased, but for the Gym to be empty? In July? Actually, it might be this freak heat wave that¡¯s left it so empty. Everyone¡¯s decided to stay home.

    That was the only explanation Hoshi could think of. He followed the winding brick path all the way to the entrance, unwilling to cut across the variously wet, overgrown, pit-filled, or straight-up electrified terrain. The double-doors slid open automatically as he came near, and he felt a small jolt of relief; the place was, at least, open.

    Vermilion Gym¡¯s reception area was actually not that far off from the reception area of the nearby Vermilion Military Museum; thin wood panels covered walls of sturdy white washed concrete, bright pictures in dark frames taking up every available space. But where the museum had pictures of soldiers, factories, and war machines, the Gym¡¯s walls were dedicated to Pok¨¦mon trainers who had challenged the Leader and obtained Veridian¡¯s Thunder Badge.

    The centre of the room was taken up by a bronze statue of one such battle, and as Hoshi stepped past his eyes were drawn upwards.

    Rendered in just slightly larger-than-life stature were a pikachu and a raichu, menacing each other with bared teeth as they circled, metal sparks jumping from the rodents¡¯ cheeks, frozen mid-attack.

    ¡°Can I help you, sir?¡± came a feminine voice from behind his back, and Hoshi realised he had stopped to stare at the statue.

    He cleared his throat, stepping up to the reception desk. ¡°Yes, thank you. Is the Gym Leader available?¡±

    ¡°Are you here to make your challenge, sir?¡± the receptionist asked, hands hovering over her keyboard. Man, she¡¯s young. Sixteen at most, he would guess. Her dark brunette hair was streaked with lighter bleached lines, while her nails were painted bright pink. Looks kind of punk; doesn¡¯t match her voice as all. She must be a new hire ¨C I¡¯ve never seen her here before.

    ¡°No, I''m not a trainer. Citizen¡¯s Request, please.¡±

    The teenager frowned, entering a few keystrokes. ¡°Name?¡± Hoshi answered, and she tapped away for a few seconds more, probably checking to see if he was actually a registered citizen. ¡°In that case, he¡¯s actually free right this moment. Shall I schedule you now?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡±

    Another few keystrokes, followed by a nod. ¡°Please wait for a moment, sir. Lieutenant Surge should be ready for you within a few minutes.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Hoshi repeated himself, and moved to sit in one of the plastic chairs set along the wall. Sorry, no exciting Pok¨¦mon battle for you today. Though actually¡­ ¡°Pardon, miss.¡±

    The young woman¡¯s head rose, and he continued. ¡°Is there a reason I haven¡¯t seen any trainers around? I know it isn¡¯t exactly high tide, but¡­¡±

    She put a pink-painted nail to her lips. ¡°I think it might be the heat? We¡¯ve seen a few trainers coming in, but it¡¯s definitely not the number I¡¯d have expected.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, sir.¡±

    Hoshi grunted out another thanks, and settled down to wait. There were magazines set out for visitors to read, but he ignored them in favour of getting his thoughts in order.

    <hr>

    To his mild surprise, the receptionist directed Hoshi not to his uncle¡¯s office, but rather the battle arena that occupied the Gym¡¯s heart.

    Maybe she mentioned my name. Heck, maybe he told her to mention my name if I came in; he¡¯s probably pissed that I haven¡¯t been keeping contact.

    Maybe I''m in for an ass-kicking. Ha.

    The tepid joke made the corners of his mouth twitch, and a portion of his tension bled away. The rest went as he came out the end of the challenger¡¯s tunnel, to see his uncle¡¯s broad back ¨C the man was turned towards the centre of the arena, where an electabuzz guarded itself against a circling round blur that was almost certainly Surge¡¯s prized electrode.

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt your training, Bob,¡± Hoshi cried out, his voice raised to carry over the distance. Surge turned, his arms crossed.

    Hoshi¡¯s father had been a large man, so muscular that his peers had nicknamed him the Champ. Surge had about the same amount of muscle, though it was spread thinner across his body ¨C because Bob Surge, his father¡¯s best friend and Hoshi¡¯s uncle in all but blood, was fucking tall as fuck.

    Veridian¡¯s Gym Leader of eighteen years towered well over seven feet; Hoshi had never asked after the exact number, but if it edged into the low eights he wouldn¡¯t be surprised. The man was dressed in his ¡®show uniform,¡¯ the camo-patterned faux-fatigues he wore while he was on the clock, but not actually battling.

    He always said that he¡¯d have preferred to wear his actual air force uniform, but that the strict division between the municipal and federal militaries made it a bundle of red tape he wasn¡¯t willing to cut through.

    His blond hair was spiked up, valiantly fighting a slow, grinding battle against baldness, while the rest of his face was clean-shaven. His sharp eyes and sharper smile both lit up as he saw Hoshi approach.

    ¡°Kid!¡± he spoke back, his voice loud enough that raising it was unnecessary. He half-turned back to the fighting Pok¨¦mon, put two fingers to his lips, and whistled.

    Immediately the blur halted, resolving into, as Hoshi had assumed, a large electrode. The spherical electric Pok¨¦mon rolled back-and-forth in place, communicating eagerness with every movement. In contrast the electabuzz dropped its arms wearily, seeming relieved for the fight to be over.

    ¡°You¡¯re late!¡± Surge continued. ¡°The party was Sunday!¡± He stepped forward, and Hoshi could swear the ground was quaking as his thoughts turned frantic.

    Party? Sunday? What the fuck is he- His face fell. Shit, Bob¡¯s birthday is in July, isn¡¯t it? I totally missed-

    His guilty thought was cut off as he was enveloped in a massive hug. ¡°Thought you wouldn¡¯t show up! How¡¯ve you been, kid?¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± came Hoshi''s muffled voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been¡­ busy. It slipped my mind.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± Surge exclaimed, releasing his nephew. ¡°Busy, is it? Little birdy told me what you¡¯re ¡®busy¡¯ with!¡± The man had the sort of smile that always seemed sinister no matter his actual intent, but Hoshi felt he was pretty good at reading it. But this time, it sent a chill down his spine. ¡°So, when am I gonna be a grand-uncle?¡±

    Hoshi grimaced. Damnit. I was hoping to keep Casca under wraps¡­ Not for any sinister reasons, but just because his uncle could be brutal with his teasing. ¡°We¡¯re not nearly that far along, Bob. Ask again when I¡¯ve got a house and car.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± he laughed again, bombastic as an exploding firework. ¡°Not so easy, these days! Used to be you could grab a house in the outskirts for basically nothing, now¡­¡± He paused, his smile dimming before redoubling in ferocity. ¡°That¡¯s why I keep saying, you should stay with me! Why pay for an apartment when the Surge Mansion is open seven days a week, huh?¡±

    Another grimace, this one tinged with annoyance. Damnit Bob, don¡¯t try and guilt-trip me now, I¡¯m still feeling it from the birthday thing. ¡°C¡¯mon, Bob.¡± Well, since he apparently knows already¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t bring a girl around your place. She¡¯d dump me the instant she caught sight of your ratty-ass furniture.¡±

    Bob sniffed, crossing his arms once again. Behind him the electabuzz started to trot towards them. ¡°Hey, those are antiques! But I get your meaning, ha! Don¡¯t want your girl getting an eyeful of a real man!¡±

    Hoshi snorted. ¡°Sure, Bob, that¡¯s exactly what I meant. Who told you about Casca, anyhow?¡±

    The tired Pok¨¦mon came to rest behind Surge¡¯s heel, seeming even shorter than its three-foot height next to the giant. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ask a ninja his tricks! Your old man made me swear on my mother to take his secret techniques to the grave!¡± He bellowed out a laugh, and Hoshi struggled to keep his smile contained.

    ¡°Don¡¯t disrespect my heritage, ass.¡± Dad was barely a ninja; if you count, then I¡¯m the right hand of Arcus Himself.

    The Gym Leader bent down to rub the electabuzz¡¯s furred head. ¡°No disrespect intended, little man! As for this little man¡­¡° He switched to addressing the Pok¨¦mon. ¡°Not break time yet, slacker! Cooldown jog, now!¡±

    He patted the thing on the back, ignoring its pleading look like the drill sergeant he was. The Pok¨¦mon gave a mournful croak, but obeyed, beginning to jog around the field. Its oversized forearms swung exaggeratedly ¨C its form was terrible.

    Hoshi closed the short distance between him and his uncle, the two of them watching the electabuzz run its sloppy circuit. ¡°New ¡®mon?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. One of Jackson¡¯s kids.¡±

    ¡°Named it yet?¡±

    His uncle grunted. ¡°Not sure he¡¯s Gym team material. Might send him off to the power plant.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Yeah, he does look pretty scrawny.¡± Electabuzz weren¡¯t very large ¨C Hoshi couldn¡¯t think of a shorter bipedal ¡®mon that wasn¡¯t a baby form, at least off the top of his head ¨C but this one was notably small.

    ¡°I¡¯m more concerned with the attitude. Little man just doesn¡¯t seem up for battling.¡±

    Hoshi made an affirmative noise, and the two humans watched the yellow-and-black-furred monster slow to a trot the moment it thought its master wasn¡¯t looking, its antenna bobbing as it moved. Occasionally a pinkish blur would flash past; the restless electrode doing its own laps without needing to be told.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    As the electabuzz passed them to start its second go-round, Surge broke the silence. ¡°So did you have an actual request, or did you come down to bitch about your fatass boss again? Cause you know I¡¯m always up to hear that, but I¡¯m kinda at work, here.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s cheeks coloured. Oh, right. ¡°Kind of both? Well, nothing to do with Everheart ¨C I wanted to talk to you about something.¡±

    ¡°Shoot.¡±

    Hoshi chewed on his tongue for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve got this friend, and he thinks this group of people I¡¯ve been hearing about are bad news. But I remember way back when I was a kid, dad used to talk them up¡­ So I thought I¡¯d come around and ask your opinion.¡±

    ¡°...So you just straight-up forgot my birthday, huh?¡±

    His cheeks colouring further, Hoshi stayed silent.

    Surge shot him a raised brow. ¡°You gonna give me a name?¡±

    ¡­Well, here it goes. No going back now. ¡°Team Rocket.¡±

    The Gym leader¡¯s expression stayed fixed for a moment, his brow raised interrogatively. Then Hoshi witnessed the strangeness of his Uncle Bob frowning, something he almost never did ¨C even when he was losing to a challenger, the man kept his wild, malicious-looking grin.

    ¡°Fuck, Hoshi. That¡¯s a group with some¡­ history.¡± He drew two Pok¨¦ Balls from his belt. ¡°Electabuzz, return. Humvee, return.¡±

    Red light shot from the balls, and the Pok¨¦mon collapsed into energy, returning to their homes.

    ¡°Bob?¡± Hoshi asked. I¡¯ve never known him to cut his training short, even for me.

    Surge turned, motioning for his nephew to follow. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss this in my office. You¡¯ll wanna sit down; this¡¯ll probably be a long one.¡±

    <hr>

    The office of ¡®Lieutenant¡¯ Surge ¨C whose actual military rank was Captain, but who felt the former rolled off the tongue better ¨C wasn¡¯t particularly organised. Hoshi had to step around a stack of papers, the pile left right in the middle of the floor.

    ¡°How in Arcus¡¯s name does this place get worse every time I see it?¡±

    Surge rounded his desk, sitting in his oversized, couch-like armchair. ¡°Hey, I know where everything is. It¡¯s important to keep your work space personal.¡±

    With a snort, Hoshi planted himself in the much smaller visitor¡¯s seat. ¡°Sure, Bob.¡± He paused for a moment, before barreling forward. ¡°I¡¯ll ask again: who are Team Rocket? The real Team Rocket, not whatever the media says.¡±

    His uncle steepled his fingers. ¡°Team Rocket is¡­¡± A few seconds passed, Hoshi¡¯s annoyance growing with each tick of the wall-mounted, magnemite-themed clock. Yeah? Yeah?! Talk, damn it! ¡°The Team Rocket that exists today isn¡¯t the same one that existed when me and your old man were pinballing around Johto, pulling stealth ops and dropping voltorb onto factories¡­ Mostly.¡±

    ¡°Mostly?¡± Hoshi repeated.

    ¡°Yeah. Mostly.¡± The man stood, moving to the left wall of the room to look at a picture hanging from a screw, its details washed out by time. With uncommonly delicate movements he plucked the frame off the wall, returning to the desk.

    He slid it across to Hoshi, who looked down. He had seen this picture before, of course, in this very room ¨C but nowhere else; this was one of a few that Surge hadn¡¯t copied for him when it became clear that the then-teenager wouldn¡¯t be staying under the Gym Leader¡¯s roof for more than a few nights a month.

    The composition was lop-sided; whoever had been behind the camera had zoomed in a bit too far, meaning that Shenja Mutsu was only shown from the chin up, while his taller best friend had the top of his head cut off. Between them was a third man, taller than Hoshi¡¯s father but thin as a pole, a man with purple-pink hair cut short at the sides but left long along the top of his head ¨C Hoshi wasn¡¯t sure what to call the strange haircut. Mohawk? No, it isn¡¯t as extreme as that¡­ Whatever, that¡¯s the least important detail, anyway.

    ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± Though Hoshi had seen this picture before, he had never questioned it; Surge had three or four dozen different pictures of him and his father posing with some third person, and every time Hoshi asked after the stranger the answer was similar. ¡®That was Corporal So-And-So, who served with me and your dad,¡¯ or ¡®That¡¯s an old friend who worked under the Champ building factories,¡¯ or any number of basically-identical answers. I feel like this one¡¯s going to be a little different, though.

    Surge drew in a breath ¨C then raised his shoulders in a shrug. ¡°No idea.¡±

    Hoshi shot the Gym Leader a disgusted look, to which the man only huffed out a small laugh. ¡°No, really! He never told us his name; he was a black operator, a saboteur. Might even have been a relative of yours! Ha!¡±

    Looking back down at the picture of the stranger, Hoshi¡¯s lips pursed. I don¡¯t see it. His hair is purple, yeah, but it¡¯s way too straight. Plenty of people have purple hair ¨C heck, the other ninja clan in Fuchsia has purple hair, too. ¡°But he was Rocket?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t remember the exact mission we took that picture after, but we worked with Rocket more than a few times. Only the one picture though ¨C the other black ops were smart enough not to leave evidence! Ha!¡±

    ¡°...So they were good guys?¡±

    Rather than answer, his uncle leaned back in his giant plush chair. He clasped his hands up over his head, stretching as he blew out a breath. ¡°That¡¯s complicated, kid. It was a war ¨C if there were any good guys, I never met ¡®em.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s nostrils flared. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You were fighting for Kanto, for your mother¡¯s homeland.¡±

    Surge¡¯s posture remained somehow both tense and languid, leaning back with his head pointed at the ceiling. ¡°...Yeah. We were doing that.¡± A long moment of silence passed before he continued. ¡°Look, Rocket did a lot of things to help Kanto during the war. Some of it was pretty fucking ugly, but what I did was pretty fucking ugly, too, and I¡¯d do it again in a flash.¡±

    Finally he returned to looking Hoshi in the eye. ¡°I knew Giovanni Capo. Knew that man better than most of my blood relatives ¨C we were Gym Leaders together for years. He was a cold bastard, but he knew how to make shit happen, and he wasn¡¯t cruel for its own sake. But Giovanni ain¡¯t around anymore ¨C I don¡¯t know who''s in charge of Rocket these days, if it''s his kid or one of his lackeys or some random asshole, but it ain¡¯t the man I knew.¡±

    Hoshi sat for a moment, absorbing his uncle¡¯s words. After thinking it over, he decided ¨C might as well go all-in. I trust Bob a heck of a lot more than anyone else in my life. He breathed in, then out, white-hot anxiety rushing through his veins. ¡°Casca¡¯s a Rocket.¡±

    The Gym Leader ¨C and in that moment he was the Vermilion City Gym Leader, not Uncle Bob ¨C just looked at Hoshi, his face hard.

    Please. He didn¡¯t even know what he was asking for. Please.

    ¡°...Hoshi, I love you. You¡¯re my best friend¡¯s kid, my nephew, and as much as you piss me off sometimes, I love you. So I¡¯m going to pretend I didn¡¯t hear that.¡±

    ¡°But Bob-¡±

    ¡°Hoshi.¡± The tone stopped him cold. ¡°I am a public servant. If I know about a criminal, I have to go after them. No matter who they are, no matter if I think they deserve it. That¡¯s the job.¡± Surge¡¯s eyes could have cut glass. ¡°We can talk about hypotheticals, we can talk about the past, but unless you want to put somebody behind bars, we can¡¯t talk about individuals in a known criminal organisation, or about joining one. That ain¡¯t on the table, kid.¡±

    Hoshi sat, looking at his uncle¡¯s sharp, vividly blue eyes. There wasn¡¯t a hint of give. ¡°...I understand. Pretend I didn''t say anything.¡±

    A small nod. ¡°You¡¯re damn right you didn¡¯t say anything. Seriously kid, I¡¯m the damn Gym Leader, what did you think I¡¯d say?¡±

    ¡°...Sorry. I guess I¡­ kind of forgot.¡±

    Surge huffed, but his eyes had lost a hint of that cold sharpness. ¡°Well don¡¯t go forgetting shit when you talk to anyone else. Seriously, don¡¯t let that get out. People talk, Hoshi.¡± Even more of the harshness drained away as the giant in camo pattern clothes relaxed. ¡°Anything else?¡±

    Fuck. Fuck, that was stupid.

    ¡°No¡­ Unless you have anything about the modern Team Rocket you want me to know?¡±

    His uncle shrugged. ¡°Nothing you can¡¯t get off the news. They hijacked the big radio tower over in Goldenrod ¨C something about gyarados, too, at the same time. The Jennys catch one every now and then¡­¡±

    For a moment, Surge¡¯s face screwed up in indecision. When he spoke again, his voice was hesitant. ¡°...Okay, there is one more thing. It¡¯s¡­ probably not something I should be saying with the job I have, but fuck it, you deserve to know.¡±

    Hoshi blinked. What? Worse than the stuff you¡¯ve already said? I¡¯m pretty sure most of what you told me would get you in trouble with the government. He nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±

    ¡°Okay, so¡­ This is speculation. I need to say that up front.¡± Hoshi nodded again.

    ¡°So when everything started stalling out, and Kanto went to the negotiating table, both sides brought a lot of their baggage with them. Now I wasn¡¯t there for that high-level shit, but like I said, people talk. So I can say that neither side was very happy about any of the¡­ messier stuff that they¡¯d- that we¡¯d been doing to each other. Would¡¯a been real hard to put things behind us if all the bombings and the poisonings and the assassinations and shit were all government-approved.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s mouth was dry. ¡°You¡¯re saying it was a work. They sold Rocket out.¡±

    Surge shrugged. ¡°It ain¡¯t as black and white as that. Rocket did all the shit they did, and they never exactly asked permission ¨C they just happened to get supplies handed to them after the fact. Team Rocket wasn¡¯t¡­ official. Accounted for. Not like the ninja clans.¡± He reached under his desk, and produced a twelve-pack of the stupidly caffeinated energy drinks that Hoshi sometimes found buried in the back of a convenience store. ¡°Times like this, I wish I hadn¡¯t quit drinking,¡± he muttered, before ripping open the pack and popping a tab.

    He took a long gulp of the drink ¨C probably five or six cups of coffee¡¯s worth ¨C as Hoshi silently watched, before continuing. ¡°So that¡¯s that. Team Rocket got branded a dangerous terrorist group, and there¡¯s no going back. Anybody caught in the organisation are war criminals by default. Only the greediest, most desperate, or dumbest of dumb punks join up these days.¡± He slammed down the rest of his drink. ¡°I¡¯m done talking about Team Rocket.¡±

    <hr>

    Hoshi walked out of Vermilion Gym with a sour look on his face. Because as much as Uncle Bob had said, there had been a few things the man didn¡¯t say that were bugging him.

    He never said not to join. He never said to stay away from Casca. And his exact words when I told him about her, when he said he would have to arrest her if he knew she was a Rocket¡­ he said ¡®No matter if I think they deserve it.¡¯

    He started walking down the winding path through the empty training grounds. He warned me what would happen if I got caught, but didn¡¯t actually advise me to stay away. Uncle Bob¡¯s a pretty direct guy; if he really, genuinely thought something was for my own good, he¡¯d tell me straight out ¨C Gym Leader or not.

    Surge hadn¡¯t actually admonished the group a single time ¨C at least, not without tarring the entire military, himself included, with the same brush.

    In the end all he really said about modern Rocket boils down to¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t know those guys, don¡¯t get caught.¡¯

    He reached the pavilion separating the Gym from the rest of the city, and looked back. Vermilion¡¯s crown jewel stared back at him in white and red, a history of violence proudly displayed within.

    Not a single trainer occupied the incredibly varied, incredibly expensive fields. Not a single person had been inside the Gym, waiting to challenge its Leader, striving to become a Pok¨¦mon Champion.

    Hoshi¡¯s fists clenched and unclenched, his muscles tensing over and over as his mind worked.

    ¡®Would¡¯a been real hard to put things behind us if all the bombings and the poisonings and the assassinations and shit were all government-approved.¡¯

    ¡®We worked with Rocket more than a few times.¡¯

    ¡®It ain¡¯t as black and white as that.¡¯

    ¡­I need to talk to Casca.

    <hr>

    Hoshi walked into the reception room just after dawn, less than ten minutes after the doors had been unlocked. His steps were confident, self assured and motivated. The receptionist ¨C it was the same one, by some quirk of fate ¨C looked up as he walked towards her desk. ¡°Can I help you-¡±

    Hoshi slid three hundred pokes worth of small bills across the counter. ¡°Three hours of private lessons with the Gym Leader, please.¡±

    If I¡¯m going to do this, I¡¯m not going in half-assed. Flashes of the previous night¡¯s conversation with his girlfriend flashed through his head ¨C what a Rocket Grunt actually did, how much it paid, what the responsibilities were.

    What someone had to do to go up in that world.

    He had a month¡¯s worth of paid leave, and then the money he had been saving up on top. I¡¯m gonna be the most overqualified fucking Rocket Grunt they¡¯ve ever seen.

 1.07 - Blasting Off

    Back when Hoshi would have begun his own Pok¨¦mon adventure, if his life had gone according to plan, any kid who got ahold of a ball could go out, nail a pidgey with the thing, and become a Pok¨¦mon trainer.

    Not an official trainer, obviously; you still needed an Indigo League Pok¨¦mon Training Licence to collect Gym Badges, challenge the Indigo League, or participate in sanctioned tournaments. You also technically couldn¡¯t operate a business utilising Pok¨¦mon without being licensed, but that wasn¡¯t nearly as strictly enforced ¨C not back then.

    That changed as stronger Pok¨¦balls became cheaper. There had always been little accidents here and there, but the unreliability of the base Pok¨¦ Ball meant that an idiot who went out and tried to catch a scyther as their first Pok¨¦mon was more than likely to just die ¨C which was tragic, of course, but much better than said idiot actually managing it, taking the completely untrained bug home, and releasing it to show off to his drinking buddies.

    But as sales of Jet Balls and Pearl Balls began to eclipse those of Pok¨¦ Balls and Great Balls, that latter situation started to happen with distressing frequency. In the same year that Silph Co. released the Indigo Ball, boasting that it had five times the effectiveness at half the cost of their previous super-premium Ultra Ball, the League began to crack down.

    By 2009, only licensed trainers could buy Pok¨¦balls. Only licensed trainers could own Pok¨¦mon. Giving a child a caterpie as a harmless pet was now Illicit Transfer of a Pok¨¦mon ¨C smuggling, to say it in a single word.

    But there remained a few, specific ways for a normal person to get hands-on experience with Pok¨¦mon battling. One of them was the League-approved ¡®Little Cup¡¯ events, where people could pick from a selection of carefully-chosen Pok¨¦mon, letting them experience battling personally in a low-stakes tournament.

    Another, was paying for private lessons from a specially-approved individual, using their Pok¨¦mon. That privilege was given out incredibly sparingly, only to high-level, proven trainers ¨C which included, of course, each of Kanto¡¯s Gym Leaders.

    ¡°Voltorb, Sonic Boom!¡±

    Responding to Hoshi¡¯s command, the soccer-ball sized Pok¨¦mon rocketed forward, the explosive acceleration combining with a high-pitched screech to form violent shockwaves. Hoshi could see the exact moment the attack made contact: as his Pok¨¦ball-coloured orb rushed past its opponent, passing nearly close enough to touch, the pink dog-like enemy rocked in place, buffeted by the invisible force.

    He pumped his fist. ¡°Again! Keep attacking!¡±

    The voltorb turned to make another pass, but it seemed his opponent wasn¡¯t going to let Hoshi take an easy win. His uncle grinned at him across the field, his voice booming a command almost as loud as the electric Pok¨¦mon¡¯s attack. ¡°Scary Face! Ice Fang!¡±

    The snubbull rocked on its feet, its eyes bloodshot from the sonic damage, but as the rolling ball bore down on it its stance firmed. All at once its thick fur puffed out, its expression turning from aggressive to downright murderous, its short fangs gleaming with palpable menace ¨C and a coating of frost. Even though he had heard Surge openly shout the attack Hoshi was taken aback, a shock of fear rolling down his spine as all his instincts yelled danger, stay away.

    ¡°Dodge!¡± he managed to yell, but it was far too late; in the heat of battle, fractions of a second mattered. His voltorb¡¯s rotation was thrown off by the same fear that had rooted its master in place, and when it passed the snubbull was able to lean away from the Sonic Boom ¨C and then retaliate, clamping its jaws around the small orb.

    The voltorb screeched like an exploding engine, its smooth surface becoming cloudy with a thin layer of ice.

    ¡°Spark!¡± Hoshi screamed, but to his frustration his Pok¨¦mon failed to heed his command; the voltorb ceased struggling, its expressive eyes becoming lidded and unfocused.

    ¡°Burberry, return.¡± His uncle¡¯s command was accompanied by the distinctive red beam of a Pok¨¦ball¡¯s return function, and the snubbull disappeared. ¡°Two for three! Sorry little man, looks like this is my win!¡±

    With gritted teeth, Hoshi hissed out his own command. ¡°Return.¡± The unconscious voltorb also disappeared, returning to the ball in his hand as a torrent of red light. ¡°Damnit.¡±

    That one was winnable. If the stupid fucking ball had just hung on for one second..!

    The anger ebbed away slowly as he stepped forward, meeting Surge in the centre of the field where he shook the older man¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Good try, Hoshi. You wanna go over it?¡±

    He forced the last dregs of rage away as an act of will. ¡°Sure. From the top?¡±

    The Gym Leader nodded.

    <hr>

    Surge¡¯s office hadn¡¯t changed much over the last week. Some of the paper stacks were taller, some were shorter, but overall the amount of care Hoshi had to put into his steps to reach the visitor¡¯s seat hadn¡¯t changed.

    The photo of the two soldiers sandwiching the purple-haired Rocket had been returned to its place on the wall.

    ¡°So,¡± Surge began, ¡±Bear versus Chopper III. Your one win.¡± He raised his brow, and Hoshi knew he was emphasising the word just to get at him.

    ¡°Right,¡± Hoshi said, ignoring the bait. ¡°That one was pretty easy; I had a solid type advantage.¡± The match had been short; Surge¡¯s rattata had gotten in one good Quick Attack before Hoshi¡¯s machop had trapped it in a cycle of being tripped, the rat enduring a few Low Kicks as it vainly attempted to stand, before the Gym Leader called the match.

    Surge nodded. ¡°Low-level matches can get pretty one-sided. Not a lot of moves to choose from ¨C but I¡¯ll compliment you on not messing up a winning strategy, at least.¡±

    Hoshi pointed a certain gesture his uncle¡¯s way. ¡°Screw off. Okay, next one: magnemite versus pidgey.¡± He grimaced. ¡°I¡¯ve got no idea how I managed to lose that one.¡± Of all the matches he had fought since he started paying for lessons, that one stung the most. Fucking embarrassing. At least in the first match the rat could have hit pretty hard; the pidgey had to grind me down over like two minutes.

    The Gym Leader sniffed. ¡°Really? No idea? C¡¯mon, at least try and fish for a reason.¡±

    A moment of silence as Hoshi¡¯s lip curled. ¡°...You got lucky.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Surge put a hand behind his ear, flat palm pointing forwards. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t hear that. Speak up, rookie!¡±

    ¡°I said you got lucky! Five fucking Thunder Shocks- if any of them had hit, your bird would¡¯ve been fried!¡±

    Surge did nothing but raise his brow, and Hoshi prepared himself for more of the man¡¯s drill sergeant shtick ¨C but he only shrugged, his smile sharp as ever. ¡°Yup! You¡¯re completely right ¨C Blastwave managed to get some sand in Button¡¯s eye, and then was really, really lucky.¡± His voice turned serious. ¡°But more on that later ¨C let¡¯s get to the finale. Burberry versus Cromwell. Tell me how it went.¡±

    ¡°Before anything else, I have something important to say.¡± Hoshi took a breath. ¡°You suck shit at naming Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    Surge replied instantly, not offended in the least. ¡°Noted. Next time I have to sort through fifteen newly-budded magnemite, I¡¯ll call you up so you can name them ¨C and no repeats, or the paperwork guys will yell at you. ¡®Three pikachu named Bullet is really confusing,¡¯ my ass!¡± He threw his chin upwards. "Now quit stalling. How¡¯d you decide on your strategy?¡±

    Again, Hoshi was silent for a moment before he answered ¨C though this time it was because he was actually thinking.

    ¡°Speed and power,¡± he eventually said. ¡°Voltorb is one of the fastest unevolved Pok¨¦mon, but it hits soft. I¡¯m not as familiar with the other one, but I know it¡¯s a slow normal type, and those usually hit pretty hard.¡± He leaned back in the cheap, plastic chair. ¡°So I decided that hit-and-run was the best option. Spark would¡¯ve done more damage, but it also would¡¯ve left my Pok¨¦mon vulnerable if you decided to trade hits¡­ not that it mattered.¡± His face scrunched as he remembered the way the voltorb had completely failed to endure a single attack.

    Surge hummed. ¡°Not the worst strategy I¡¯ve ever heard.¡± He looked up for a moment, considering, before suddenly slamming his hands down on the table. ¡°Okay, big lesson time! Professor Surge is in the house!¡± Hoshi flinched back from the volume. Arcus fuck, Bob, I¡¯m like three feet away. ¡°I¡¯m gonna say one thing you did good, and one thing you did bad! You ready?¡±

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°...Sure?¡± We¡¯ve done this like six times, do you really need to keep doing the song and dance?

    ¡°First, the good: you¡¯ve really improved since you started.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s expression soured further. ¡°Wow, ¡®you¡¯ve improved.¡¯ That¡¯s definitely not another way of saying ¡®you started as complete dog-¡¯¡±

    ¡°No interrupting the professor while he¡¯s lecturing! Okay, now the bad:¡± The man let the moment hang, drawing out the tension. ¡°You¡¯re way too offensively focused. When Button started whiffing his attacks, you should have had him back off ¨C instead you just kept yelling ¡®fucking hit it!¡¯ and that was¡­ not very effective.¡±

    Hoshi sunk in his seat.

    ¡°Now don¡¯t go feeling too glum! I meant what I said; you really have improved. The Hoshi of a few days ago would have just charged right into that last battle; instead, you made a solid plan that eliminated your opponent¡¯s advantages, maximising your chances of winning.¡±

    ¡°...Thanks, Bob.¡± He still felt like he was being damned with faint praise, but it did take the edge off, just a little.

    Surge smiled wider. ¡°You only lost because I made good use of Burberry¡¯s Mean Look ¨C that¡¯s the actual lesson here: remember your Pok¨¦mon can do things other than attack.¡± He stabbed a finger down at the table¡¯s surface. ¡°It¡¯s applicable to the second battle, too; I did only win because I got lucky, but I was able to get lucky because I made the situation possible. If I had attacked straight out¡­ Boom! One bolt, little Blastwave would¡¯ve gone down. I aimed for the slim chance of victory, and happened to roll double sixes.¡±

    Taking a satisfied breath, the Gym Leader sat back, folding his arms. ¡°Chin up, little man. I¡¯d say you¡¯ve started to really get into the meat of first badge territory. Most trainers have to bash their head against wild Pok¨¦mon for weeks to start showing some actual strategy ¨C and the rest show too much strategy! Ha!¡±

    ¡°Bob, I get it, you-¡±

    He slammed his desk again. ¡°Overthinking¡¯s worse than underthinking ¨C all the same downsides, and it comes with an extra helping of hesitancy! The first step to making a soldier is to teach them to attack, first, and then after they get that down, then you teach them when to hang back and think it through. So you¡¯re coming at it from the right direction at least!¡± He let loose a bellowing laugh, and Hoshi allowed his spirit to be buoyed up.

    ¡°...Thanks, Bob,¡± he said again, meaning it more the second time. I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯d say if you knew what I was taking these lessons for, but I appreciate you taking me seriously.

    Hoshi had told the man he was finally becoming serious about getting his licence, and that was¡­ technically not a lie.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t thank me ¨C with the amount you¡¯ve spent on lessons, I might be able to grab me a cool new Pok¨¦mon!¡± His voice lowered ¨C relatively. ¡°I hear buzzing that some guy got a whole bunch of Alolan magneton. No idea how he got them shipped in during typhoon season, but I¡¯m curious to ask! Ha!¡±

    Hoshi opened his mouth and began to form a sentence¡­ but then let it go. Nope, not sticking my head into that. If Bob is dumb enough to fall for such an obvious scam, and Danny is dumb enough to try and scam a Gym Leader, then they deserve each other.

    ¡°Alolan magneton?¡± he asked, playing dumb. ¡°Never heard of it. What¡¯s different from the normal kind?¡±

    His uncle clapped his hands. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t managed to get any pictures of the things, but apparently it¡¯s actually made up of five component magnemite. Now this is just me spitballing, but it¡¯s known that Alola¡¯s mountainous region is a lot less magnetically active than Mount Coronet up north, so I¡¯m thinking that Pok¨¦mon that rely on a strong magnetic field to evolve might have adapted by living more communally¡­¡±

    As his uncle continued to ramble on, Hoshi was pulled between amusement and concern. Okay, this is a little less funny. ¡°Bob,¡± he interrupted. ¡°You sure this is real? It might be like that fake gloom thing from last year ¨C might be better not to get your hopes up.¡±

    Surge waved him off. ¡°No, I know the guy who knows the guy who got the tip. This is definitely more credible than that oddish fiasco ¨C the guys who bought those were real idiots, had the gall to get the blues involved after trying to buy unregistered Pok¨¦mon. This one¡¯s legit!¡±

    He went back to talking about magnetic phenomena and their intersection with Pok¨¦mon evolution, and Hoshi could only shrug internally. Welp, can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t try.

    <hr>

    As July rolled through its second half, the weather only continued to escalate.

    ¡°We¡¯re looking at the biggest storm since the seventies, folks,¡± blared the voice of the grey-suited weatherman on the television. ¡°This is, I¡¯m told, meteorologically speaking, the biggest event since former Elite Four member Walker Hayabusa attempted his doomed expedition to the Seafoam Islands. Now looking on the chart here, we can see the storm itself will be passing almost perfectly along Route 20, hitting the coast of Fuchsia ¨C we can expect the bulk of it to dissipate over the mountains, but even in the best-case scenario large sections of coastline, notably Vermilion and Pallet, are likely to see heavy damage from the literal hurricane-strength winds. In the worst case scenario-¡±

    With a soft sound the news was cut off, and Hoshi stared blankly at his barely-visible reflection for a fraction of a second. ¡°Hey, that seemed important.¡±

    Casca waggled the remote. ¡°I know, but this is more important.¡± She tossed the plastic brick down onto its habitual resting place on the edge of the coffee table. ¡°The intel guys finally got around to doing their jobs, and guess what?¡± Her smile was bright. ¡°You¡¯re good! Certified Team Rocket material!¡±

    Hoshi blinked. Then, he stood up and hugged his girlfriend. ¡°Fucking finally! Does it always take this long?¡±

    The orange-haired woman rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh, believe me, this was glacial. I think your uncle really spooked them, made them go over everything with a fine-tooth comb ¨C and speaking of him, when am I gonna meet the guy?¡± Her eyes sparkled as her lips twisted into a pout. ¡°We¡¯ve been dating for like a whole month now, shouldn¡¯t you be showing me off to your family?¡±

    Her obviously put-on tone and equally fake pout drew a chuckle from Hoshi¡¯s chest. ¡°You really wanna meet Surge? Is that¡­¡± His voice grew more serious. ¡°A good idea? With you being¡­ you.¡±

    Another roll of her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m on wanted posters, Hoshi. I¡¯ve never gotten caught doing anything ¨C at most, I¡¯m on a ¡®watch this person¡¯ list somewhere in the dank hole of Celadon¡¯s bureaucracy.¡±

    She flopped down on the couch, and Hoshi moved to follow her, though he sat normally rather than lounging. Their relationship following the Rocket reveal had¡­ stayed the same mostly. But it¡¯s not identical.

    ¡°You¡¯re penciled in for tomorrow, just after noon. I managed to get you in on the exact day they hand out new Pok¨¦mon, so you¡¯re welcome.¡± She leaned up to plant a kiss on the tip of his nose. ¡°I absolutely hated going through orientation without a Pok¨¦mon to my name ¨C you¡¯ll be able to skip to the hands-on lessons.¡± Holding her upper body up by her elbows, straight orange hair pooling under her, Casca looked like nothing less than a mischievous imp.

    In the last few weeks Hoshi had been hyper-aware of the changes his girlfriend underwent, and in hindsight the barrier the woman had kept between them was obvious ¨C she had been holding herself back from acting entirely natural around him, though if that was something manipulative or just to keep herself safe from emotional attachment, he didn¡¯t know.

    What he did know was that she hadn¡¯t lied, that day when everything had come out; Casca Kichi did not lie, except by omission. No particular quality of hers had been hidden, just the differing magnitudes. Without her mask, his girlfriend was a damn brat.

    He smiled, but thinly, anxiety about his initiation battling with excitement for the same. ¡°You think I¡¯ll make the cut?¡±

    She gave him a flat look. ¡°Honey, you¡¯re overqualified. Most grunts start off as street thugs ¨C you¡¯ve been training with a Gym Leader.¡± The smile she flashed was all excitement, zero anxiety. ¡°You are going to love the professors ¨C or maybe hate them, they¡¯re kind of a lot. Ahh, I can¡¯t wait for you to meet them!¡±

    She wriggled in place, but a moment later her face scrunched in an expression of annoyance. ¡°Just steer clear of the other two, the ¡®Rocket Professors.¡¯ Those guys are creeps!¡±

    They cuddled for a bit before Hoshi turned the TV back on, and the rest of the evening was spent clinging to each other as ten different channels documented the approaching typhoon.

    <hr>

    On Friday, July 30th, 2010, Hoshi Mutsu slept through the sunrise for the first time in over two years.

    Or at least, he attempted to. For the last hour or so he tossed and turned, and when his girlfriend finally began to stir, he felt that the extra rest had paradoxically made him feel less rested.

    Casca¡¯s hand came up from under the thin summer sheets to stifle a yawn, the corners of her eyes glistening. ¡°Morning, Hoshi!¡± Despite having just woken, her voice was bright and cheerful.

    ¡°Morning,¡± he replied. His feet touched the carpet, which was already losing the night¡¯s stock of coolness ¨C it would probably hit forty degrees today, and Hoshi was dreading stepping foot outdoors. I wonder if work is even happening.

    A smile played over his face imagining the Ditto literally melting in the scorching heat. No way. People would actually die.

    ¡°Ready for the big day?¡±

    He turned, considering the woman¡¯s question as he watched her dress. He could almost feel a Pok¨¦ball in his hand. His smile turned sharp as he followed her lead, pulling his own clothing out from the dresser.

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine being more ready.¡±

 Interlude - Black Operations

    The sun began to crest the horizon, reflecting off the glass superstructures of Celadon¡¯s downtown, bathing the city¡¯s streets in overlapping arcs of light even before the star itself became visible from the ground.

    When the Pallet and Silver Leagues had joined together in the wake of the Indigo War, a new federal military government, known as the Indigo League, had been created. But as the separate territories of Kanto and Johto remained isolated both geographically and culturally, there came a need for an in-between body, much larger than a city''s administration, but smaller than the country as a whole. And so the remnants of those previous leagues became the Provincial Ministration, a bridge between the new and old, responsible for communicating the needs of the various municipal governments upwards, and the demands of the League downwards.

    Today, Daniel Jitsu felt that things would be going mostly downwards.

    The Minister sipped his absinthe as he watched his city wake up. He had been a member of the Pallet League, once¡­ But today he was simply a Minister of Kanto, one of a great many, rich and poor, male and female, old and young.

    Surrounding him were a great gathering of his fellow Ministers, clad in modern suits and traditional robes, drinking anything from water to wine to spirits. An observer may have found it interesting to note how disorganised the collective was; people sat without hierarchy, young women who had joined the organisation mere months ago mingling with elderly statesmen who predated the Pallet League itself. Mixed in were a handful of mayors and governors, elected officials who had tied themselves to the cause.

    But though some had climbed up from below, none had descended from on high; the room contained not a single League official. Nor would it ever; this was a place for only the most loyal of the loyal. Those whose sincerity was unquestionable, as verified by esoteric means.

    All of them were in a state of anticipation, waiting to erupt into either fury or exaltation. The focus of their attentions was a small, innocuous-seeming object; a black stone, rectangular, just about the perfect size to fit in one¡¯s palm. Three indentations, vaguely shaped like eyes, were sunk into the face of it, and Minister Jitsu knew that three identical marks adorned the other side.

    The stone was set upon a pedestal, against the backdrop of the city¡¯s prosperity, the perfect symbol of what the Inner Ministry was striving for. Through the wall-length window of his own personal office, Celadon gleamed, bright and alive.

    Placed carefully upright, the black stone''s indentations were arranged in a triangle ¨C and the ¡®top¡¯ indent glowed white where the other two were only black stone, a pupil for the analogous eye. Every man and woman¡¯s gaze was fixed to those dark bottom indentations, as though they could force the artifact to respond to their will.

    Would that it were so, he thought. Would that the world could be moved merely by the wills of men alone.

    Ten, twenty, thirty seconds passed since the last transmission. Small sounds propagated through the room, people moving restlessly, consuming their drinks, but none spoke.

    And then, the tension was released ¨C the left indent flashed white for a single second, and then both it and the top indent went black, inert, the eyes closing as the psychic connection was cut.

    The room erupted. Many growled in frustration, or turned to a nearby Minister to vent their spleens through complaint. One of the most elderly among them, Chancy Unsuki, a man whose life was measured in three digits, dashed his rice wine to the ground in frustration.

    For as much as the Inner Ministry valued cold logic, it was also a living, spiteful thing. A creature of two faces, and six eyes.

    Daniel did not partake. He simply sat, hand clenching around his glass.

    One sign. The Moltres has evaded both us and the Johtonians.

    Not the worst possible result, but a failure nonetheless. Today was our best chance. With the legend¡¯s passing across the Cinnabar line, our agents will have a harder time tracking it. Blaine controlled the Seafoam Islands, and his associates were some of the only people who could match Fuchsia¡¯s ninja clans in skill. In a perfect world the Gym Leader¡¯s goals would be in line with theirs¡­ but if the world were perfect, there would be no need for the Ministry in the first place.

    Minister Jitsu sipped at his absinthe, anise and wormwood and a dozen other herbs colouring his tongue green as the dazzling show of dawn progressed, the light travelling down each building like a rain of falling stars.

    Then he stood. ¡°Ladies, gentlemen,¡± he projected. ¡°There is no need to unsettle your stomachs. Come, let us drink, and plan for the morrow ¨C for our task is not yet done.¡±

    <hr>

    Goldenrod was home to innumerable businesses. Offices, restaurants, stores selling clothing and furniture and entertainment; whatever one desired, it could be found in Johto¡¯s City of Golden Waters, often many times over.

    But today, Tamara was in search of something that could only be found in a single place.

    On the eastern side of said city, far from the water, the woman with dark hair and bright eyes ducked through the early morning fog, swift but light steps taking her towards one of those aforementioned businesses. She passed a few, none of them what she was searching for ¨C until at last she spied it: Extravagant Coffee and Wonderful Pastries, read the sign above the entrance.

    She opened the cafe¡¯s door, eliciting a cheerful jingle, and sat near the counter.

    Even at such an early hour ¨C or perhaps because of it ¨C the service was swift. ¡°Would you like a menu, ma¡¯am?¡± came the voice of an approaching waitress, a woman of similar age but nearly opposite appearance. Heavyset, with strawberry red hair and eyes like charcoal.

    ¡°No thank you,¡± Tamara replied. ¡°Give me the usual, with three times the salt.¡± A brief pause. ¡°The cooks will know what I mean.¡±

    The red-haired woman¡¯s eyebrows pulled together, but her tone remained professionally polite. ¡°Of course.¡± She began to step away, but a beckoning gesture from her customer caused her to pause.

    ¡°And can I get the key to the bathroom?¡±

    The waitress nodded. ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯ll be back in a moment.¡±

    Tamara waited. The cafe was relatively empty, only her and four employees; the waitress, a young man on cashier duty who continually snuck peeks at her when he thought she wasn''t looking, and the two cooks in the back, whose movements she could track by sound. It was a small business, seemingly no different from the many others that filled Goldenrod¡¯s wide streets and narrow alleys.

    In fact, the sign looked almost identical to the donut shop across the street. She frowned at the stray thought. Was that there the last time I was in town?

    If it started being too hard to find the shop, the exterior might have to be made slightly more visible.

    She continued to wait. The waitress returned less than a minute later, baring the key, and Tamara entered the cafe¡¯s bathroom ¨C and then, she continued to wait. Another minute and a soft click entered her ears, and in response she removed the back of the toilet, reached inside, and after only a moment¡¯s search found the switch hidden on the underside of the submerged pipe.

    A section of the tiled floor made a dull sound, raising up a few millimetres, and Tamara bent down to haul the secret door upwards.

    She went down. She closed the door behind her. She followed the narrow, short hallway to a room with several lockers. She opened the one with the number 48 engraved on its surface.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Tamara ceased to exist as she stripped off her wig and coloured contacts, fished the bits of plastic that subtly changed the shape of her mouth out from between her gums and cheeks, and stepped out of her silhouette-altering clothing and shoes

    For a moment, the nameless woman stood nude, shivering slightly in the chilly room. Then she donned her ninja robe ¨C a sleek, form-fitting garment that might have looked impractical to anyone who had never needed reasonable protection, near-superhuman range of motion, and low weight all in one ¨C gathered a few of Tamara¡¯s things, and finally slipped on the mask that transformed her into Number Forty-Eight.

    Then she continued descending into the complex.

    <hr>

    ¡°Do we have eyes on it yet?¡±

    Those were the first words that Forty-Eight heard when she opened the door to The Basement. The voice that spoke them was slightly raspy, somehow teetering on the knife¡¯s edge between youthful and aged, like a woman in her twenties who had smoked every day since she was a toddler.

    Or a woman in her twenties with old poison stiffening her vocal cords.

    ¡°Not yet, mistress.¡± ¡°We¡¯re monitoring, but the radios keep failing¡­¡± ¡°The messenger should be here any- ah, there she is.¡±

    The litany of subordinate voices were less damaged, but not a single one was whole. One of her sisters turned ¨C the one who had first noticed Forty-Eight before the others, her mask bearing the digits 6 and 2 in fabric just a half-touch lighter.

    She was a small woman, enviably so ¨C Forty-Eight had been forced to scout out larger openings many times over the course of her duties; if her body were like that, she would be able to fit easily through the gap beneath a closed door. ¡°Report, junior sister.¡±

    The young ninja placed her hands in full view, bowing. ¡°I am Forty-Eight. I¡¯m afraid I must be the bearer of bad news.¡±

    The woman in the centre of the room, Matriarch Four, turned away from the wall of screens. ¡°Speak.¡±

    A steadying breath calmed her nerves ¨C though her training prepared her for many things, the events of the previous days had been¡­ difficult. ¡°We were able to harry the Firebird all the way to the island¡¯s edge,¡± she began, ¡°But at that point we began encountering¡­ problems.¡±

    Four¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Doksu.¡±

    Her bowed head tilted downwards a fraction more. ¡°As you say, Matriarch. The first clue was when Twelve and Twenty-One took ill. Their feet were covered in pustules consistent with natural toxins, so we guessed that they had simply passed below a forretress¡¯ tree without noticing, but¡­¡±

    ¡°In the act of treating their wounds, you were attacked,¡± one of the other subordinate ninja finished.

    Again, the most subtle of nods. ¡°The two who were poisoned died. Sixteen died. Eighteen was heavily wounded. We killed two, while at least four escaped.¡±

    The room was silent as the Matriarch processed her words. ¡°You are too few to continue the mission?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Matriarch. When I left, there were only three others. We had only a single of the capture tools remaining.¡±

    Four¡¯s face was grave beneath her mask, emotion reaching up to touch her eyes. ¡°Were you able to recover any enemy equipment?¡± Behind her the screens flashed in and out of static, brief views of a smoking caldera, an icy mountain, an abandoned wreck of charred and melted steel.

    Forty-Eight reached behind her back, slowly, pulling free a small package from a concealed location.

    ¡°Place it on the floor, then remove your mask.¡±

    The ninja stilled for only a fraction of a second ¨C then she obeyed. She ceased to be Forty-Eight, continuing to bow before the Matriarch, all but non-existent in her namelessness.

    Between one second and the next, the mask lying carefully folded on the ground disappeared. Then a different one blurred into existence, similar but distinct. The Matriarch of the Ankoku ninja clan did not appear to move even slightly, despite moving so quickly as to be invisible even to her own sisters.

    ¡°Put it on.¡±

    The woman did so.

    ¡°You are now Twelve. Wear the name with pride. Follow Sixty-Two for the extended debrief; afterwards, return to your civilian life.¡±

    <hr>

    Jiei Enoki has never seen himself as a social person. Perhaps that was why he pursued the path of the monk, why he felt more at home in the presence of the dead than the living, why the small conference room filled with his peers made him so very, very uncomfortable.

    Or perhaps each of those things sat off in their own corner, unconnected, their roots obscured beneath the soil of his mind. For it is the nature of a spirit to always quest for themselves, searching and searching for that which cannot be answered. If it is true of the dead, then why not the living as well?

    The woman called the Dragon Empress slammed her palm down on the conference table, the sound like a clap of thunder, and none of them were moved. They were the Elite Four; a startling noise could never touch them.

    Clair must be aware of this, said his thoughts; she was not attempting to intimidate. She was only a rash woman, passionate, expressing herself with restrained violence.

    ¡°Enoki, you promised me you¡¯d have them rooted out by summer. It¡¯s the last day of July. What happened?¡±

    Embarrassment burned in his gut, the urge to dip his head under the table as three additional pairs of eyes turned his way.

    Or perhaps it is shame. Perhaps it is shyness. Who can say which emotion is which, when they all bleed into each other, plants grown from the same seed?

    ¡°I am sorry, Champion. While my ghosts seemed the perfect solution to our puzzle, the pieces have changed their shape while I looked away.¡± A gastly, unrepentant of its failure, flitted out from one of his sleeves before disappearing down the other, its tongue lolling with joyful malice.

    A vein pressed out from the Dragon Empress¡¯s forehead. Quickly, before she could explode, another voice cut in.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t expect too much of him, Clair. He¡¯s only a child.¡±

    Jiei¡¯s cheeks coloured. The Masked Magician was not wrong, but the man¡¯s words caused his chin to lower nonetheless.

    Will Zelcovia was resplendent as always, slim and graceful in his elaborate silk finery. Of all of them, it is the Psychic Elite that Jiei most admired; the Karate Master¡¯s movements are harsh and powerful like a flowing waterfall, the Dark Mistress languid with a persian¡¯s grace, and Clair Blackthorn is the Champion.

    But for whatever reason, it is the sight of the mysterious Will that makes Jiei¡¯s head fill to bursting with feelings of inadequacy.

    His power was his own, even more than the Champion¡¯s, than the other two Elite¡¯s. And their power was at least earned through deeds.

    Jiei Enoki was merely the Heavenly Medium; there is not a shred of power that comes from him. He is conduit ¨C a servant, not a master.

    Clair¡¯s voice was harsh and low, rumbling. ¡°No insulting the other members, Will. Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t throw you out.¡±

    The magician replied, soft and airy. ¡°You misunderstand. I am defending him, Champion. Two countries¡¯ worth of ninja, legendary Pok¨¦mon, and worst of all, politicians¡­¡± He flipped his hand as though performing a card trick ¨C and like magic, one appeared. The seven of clubs. ¡°Not even I could keep track of all that, let alone keep them from killing each other, and I¡¯ve been digging my roots in for over a decade. You place entirely too much weight onto the shoulders of a single person.¡±

    Jiei swore he could feel the Champion¡¯s teeth grinding. ¡°It¡¯s necessary. If either side manages to get a single legend into a ball, then the war¡¯s back on. We won¡¯t be able to stop them ¨C not you, not me, not anyone.¡± Even though her arm was slender, and her fingers even moreso, the steel of the table deformed under her grip.

    ¡°We need to keep things from escalating. And the last tussle with the Articuno put my whole team on their last legs. I need you four to step up.¡± Even while asking for assistance, her snarl was aggressive. ¡°Please. Just keep them stalled for a month so my dragons can get back into fighting shape.¡±

    The Karate Master huffed. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me to do more than I already am. I¡¯ve had to put my training completely on hold just to keep Saffron from exploding into full-on gang warfare.¡± Though he was nearing his fifties, the man¡¯s voice was smooth and full of vitality ¨C and under Jiei¡¯s skin, a thousand voices chuckled at the thought of such a supple meal. ¡°Unlike you, I don¡¯t have an entire clan to fall back on. Can¡¯t you deploy some of those famed Dragon Monks of yours?¡±

    Clair¡¯s spirit flared up like a bonfire. Karen spoke for the first time since the meeting¡¯s start to compare her unfavourably to her cousin. Will attempted to act as peacemaker, but failed to resist the sharpness of his own tongue.

    They bickered, the four most powerful people in Indigo fraying at the edges under too much responsibility ¨C and he, the Heavenly Medium, could do nothing to help; he had tried to keep the Ankoku and Doksu from each other¡¯s throats, and failed. Had tried to keep them from finding the Three Heavenly Birds, and failed.

    Inside Jiei¡¯s chest a sea of darkness roiled, feeding on the conflict.

    He hoped, dearly, that he would not need to feed it with souls, before the summer ended.

 2.01 - Prepare for Trouble

    The Electric Academy was, in its original vision, meant to be the largest university in Kanto, eclipsing Saffron¡¯s Institute of Pok¨¦mon Technology half over. It was meant to offer both normal courses focusing on trades, humanities, and science, as well as specialised tutoring for Pok¨¦mon trainers ¨C but in reality, it was undercut by a number of issues.

    For one, the Celadon College of Arts and Science saw a massive expansion just three months into construction. This coincided with an equally massive labour strike along Kanto¡¯s coastline, affecting not only construction efforts, but the shipping necessary to bring in materials.

    If either of these things had not occurred, it was entirely possible that Hoshi himself might have worked on the building ¨C Everheart grumbled about the lost opportunity for a month straight after things started up again. But it was not to be; the half-finished building had sat unused for three months, eating up its allocated funds, and it seemed that the academy would be nothing but a failed dream.

    Then, in the early months of 2008, the academy¡¯s land was bought out by a local gentleman of extreme wealth: the chairman of the multi-nation Pok¨¦mon Fan Club Media Group. Special contractors were brought in from up north, and the Electric Academy was opened before year¡¯s end ¨C as a private school, accepting only friends of its owner, or the ultra-connected.

    That was the story of the Electric Academy that Hoshi was familiar with. But as he had learned, it was not entirely truthful.

    The school¡¯s land had been bought out, and the name on the cheque was the chairman, one Yoshi Sukizo. But according to Casca, the money, and the labour, had actually come from Team Rocket.

    Not that that¡¯s necessarily what actually happened, he thought to himself as he eyed the wrought-iron gates. Casca learned the ¡®secret origin¡¯ from Rocket, so the source is suspect at best.

    But as his girlfriend led him through the front doors of the opulent building in the early hours of the afternoon, the doorman in his tailored clothes letting them stroll in without a second look, he was forced to concede that yeah, Team Rocket ¨C or Casca, at the very least ¨C seemed to have the run of the place.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± he breathed. ¡°Is the trim plated with gold?¡±

    Casca put a hand to her lips. Today she had painted them cherry red, and the saturated brightness contrasted strongly with her black-painted nails. ¡°I think that¡¯s just bronze? You¡¯d have to have nonsense cash to gold-plate the walls.¡±

    Hoshi grunted, conceding the point. Okay. But still, holy shit, this place is posh as fuck.

    The flooring of the halls was polished tile, alternating squares of light and dark marble that reflected the light of the hanging chandeliers like mirrors. He almost felt bad stepping on it with his work boots.

    And the walls were no less impressive, though they had more of a nature theme; greens and soft browns were accented with living plants, sometimes so neatly that he couldn¡¯t tell where the architecture ended and living thing began. The architect¡¯s son in him was eyeing the place with extreme incredulity. Didn¡¯t Casca say the place was understated? Understated compared to fucking what?

    It wasn¡¯t the most expensive building he could imagine ¨C and in reality the Pok¨¦mon Gym was probably more impressive in a vacuum ¨C but it oozed the feeling of wealth, like he had stepped into an ephemeral money-aura.

    Is this really just a front? They have to actually teach a few rich assholes, or else none of this makes sense¡­

    A moment later he decided to voice the same question aloud, and in response Casca gave an over-the-shoulder shrug. ¡°No idea. I mean, they probably do, but I didn¡¯t see anyone other than fellow Rockets when I was here.¡± They walked down another set of halls, passing some pretty ordinary, non-ultra-wealthy looking people, before she continued. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re recruiting rich assholes? I know for a fact they¡¯ve got a few legitimate businesses ¨C I¡¯ve worked in them! ¨C so they¡¯ve probably got the business connections to go with them.¡±

    Hoshi had no coherent answer to that, so they crossed the next handful of opulent hallways without speaking.

    Casca led him up a flight of stairs, through a short maze of hallways ¨C carpeted, these ones ¨C and stopped in front of a solid wood door marked Bio 107 in probably-not-gold leaf.

    The orange-haired woman was all but vibrating with energy. ¡°Okay, this is it! Now I can¡¯t actually go in with you, but I¡¯ll be there in spirit, okay?¡±

    She leaned forward, and they shared a kiss.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry at all. Like I said, most people who make it through are half-rate thugs ¨C you¡¯re going to do fine.¡± You know, if you keep insisting so hard, I might actually start to get nervous¡­ ¡°Just remember to cozy up to the instructors ¨C that¡¯s what I did, and I got through smooth as butter!¡±

    She kissed him again, fiddled with his tie, and then he was through the door.

    <hr>

    Hoshi entered something that reminded him most strongly of a bank¡¯s waiting room.

    The floor was carpeted in dark red, and one side of the room was occupied by a large, solid counter, a single man loitering behind with a bored expression. The man tilted his head Hoshi¡¯s way ¨C and for the first time since entering, Hoshi looked at someone who was definitely in a gang.

    It was almost a relief; a tiny part of him had been afraid this whole Team Rocket owns an entire academy thing was some kind of elaborate joke.

    The man wore a black newsboy cap, the puffy-looking thing blending into his similarly black, sleek hair, and a stiff-looking shirt of the same felt-like material. A red R was emblazoned on his chest for all to see, and Hoshi struggled not to let his jaw drop. Arcus fuck, he looks like he stepped out of a photo from the sixties. The only concession given to modernity was the belt of Pok¨¦balls peeking just over the counter¡¯s edge ¨C he counted four of the things, though they looked strange.

    ¡°You the new guy?¡± asked the Rocket Grunt. ¡°Hoshi Kudzu?¡±

    Hoshi opened his mouth, but choked back the reflective insult. It¡¯s grade school all over again. ¡°I¡¯m Hoshi Mutsu, yes. This is the place?¡±

    The man gestured with his chin, and Hoshi realised he had completely neglected to take in the rest of the room; seated along the other wall were three other grunts, two men and a woman. ¡°Sit with the others. You¡¯ll get your uniform today.¡± He had the sort of bland voice that could only come from working retail for far too long, politeness worn away to expose the dark void underneath.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Thought I would get, like, an interview or something, but I guess it¡¯s just right in the deep end, minute one.

    He crossed the room to sit, taking note of his¡­ coworkers, he supposed, as he did.

    They were dressed identically, save for the woman being in a skirt rather than pants, the same black fabric and big red R as the counter guy. Their boots also matched: grey leather, with the woman¡¯s going way up past her knees like super-thick leggings. Ugh, those look uncomfortable. I hope this is just a ¡®school uniform¡¯ thing, and I can wear my normal shit when I¡¯m¡­ out on the job. The thought of wearing the outfit outside in the heat made him feel like he was drowning, but at least the building was air conditioned, so the thick black fabric wouldn¡¯t make his bones melt. My current getup is bad enough, and I chose it specifically to still let me breathe.

    He sat between one of the men and the woman, taking advantage of a set of four empty chairs. His instincts said he should be doing something, examining the other grunts for clues about who to trust, who was going to be trouble, who he''d have to beat down, but the weird unreality of the situation was making his heart pound on his ribcage like a trapped mankey.

    Is¡­ is that really it? Not even going to check me out, I¡¯m just in? Here¡¯s your uniform, get to work? He knew that his relationship with Surge had made whoever was responsible for background checks give him an extra-thorough look, but¡­ Not even talking to him, getting him in a room alone to sweat it out? Gangster movies have been lying to me. Danny owes me a refund on all those burnt DVDs.

    Minutes passed in mostly silence. The other recruits didn¡¯t seem nearly as anxious ¨C one guy was reading a book, and the woman had a game console out, the bleep-bloops of some arcade classic softly issuing from its speakers.

    ¡°So are we waiting for something..?¡± he said, and immediately regretted breaking the silence as the man to his right, a huge roided-out looking biker type with a shaved head, turned in his direction.

    ¡°Waitin¡¯ on fuckin¡¯ Puke, as always.¡± His too-broad face was pockmarked with acne. Oh yeah, this guy¡¯s on the moon-juice.

    Hoshi grunted back, and the silence resumed. Fuck, this is weird and uncomfortable.

    He felt off being the only person out of uniform. Could have at least worn something comfortable, but no, Casca convinced me to come in wearing a damn suit and tie, to ¡®make a good first impression.¡¯

    It was unbearable. He had to say something. With the other two obviously occupied, Hoshi turned to the biker-looking guy. ¡°So, you been waiting long?¡±

    He growled, and Hoshi could easily picture the sound issuing from a territorial primeape. ¡°Like an Arcus damned half-hour. Bitch couldn¡¯t find her ass with both hands and a map.¡± Ah, so it¡¯s two women and two men. Or three men, with me, I guess.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Five people, and Casca said they handed out Pok¨¦mon once a month, so this was the entire month¡¯s recruits. That seems pretty low. But then again¡­ His construction company recruited maybe twenty or thirty guys a year, and Machamp & Sons was a pretty big enterprise. Let¡¯s say this month¡¯s a good one, or maybe a few wash out, so they average out to fifty a year. And this is just Vermilion; Casca got picked up in Cerulean, and there¡¯s no way they aren¡¯t doing something in Saffron, so multiply that by at least three, and¡­

    Team Rocket was actually pretty damn big, potentially.

    ¡°So what¡¯s your deal?¡± came another growl from his right, and Hoshi realised he had spaced out.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, I¡¯m¡­ a construction worker.¡±

    A scoff. ¡°Sure you are, Suit. But I meant, why are you here?¡±

    A dozen potential answers flitted through Hoshi¡¯s brain. I¡¯m in love with a woman. I want Kanto to change. I want to be somebody. ¡°I met a girl in a bar. We talked, and¡­ here I am.¡±

    The man snorted in amusement. ¡°Weak. At least say you¡¯re here to get paid, man.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s nostrils flared in annoyance. He was glad there were a few chairs between them; this could easily turn into a situation where he would be tempted to take a swing, and that probably wouldn¡¯t end well for him ¨C the guy might not have worked out for his muscle, but it was still muscle. ¡°That why you¡¯re here?¡±

    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ right, man. Plus, who doesn¡¯t want a Pok¨¦mon? Even if it¡¯s just a zubat ¡®r somethin¡¯.¡±

    His face twisted further. I really hope they don¡¯t cheap out and hand me a zubat. Those things are like the weakest Pok¨¦mon I can think of ¨C fuck, at least a weedle would evolve fast. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a part of it too. You hoping for something in particular?¡±

    The man¡¯s massive arms crossed. ¡°Machop.¡±

    Hoshi grunted. ¡°Good choice.¡± Yeah, those are pretty good. I don¡¯t really think of them as battle Pok¨¦mon ¡®cause of my job, but anything that gets on two Elite Four teams can¡¯t be bad.

    ¡°What about you, Suit?¡±

    Hm? ¡°Well¡­¡± He hesitated. What kind of Pok¨¦mon would I want, if I could choose? He had thought about it more than once, but nothing had jumped out at him. ¡°Obviously the best case would be a dratini or something, but that ain¡¯t happening. Maybe a ground type.¡± He was probably carrying a bias since the Gym focused on mostly electric Pok¨¦mon, but ground had always seemed like a good, solid pick.

    ¡°What, like a diglett?¡±

    ¡°I could think of worse. If I could choose, I¡¯d go for a sandshrew. Or-¡±

    His sentence was interrupted by a sudden noise as the door he had entered from crashed open, the solid wood impacting a doorstop set into the bottom of the wall with a sound directly out of an old cartoon.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry! I got lost again!¡± cried some sort of black-clothed gorilla, in an entirely unfitting feminine voice.

    ¡°Oi, took you long enough!¡± the moon-faced man heckled, and Hoshi let his hackles down. Oh. That¡¯s not a gorilla. Just a¡­ very large woman.

    She was actually bulkier than Mr. Steroids, though the lack of obvious side-effects made him think she had probably gotten that bulk naturally. Arcus fuck, she reminds me of dad. Her arms are wider around than my legs.

    The woman ¨C he absolutely wasn¡¯t going to be calling her Puke, at least not anywhere she could hear ¨C sheepishly scratched the back of her head as Counter Guy finished recoiling. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± she repeated.

    ¡°That¡¯s-!¡± The Rocket Grunt gulped, obviously fighting down a near heart attack from the sudden noise. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just sit down. I¡¯ll be handing out the stuff in a minute.¡±

    She turned, still sheepish, and as she approached Hoshi saw her hesitate as she eyed the seats ¨C there were four empty ones, but she would be forced to sit right next to somebody.

    Do I move..? Actually, yeah, this was a good opportunity to distance himself from calls-the-professional-bodybuilder-Puke guy. He half-stood and slid into the seat to his left, putting himself next to Gamer Girl.

    If she had even noticed the last of them enter, she didn¡¯t show it, continuing to tap away at whatever she was playing. Magnificent. I¡¯ve joined a group of weirdos¡­ Maybe the book guy over there is at least half-normal.

    The huge woman continued to eye the seats with a wince ¨C it seemed Hoshi wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to stay away from Moon-Face ¨C but after a second she sat herself down heavily in the middle of the stretch of empties.

    ¡°Puke, you bitch! I¡¯ve been here like an hour ¨C you¡¯ve gotta start leaving the house early, woman!¡±

    Said woman replied with a soft mutter, before finding her voice. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ still Puce, Moony¡­ Uh, but I did actually start early, I just misremembered the room number, and then got turned around a bit, and the janitor gave me these really vague directions¡­¡± Once again, Hoshi was struck by how unfitting her voice was to her frame. She sounded more like a shrinking violet than the sturdy oak her body represented.

    Moon-Face ¨C is his name actually Moony, or was that some kind of half-assed banter? Whatever, I¡¯ll figure out everyone¡¯s names later ¨C opened his mouth, but before he could speak the grunt at the counter cleared his throat.

    His eyes went forward, and Hoshi saw that while he had been watching the gorillas interact, the grunt had pulled a suitcase from somewhere and set it on the table. Or maybe I shouldn¡¯t label him ¡®the grunt.¡¯ We¡¯re all grunts¡­ I think? Fuck, this isn¡¯t like how Casca described her initiation at all.

    At least those are probably our Pok¨¦mon¡­

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s your lucky day, twerps,¡± said the counter guy. ¡°Somebody from out east chickened out, so I¡¯ve got an extra ball for one of you. You can decide how that gets split amongst yourselves, but before that ¨C Ramone, come up here.¡±

    The grunt who had been reading the entire time put his book down next to his bag. ¡°It¡¯s Ryan, you soulless ass.¡± He was fine-boned, at least in comparison to the two to Hoshi¡¯s right, with platinum blond hair that fell out the edges of his cap in extra-curly rings. Eyes of clear topaz were set above a nose long and sharp enough to use as a steak knife, and lips that were full but extremely narrow.

    The overall effect was to produce a face just weird enough it didn¡¯t count as regal; if literally any part had been just a touch more fitting, he''d be a classical Kanto beauty.

    ¡°Don¡¯t care. The boss sent something special, so either get up here, or I¡¯ll give it to someone else and put your name on the next caterpie that comes down.¡±

    Ryan stood with a shake of his head, approaching the counter. The suitcase opened, and Hoshi saw that his suspicions had been true; inside were six Pok¨¦balls, their strange design a match for the ones he had noticed on the senior grunt¡¯s belt. Purple, the same dark shade for both the bottom and top, with a few lighter, raised sections drawing away in thick lines from the frontal lens¡­

    Which was shaped like an eye, for some reason. Wow, I didn¡¯t think you could make a Pok¨¦ball look evil. Was slapping a big red R on the thing not enough? Designer needed to give it veins so they could get it up?

    The senior grunt took the leftmost ball from its indent, passing it to the curly-haired young man, who held it with almost lustful reverence. ¡°Amazing. I can¡¯t wait to use it in battle.¡±

    He turned and began walking back to his seat, but of course the meathead at the end of the line had to open his damn mouth. ¡°Hey,¡± he mumbled, too loud for it to be anything but deliberate. ¡°Why¡¯s he get special treatment?¡±

    Raising a single brow, the dead-eyed man replied. ¡°Cause he¡¯s the boss¡¯s special little dicksleeve. Now get up here, the rest of you.¡±

    The blond froze in the act of sitting, his expression filled with incredulous fury. Wow, I almost admire that desk guy. You¡¯ve gotta have an impressive amount of not-give-a-fuck to say a line like that cold¡­ Am I gonna see a Rocket-on-Rocket battle on my first day? But in the next moment the fury cleared, replaced by smug self-assurance as Ryan¡¯s long, sharp nose tilted up.

    ¡°Be careful. I don¡¯t think Mr. Archer would take kindly to those sorts of accusations ¨C do you?¡±

    The grunt didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°Kid, the worst he can do is kill me.¡± His eyes turned to the rest of them. ¡°Did I stutter? Get up here.¡±

    Moony made for the counter first, then Hoshi rushed to get behind him. No way am I settling for the dregs. Sorry ladies; first come, first serve.

    But when Moony reached for a ball, the senior grunt pulled the case away. ¡°Hey! What gives?¡±

    ¡°This is a little team-building exercise,¡± the man replied. ¡°Makes it just a little bit more fair; fewer hard feelings. I¡¯ll show you the Pok¨¦mon, then the four of you get to decide who gets what ¨C nobody gets anything until you reach an agreement.¡±

    Moony¡¯s face soured, and Hoshi felt a touch of the same emotion. Damn. Though I guess I¡¯d be pretty happy if I was¡­ He glanced back. The nameless girl at the back of the line.

    Speaking of the nameless teenager ¨C she was definitely the youngest of them; Hoshi would guess maybe fourteen ¨C she opened her mouth and spoke for the first time. ¡°Sounds simple enough.¡± Her voice had a slight rasp to it; either she smoked, or she was coming off a bad cough. ¡°Let¡¯s see ¡®em.¡±

    Counter guy nodded, and one by one he released the Pok¨¦mon from their weirdly sinister balls. They all stepped back as red light gathered back into flesh and blood.

    A sandshrew, a rattata, an ekans, a zubat, and a koffing sat on ¨C or floated above, in the poison bubble¡¯s case ¨C the rich red carpet, blinking and turning their heads in vague interest.

    ¡°I call the ekans,¡± said the still-unnamed girl.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s in the spirit of things,¡± replied Puce. ¡°Calling dibs¡­ But if no-one¡¯s opposed, could I take the koffing? I¡¯m not good at remembering things under pressure, and since it¡¯s a poison type that flies¡­¡±

    ¡°Sandshrew,¡± said two overlapping voices, and Hoshi turned to fix the over-muscled ogre with a glare.

    ¡°I literally said I¡¯d want a ground type a minute ago. Don¡¯t be a dick.¡±

    ¡°Well I don¡¯t want either of the other two.¡± Moony¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he extended his hand. ¡°Rock-fire-steel?¡±

    ¡°What are you, five?¡± He wasn¡¯t going to gamble getting a decent Pok¨¦mon on a game of chance. ¡°I remember you saying you¡¯d want any Pok¨¦mon, even a zubat.¡±

    Actually¡­ Looking closer at the man¡¯s outstretched hand, Hoshi saw the skin was smooth. No scar tissue on his knuckles. Man looks intimidating, but he¡¯s never walked the walk. He threw out his earlier assessment of the man. ¡°I¡¯ll fight you for it. First blood.¡±

    Moony¡¯s nostrils flared. ¡°Wha..? Are you stupid, I must weigh three times-¡±

    ¡°No inter-Rocket fighting,¡± the senior Rocket broke in smoothly. ¡°Not with your fists, at least.¡± He reached down to tap the balls at his side. ¡°Words, only.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s face soured. The edges of his vision pulsed with frustration. I take it back, there¡¯s nothing admirable about this guy at all.

    ¡°You know,¡± said Gamer Girl. ¡°Since nobody wants the last two, we should put them together. Make them a little more appealing.¡±

    For a moment Hoshi and his moon-faced rival considered it. Then, they both spoke: ¡°I still want the sandshrew!¡±

    Sparks flew as their eyes met. ¡°Okay, fine. Rock-fire-steel it is.¡± Hoshi put his hand out, curling it into a fist. ¡°On three?¡± The man grunted, and Hoshi counted. ¡°One, two,¡± he¡¯s a meathead, he¡¯ll choose rock. Or is that just what he wants me to think? No, he¡¯s an idiot, he¡¯ll definitely choose-! ¡°Three!¡±

    Their hands came down. Hoshi had chosen to open his hand face-up, letting his fingers form the licking flames of fire. And the steroid-abusing grunt in front of him¡­

    Shot him a cheeky grin, his hand remaining in the closed fist of rock. Son of a bitch. I should¡¯ve stuck to my fucking guns.

    ¡°Glad that¡¯s settled,¡± said the biggest asshole in the room. ¡°Here¡¯s your balls.¡±

    He tossed them out, and Hoshi consoled himself with the fact that he had at least gotten two Pok¨¦mon, even if they were pretty shitty. Actually, maybe this is pretty not-shitty? Zubat is fucking garbage, but if I have a second ¡®mon to switch to after using Supersonic¡­

    He tuned out the man¡¯s explanation of how to recall their Pok¨¦mon, already more than familiar with the process. ¡°Rattata, zubat, return.¡±

 2.02 - Make it Double

    Despite being designed by some sort of mad scientist ¨C since obviously no sane human being would make their Pok¨¦balls look like they had eyes ¨C the two round capsules felt perfectly normal in Hoshi¡¯s hands.

    Heavier than one would expect, though still light enough to hold comfortably, and with a slight wobble to their centre of gravity ¨C like there was a second, smaller ball inside, rolling around with each movement. Hoshi shrunk his new ¡®mon¡¯s homes down and placed them in his pocket, where they sat a touch awkwardly. Need a belt or something¡­ I guess I¡¯ll get one with the uniform, since it looks like everyone has the same kind.

    ¡­I have two Pok¨¦mon. I¡¯m a trainer.

    ¡°-And double-click the button to put it into storage mode,¡± the counter guy finished as Hoshi tuned back into reality. ¡°They don¡¯t need to eat while the balls are small, but they- you know what? This isn¡¯t my job; ask one of the instructors.¡±

    The room was silent for a moment, before the smooth voice of the blond, Ryan, sounded out. ¡°So? Are we done here?¡±

    The man ¨C Hoshi would have used some facet of his appearance to describe him, but his face was so plain it was almost hard to look at ¨C gave the collected grunts a flat look. ¡°That¡¯s it. Get to your class ¨C which you¡¯re probably late to, since Puke refused to show up on time.¡±

    The muscular woman shuffled. ¡°Not my fault they built a maze and called it a school¡­¡±

    After a second¡¯s hesitation people started to move, turning back to grab their bags or just making for the door. Just like when the asshole of a Rocket had called them up, Moony managed to leave first, while the younger girl took up the rear. Hoshi watched them go, before returning his attention to the aforementioned asshole. ¡°I don¡¯t have any classes. Do I just¡­ go home?¡± Arcus fuck, this situation is painful. Did Casca get instructions for me and just forget to pass them along, or something?

    The man held his gaze for a long moment, before sighing. ¡°No, you should be getting Pok¨¦-orientation with the others. And after that¡­¡± He reached under the counter, the sound of shuffling papers rustling softly until he came back up with a pamphlet. ¡°Go down to Elec three-oh-three. It¡¯s all labeled on here.¡±

    Hoshi took the folded paper. A map? Yeah, looks like it. ¡°So where¡¯s this ¡®Pok¨¦-orientation¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Just follow the others, Kudzu.¡± Hoshi¡¯s growing annoyance must have shown on his face, because the man raised a single perfectly average brow. ¡°You waiting on something? Better hurry, they¡¯re getting away.¡±

    With an under-the-breath ¡°Fuck you, ass,¡± Hoshi turned and threw open the door, the springy doorstop making its cartoonish sproing as his anger-powered motion sent it slamming maybe half as hard as Puce¡¯s entrance.

    He exited the room, looked left, looked right, and caught sight of a flash of purple-green fabric disappearing around a corner. He rushed after the group, catching up to the still-unnamed girl trailing behind the others, all but dragging herself under the weight of an overstuffed, poison-Pok¨¦mon-themed backpack.

    She turned at the sound of his footsteps. ¡°Oh. Hey.¡± Face-to-face for the first time, Hoshi saw her eyes were a startling green, covered by a pair of nearly invisible eyeglasses, their body either clear plastic or glass. ¡°Mutsu, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He stepped up beside her. ¡°Didn¡¯t catch your name.¡± That tinge of blue-green on her bottom eyelid¡­ Sleep Powder? Some people took the stuff recreationally, but mostly it was used as medicine ¨C as a sleep aid, obviously.

    ¡°Nerine,¡± she introduced herself. ¡°Though according to our handler, it¡¯s ¡®Nerd.¡¯¡±

    Hoshi winced. ¡°He¡¯s our handler? Like, permanently?¡± Fuck. I¡¯m probably going to deck the guy in the face if I spend much more time around him ¨C not that it won¡¯t feel good, but I won¡¯t be looking forward to the consequences.

    ¡°Eh,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯ve only been here like, a week and change. I assume we¡¯ll be able to get away from the guy once we¡¯re actual Rockets.¡± Her hand went down to the Pok¨¦ball on her belt, the thing seemingly attached via magnet. ¡°Which is after today, I guess.¡±

    He had been calling her Gamer Girl in his head, but now that he was taking in her blue hair ¨C a metallic shade, obviously dyed rather than natural ¨C and the grunge aesthetic of her backpack, he thought a better label probably would have been Punk Girl. ¡°Hopefully.¡±

    They continued through the twisting halls, eventually going down a set of stairs back to the ground floor, and Hoshi took the time to examine his map. Somehow, this place is even bigger than it looks from outside. Four stories and two basement levels¡­ I wonder how many people actually work here. They had been passing people as they went; mostly janitor-adjacent working types, but occasionally Hoshi would look up from his map to see someone in a lab coat, expensive suit, or Rocket uniform.

    I guess they do teach actual rich people¡­ Or maybe those suits are high-level Rockets in their day clothes. Casca said I was fine to keep working at M & S, so I assume a bunch of people must have kept their normal jobs too. The variety made him feel a bit less awkward about wearing his own suit, though the thing was ratty in comparison.

    Another flash of passing white made him raise his head, and Hoshi¡¯s eyes-

    Drew over something that made his brain shut down completely. He stopped dead still. That¡­ No, it couldn¡¯t be, right? He almost turned his head to follow the passer-by, but thought better of it as a voice cried out from ahead.

    ¡°Yo, Suit!¡± came Moony¡¯s growling tones. ¡°Don¡¯t fall behind! I¡¯ve already waited like half the day ¡¯cause¡¯a Puke; if you get lost I¡¯m kicking your ass with my new Pok¨¦mon!¡±

    ¡­I must have been seeing things. Hoshi grunted back, widening his stride to catch up. A few more twisting ultra-rich corridors, and they went through a set of wide double doors into a room his map labelled Auditorium 2, but that Hoshi¡¯s brain gave the much more appropriate name of holy fuck that¡¯s entire Arcus damned theatre!

    Seats, multiple hundreds of them, filled a wide semi-circle around a raised stage, the interior of which was hidden by a red curtain. The roof was partially glass, letting in more than enough light to see even with the lights turned off.

    Ahead of him, Moony whistled. ¡°Fancy shit. Knew I made the right choice comin¡¯ here.¡±

    The seats were mostly empty, but not entirely; a few were filled by a cadre of business suits, another section was grunts in black uniform and caps, and a third, larger area was taken up by what were obviously scientists or lab technicians in white coats.

    ¡°Oi,¡± came a raised voice from the grunt section. ¡°Over here, new guys! What took you so long?¡±

    <hr>

    When Hoshi had been really little, he had been a big fan of the TV show Wiggly Theatre. It had been a puppet show starring a talking wigglytuff that broke down into a bunch of smaller segments, with each half-hour doing three or four different sketches or stories.

    He had grown out of it when he started going to school, its place as his favourite being taken by a rotating slideshow of different cartoons ¨C but looking at the stage with its ceiling-mounted spotlights and giant red curtain was bringing those old memories to the fore.

    It all felt just a little unreal. He kept reaching a hand down into his pocket, feeling at the pair of Pok¨¦balls, wondering if any minute now he would jolt awake, the whole thing turning into a fading dream in the pre-dawn light.

    ¡°And then the guy says, ¡®That¡¯s a stupid name,¡¯ and goes back to reading the list like he didn¡¯t just insult me to my face!¡±

    The group rumbled with laughter. ¡°Yeah,¡± said the Rocket who had called them over, a man who had introduced himself as Black. ¡°Nak¡¯s always been a real piece of shit. He kind of grows on you, though ¨C like mold.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s getting his fortieth soon,¡± continued another, this one a woman with long, dirty blonde hair. ¡°We¡¯re planning on taking him to the bay for a party, and then tossing him in at the end. You want in on it?¡±

    Hoshi listened to the banter with one ear. ¡°A party? Count me in!¡± yelled Moony.

    Ryan added his own comment. ¡°I¡¯d certainly enjoy watching that waste of a uniform take a dip in the sea. Perhaps a passing tentacool will decide to put him out of our collective misery.¡± He adjusted his cap. ¡°When is this event happening?¡±

    ¡°Second week of August,¡± Black replied. ¡°Though we might have to call it if the typhoon¡¯s as bad as people say it is. Don¡¯t let it slip though; man¡¯s got ears like a noctowl.¡±

    Wait. Something about what they had just said passed through Hoshi¡¯s half-present brain. ¡°That guy¡¯s fourty?¡± No way. I¡¯d have thought he was my age, late twenties at most.

    Black grinned. He had kind of a generic face himself, though unlike the topic of their conversation he at least had the decency to have some memorable facial features. Beneath his cap lay sharp grey eyes and a mildly hooked nose, both set into a squarish face with light blue sideburns framing the edges like bookends. ¡°Ha, everyone¡¯s surprised the first time they hear it. Nak¡¯s an original Rocket, even fought in the war ¨C though he won¡¯t say a damn word about it, so don¡¯t even try.¡±

    Huh. He must bathe in rosewater or some shit to have skin that good at his age¡­

    The light conversation continued for a bit. Hoshi learned that Moony¡¯s actual name was Menard, though he preferred to go by Kenny, and he had joined Rocket after his plans to become a professional wrestler failed to go through.

    Ryan was Ryan Sampo, a name he said with obvious pride, and his family had some sort of prior connection to Rocket ¨C he didn¡¯t get to the details before the discussion moved on, a fact that made the young braggart pull a sour face.

    Puce had dreams of becoming a real, professional Pok¨¦mon trainer, and Nerine answered the question of why she had joined Rocket with a bored shrug.

    ¡°All the other gangs were shit. Weepinbell Riders?¡± A scoff. ¡°That sounds like a sex thing, and not a fun one.¡± She had her backpack resting on her knees, and every few dozen seconds would fiddle with the zipper. Hoshi would have found it supremely annoying, if the conversation hadn¡¯t mostly been drowning it out. ¡°Is it fine if I smoke in here?¡±

    Black waved her down. ¡°Better not, the bosses can get really into the school thing sometimes ¨C actually, they should have started by now¡­¡± He glanced at the stage, a few of the other grunts following his lead. ¡°Whatever. So,¡± he said, turning Hoshi¡¯s way. ¡°What about you? Why¡¯d you join Rocket?¡± A quirk of the lips. ¡°Salaried life not offering enough excitement?¡±

    Hoshi looked down at his plain blue-grey suit, opened to reveal a white shirt and black tie. Stupid fucking idea to wear this thing. ¡°It started with a woman.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± He quirked a brow ¨C or at least Hoshi thought he did; the man was wearing his cap low enough that only his eyes were visible. ¡°Anyone I¡¯d know?¡±

    Hoshi grunted. ¡°Maybe. But I think the real reason I joined was¡­¡± Chances are I¡¯m about to get laughed at, but who gives a fuck what any of these low-level jackasses think? ¡°I want to do something about Johto. About the League picking shit apart ¨C I mean, look at Puce, here.¡±

    The woman winced, seeming to expect an incoming insult.

    ¡°She wants to be a trainer ¨C and a few years ago, she could have been, even while working a different job on the side. But now people like her, like me, have no choice but to go behind the League''s back, ¡®cause that¡¯s the only way to do it.¡±

    Fucking exams. Fucking ¡®too many unqualified¡¯ blah blah excuses. Just thinking about it threatened to set his blood boiling.

    Black clapped, along with a few others, and maybe Hoshi was deluded, but he thought it might have been only half sarcastic. ¡°Heh. Got an ideologue, here. Don¡¯t make that face; I¡¯m not gonna bite your head off about it, just-¡±

    He was interrupted by the light dimming, and Hoshi looked up to see that a rolling cover was being drawn across the glass ceiling.

    ¡°Ah, there we go. Let¡¯s watch the show.¡± The senior grunts turned towards the stage as the room progressed towards pitch black.

    ¡°Huh?¡± questioned Moony ¨C Should I call him Kenny..? Maybe if he stops calling me Suit ¨C who was immediately shushed.

    ¡°Quiet. The bosses can be touchy ¨C we only get this once a month, I don¡¯t want anyone ruining it with their big mouth.¡±

    A moment later the cover finally succeeded in blotting out the sun, and Hoshi couldn¡¯t see a thing. Are we actually getting a show? I really did join a gang of weirdos. Then, a single spotlight illuminated a section of curtain.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen!¡± came a practiced voice, high but masculine, echoing from above ¨C most likely from a series of speakers, given how far it carried.

    ¡°Sorry for the delay!¡± followed a slightly deeper, but much more feminine voice. ¡°We had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction at the last minute¡­¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s all resolved now, so!¡±

    ¡°Without further ado!¡±

    Bombastic trumpets sounded out, the sound washing over Hoshi¡¯s ears as the curtain pulled back to reveal..!

    An empty stage. The new trainer blinked, but the pair continued undeterred.

    ¡°To protect the world from devastation!¡±

    ¡°To unite all peoples within our nation!¡±

    ¡°To denounce the evils of truth and love!¡±

    ¡°To extend our reach to the stars above!¡±

    And then, as the music swelled, something dropped from above, a blur of different colours ¨C which resolved into the figure of a woman, posing, clad in black and white, her vivid, dark pink hair trailing behind her like an exclamation mark. ¡°Team Rocket Senior Executive, Jessie Oakley!¡±

    Then to her left dropped a second person, soft blue hair, a rose held to his lips as he made an equally vivid pose. ¡°And of course, Team Rocket Senior Executive, James Kidd!¡±

    Then, to Hoshi¡¯s continued astonishment, a persian dropped down between them ¨C wearing what could only be a specially made pinstripe suit, complete with persian-sized trilby. ¡°Meow,¡± it said, in a voice that he would have assumed was a man¡¯s if he hadn¡¯t heard it issuing directly from the Pok¨¦mon.

    ¡°Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!¡±

    ¡°Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight, fight!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± concluded the pair together ¨C or rather trio, since the large cat joined in with a roar ¨C and the trumpets followed them with the music¡¯s own dramatic finish.

    Polite applause from the assembled¡­ faculty, and Hoshi joined in, slightly dazed.

    It wasn¡¯t just the performance, or the fact that someone had tailored a full suit for a three-foot-tall, four-foot-plus-tail-long predator ¨C though that was a good chunk of it ¨C it was also the fact that both the people in front of him could have been supermodels.

    Holy shit, that¡¯s a beautiful woman ¨C and a fucking pretty dude, for that matter. The woman had a round face, lips painted to mimic her hair below shapely blue eyes and slightly old-fashioned pearl earrings. Her figure was stunning, shown off by a white¡­ half-cape¡­ coat¡­ thing that probably would have looked ridiculous if she hadn¡¯t been posing like a runway model, over a latex tube top. A skirt and leggings rounded off the ensemble in white fabric and black latex, respectively.

    The outfit left her stomach and thighs exposed, revealing creamy skin with exactly the right mixture of toned muscle and smooth fat to make a blush rise to his cheeks.

    ¡­And though he¡¯d never admit it, the man was doing as much work in that department as the woman. His face was sharp where her¡¯s was rounded, but he held himself with the same vive, eyes sparkling like green jades. The male version of what Hoshi refused to call a uniform failed to show as much skin, but it was obvious from the way he had caught himself during the landing that the man was fit.

    He looks like a Kanto-pop idol. It was extra impressive, because judging from their voices and builds, they must have been half again Hoshi¡¯s age.

    Fuck, even the cat looks good. He wasn¡¯t as familiar with the Pok¨¦mon as its pre-evolved form, which roamed in packs north of the power plant, but it had a distinguished, aged look that together with the white suit gave it a mob-boss sort of aesthetic. Looking at it conjured pictures in Hoshi¡¯s imagination, of the thing sitting in an antique armchair, puffing on a cigar as some poor schmuck begged it to call off the hit on his wife.

    ¡­Holy shit, I need to lay off the gangster movies, they must be rotting my brain.

    The duo ended their extended pose with synchronised bows, and he wondered if they had been actors before joining Rocket, or if being an Executive gave them enough time and cash to pursue it as a side hobby.

    ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡± projected the woman, Jessie.

    Then the man, James, followed up. ¡°You¡¯re too kind!¡±

    ¡°But the show wasn¡¯t just for entertainment, oh no!¡±

    ¡°This is an educational program!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    ¡°A little pidgey told us our darling new recruits just got their very own Pok¨¦mon ¨C the first one¡¯s they¡¯ve ever owned!¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯re going to give you a little lecture¡­ Followed by the real lesson!¡±

    ¡°Our very own tournament! But we can¡¯t have a tournament with just the five of you ¨C any volunteers from the audience?¡±

    The entire group erupted in cheers, from the richest business type to the scrawniest scientist, and Hoshi felt a complicated emotion.

    Exhilaration and anticipation, from the fact he would shortly be having his first ever battle as a real trainer, with his Pok¨¦mon ¨C as well as a certain trepidation from the realisation that ah, here it is, this is the initiation. He was probably about to watch his rat and bat be beaten a dozen times over by battle-starved senior Rockets.

    ¡°Magnificent!¡± started Jessie.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just have our lovely assistants hand out the merchandise, while we set the stage!¡± continued James.

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    And with the persian providing the conclusion, the curtains dropped, the sun-shade beginning to peel back with the faintest whirr of a distant motor.

    From either side of the stage emerged a grunt in uniform, carrying identical bags ¨C black with an emblazoned R, of course. Hoshi was becoming increasingly convinced that the entire aesthetic sense of the ¡®school¡¯ had been carefully stapled together by the pair of Senior Executives, from the uniforms to the wallpaper. It¡¯s certainly dramatic enough.

    The grunts closed in on him and the other rookies, one handing out a small electronic dongle while the other did the same with plastic cards. Are those..? Hoshi thought, his eyebrows raising as a different flavour of anticipation joined the mix in his belly.

    They reached him at nearly the same time, emptying their bags and retreating as Hoshi held up the small card to catch the returning light. ¡°No,¡± he said aloud. ¡°This can¡¯t be real.¡±

    ¡°It ain¡¯t,¡± answered Black. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a little real. I¡¯ll let the instructors explain, they¡¯ll be back any second now.¡±

    Hoshi could only stare at the card. It had his name, a mug shot ¨C where the fuck did they get that? ¨C a few other details like his height and weight, and most importantly, a title in large block letters running across the top: OFFICIAL POK¨¦MON TRAINER LICENCE, a string of numbers and letters in a much smaller size sitting just below.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be real,¡± he repeated. For all his smarm and bluster, Danny is actually pretty fucking good at hacking shit, and he laughed for a minute straight when I asked if he could spoof a licence.

    In the seats ahead of him the other recruits were taking things with various levels of stoicism. Ryan and Moony were mildly satisfied, as if they had seen this coming, while Puce was dabbing tears from her cheeks. The girl ¨C what was her name again? Ner-something? Nerine! ¨C Nerine was looking at her card wide-eyed, emoting for the first time since he had met her.

    As the cover completed its journey with a dull clunk and the room reached maximum brightness, the curtains began to roll away a second time. Hoshi tore his eyes away from the fake, don¡¯t get your hopes up, it¡¯s obviously fake licence to look at the stage.

    While the curtains had been down a screen had been set up, large and flat and wheeled like a whiteboard. Jessie and James stood on either side, with the persian lounging on top like- well, like a cat, he supposed.

    ¡°We see you¡¯ve all gotten your handouts!¡± started James, this time.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you want to know how our wonderful scientists managed to replicate our dear League¡¯s proprietary technology¡­¡±

    ¡°Or at least, what you can do with it!¡±

    ¡°¡­But first, direct your attention to the board ¨C and the other piece of equipment you¡¯ve received.¡±

    Hoshi looked down at the dongle he had neglected, then back up to see that a diagram of the thing had appeared on-screen.

    It was shaped a bit like one of those adapters you¡¯d put into a car¡¯s lighter socket to turn it into an electrical outlet; thinner than it was long, with a flat bit near the end of the otherwise cylindrical body. The flat part had a tiny screen and two buttons, up-arrow and down-arrow, about the size of those on a digital watch.

    ¡°This is the Mini-Dex, or as I like to call it, the Rocket Dex!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Though it isn¡¯t quite as powerful as the full-sized, League-database-powered official machine, our Mini-Dex is more than capable of telling you your Pok¨¦mon¡¯s moves and condition!¡±

    James sighed dramatically. ¡°No one calls it the Rocket Dex¡­ Look, it even looks like a spaceship!¡± A cough from the side. ¡°Oh, right. Just plug this thing into your Rocket-manufactured Rocket Ball, and click the buttons to navigate!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t break anything! Just insert Tab A into Slot B,¡± the redhead said with a wink, ¡°And let the magic happen!¡±

    Hoshi looked back down at the dongle ¨C no, at the Mini-Dex. His body thrummed with energy as he drew a ball out of his pocket.

    The glass lens-slash-button on the front of the ball depressed as he slid the adapter-looking bit in, continuing to depress until the two machines fused with a click. They really did look like they fit together, black plastic complementing the two-tone purple whatever-it-was they made the Pok¨¦balls out of.

    The screen turned on. ZUBAT, it displayed in small text. He pressed a button, and the text changed to HEALTH: PERFECT.

    He cycled through the screen¡¯s settings.

    STAT CON: NONE

    HUNGER: MILD

    And then, the word MOVES. Hoshi pressed the down button again, and it changed to LEECH LIFE, then SUPERSONIC, before rolling back over to ZUBAT.

    Amazing, he thought, completely genuine. Most trainers have to suss out their Pok¨¦mon¡¯s moves through trial and error; this is a big upgrade. Almost as good as what those official League-sponsored brats get. The condition checker was equally useful; in theory he would know the moment his Pok¨¦mon got sick, or had any sort of internal injury that would be hard to see from outside.

    He dug in his pocket for Rattata¡¯s ball, but Jessie¡¯s resonating voice broke in. ¡°Do you like it? Our very own Rocket Professors worked on those magic wands!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re sort of like us, but for science instead of Rocket recruiting, Pok¨¦mon poaching, and all-around amazing our allies and enemies alike!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! It isn¡¯t even the most impressive thing they¡¯ve made ¨C but the licences we handed out come close!¡±

    James gestured to the screen, which changed to feature a pair of licences ¨C featuring the Rocket Executive¡¯s names and faces. ¡°Now, these little forgeries aren¡¯t exactly bulletproof¡­¡±

    ¡°But they can get you into the shallows of the system! They¡¯ll fool bank kiosks and the hand scanners carried by the pretty officers in blue¡­¡±

    ¡°And that means you can also use the official League Pok¨¦centres!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Jessie corrected. ¡°So long as you don¡¯t do anything that queries the more¡­ reactive bits of the system.¡±

    ¡°Which is, admittedly, a dauntingly long list! So buckle up, we have a few rules for you to follow¡­¡±

    What followed was, indeed, daunting: a list of all the things that would see them instantly or not-quite-instantly marked as hackers, rendering them unlicensed once more. If we¡¯re caught committing a crime-crime, we¡¯re fucked. Anything with just a fine is okay, but things that would go on our non-existent record need to be avoided¡­

    Registering a Pok¨¦mon for major surgery, draining their League account below zero when the month rolled over, trying to buy certain super-restricted items like evolution stones, all of them were off limits. Hoshi frantically wished he had brought a pen and notebook, and it must have shown on his face because Black reached back to nudge him in the shoulder.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he whispered. ¡°The tech guys will give you a list if you ask. Just focus on the moment.¡±

    Hoshi nodded and turned his eyes forward, embarrassment dusting his cheeks with red.

    ¡°...And of course, if you void your licence you won¡¯t be getting a replacement for a while,¡± stated Jessie.

    And James followed up, ¡°Can¡¯t let those curmudgeonly cretins up north get wise to our tricks!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    They nodded in sync, including the cat.

    ¡­Is it reacting to a cue? Is it a pok¨¦-genius like Dabi¡¯s machoke? It can¡¯t be a puppet, right..?

    No, I¡¯m just thinking about that because of Wiggly Theatre.

    ¡°So now that we¡¯ve explained the gadgets¡­¡± began the blue-haired Executive. ¡°It¡¯s time for the show!¡±

    His red-haired partner took out a remote, and with the press of a button the screen shut off ¨C only to flash back on with a long list of names. ¡°Our dear recruits will take centre-stage, of course!¡± she announced.

    The list split in half, then each name moved to scrunch up against another. ¡°But everyone should get a chance to participate! And for our prize¡­¡±

    The senior crowd leaned forward, obviously knowing what was coming even before Jessie spoke. ¡°Something special! A rare Pok¨¦mon! Bring it up for us, Professor!¡±

    A diminutive figure came from stage left ¨C and as it had earlier in the halls, Hoshi¡¯s brain short-circuited.

    No. That¡¯s not-! Every single time Hoshi had seen Dabi Mokusen, he had placed the man in an imaginary lab coat. It was simply impossible to look at the man and not see it, that was how stereotypical he looked, even in the overalls and hardhat of a construction worker.

    The man who walked confidently across the stage, not cringing even a little, was not clad in the uniform of a worker. He was also, Hoshi¡¯s brain insisted, not Dabi Mokusen ¨C because that was too ridiculous. More than the bright red R plastered to a uniform from out of a black-and-white movie, more than the look-how-evil-I-am Pok¨¦balls, more than the Executives with their weird and hot show routine, and even more than the persian in a pinstripe suit, little weedle-like Dabi being a big-shot gangster was completely ridiculous.

    His coworker¡¯s evil twin turned to the audience, drew a Pok¨¦ball from his pocket, and with a casual toss and an echoing whoosh-oosh-oosh revealed the prize: standing over five feet tall, rippling with muscle, was the four-armed form of machoke¡¯s near-legendary evolution, machamp.

    Moony stood up in his seat, pointing, childlike wonder thick on his acne-riddled face. ¡°That¡¯s so fuckin¡¯ cool!¡±

 2.03 - Prepare to Fight

    As the auditorium echoed with a resounding cheer, Hoshi struggled with two revelations¡­

    That his coworker had been a member of Team Rocket potentially the entire time he had known him, and that the man knew how to evolve machoke.

    And though that second one was probably a lot more important in the grand scheme of things, the first one was what loomed large in Hoshi¡¯s mind.

    Son of a bitch! I told Casca- I told her I stole a Pok¨¦ball! She probably would have mentioned that to get me in as quick as possible¡­ What if it got back to him? Did he put it together? Will he?

    The sound died down as Hoshi stewed in his building anxiety, the Executives continuing their spiel.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± announced James. ¡°The signature Pok¨¦mon of Kanto¡¯s very own ex-Elite, Bruno!¡±

    ¡°A Pok¨¦mon whose pre-evolved form is strong enough to lift a dump truck with one hand!¡± continued Jessie.

    ¡°Previously so rare as to be nearly extinct¡­¡±

    ¡°With not even the current fighting-type Elite Four possessing one¡­¡±

    ¡°Who can say how strong it is?!¡±

    Jessie put a hand to the side of her mouth, and spoke in a breathy, false whisper. ¡°We¡¯ll give you a hint¡­ We have no idea!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°Just so! It broke every piece of equipment we tested it with!¡±

    He¡¯s not going to hold a grudge, right? If he even figures it out¡­

    Standing next to the Executives, Dabi held himself completely differently from the man Hoshi was acquainted with; his spine was ramrod straight, his expression falling somewhere between annoyed and disgusted, not a hint of cringing fear. Under the stage lights his short, combed-forward hair and nearly opaque glasses seemed almost¡­ menacing.

    Hoshi couldn¡¯t see his eyes, but it was easy to picture the man staring straight at him.

    No, I¡¯m imagining it. Just keep listening to the new bosses; pretend you don¡¯t even know the guy.

    Behind the two Executives the screen settled into its final configuration: a tournament bracket, with what looked to be six rounds. The second was odd, being mostly people excluded from the first round immediately jumping in.

    Jesse and James struck another perfectly-synced pose. The redhead spoke again, and it suddenly struck Hoshi that no, there had never been any speakers, it was only the acoustics of the room and the strength of the Executives¡¯ lungs that made their voices carry.

    ¡°Now we¡¯re unfortunately just shy of the nice round sixty-four necessary for a six-round tournament¡­¡±

    ¡°But this is just a casual competition among friends, so a little unevenness won¡¯t slow us down!¡±

    ¡°As you can see on the board, we¡¯ve picked out a few of our darling Junior Executives and Rocket Scientists to give a bye ¨C now you may be tempted to think we¡¯re playing favourites¡­¡±

    James flashed them all a huge, pearly grin. ¡°And you¡¯d be completely right! We¡¯re exceedingly bribable, folks!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    A few of the suits gave stately chuckles, while the black-uniformed grunts looked aggravated in a slightly performative way. ¡°Damn you,¡± said Black, his fist waving, his voice flattened by the obviously scripted nature of what he was doing ¨C an actor, the man was not. ¡°When will there be justice for the working man?¡±

    The pair looked at each other, then back to the audience.

    James grasped his chin. ¡°You know, what¡¯s a good point!¡±

    ¡°It would be a bit unfun to have the Executives steamroll everything, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    Further chuckles from the suits, along with a few playful boos. The persian stretched out along the top of the board, yawning, its wickedly sharp claws extending.

    ¡°Meow,¡± it repeated.

    Jessie pointed to the Pok¨¦mon. ¡°That¡¯s a great suggestion, Meowth! It¡¯s settled..!¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t just be a Rocket Cup; today will be a Rocket Little Cup!¡±

    Jessie gestured with her remote, and the screen changed to show a drawing: pikachu and raichu, the raichu cartoonishly crossed out.

    ¡°There we are!¡±

    ¡°Unevolved Pok¨¦mon only!¡± The pair nodded to themselves. ¡°That will put the deciding factor on trainer ability, rather than Pok¨¦mon alone!¡±

    Another click of the remote, and the screen reverted. ¡°We¡¯ll give our contestants a few minutes to prepare, then we¡¯ll start thing¡¯s off!¡±

    <hr>

    Tackle, Quick Attack, and Tail Whip¡­

    Those were the moves his Mini-Dex said that Rattata currently knew. Exactly what I¡¯d have assumed. Just a normal rattata¡­

    In the seats around him, his new coworkers were abuzz, talking about the tournament, and more specifically the prize.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! A machamp!¡± Moony was all but vibrating in his seat. It didn¡¯t seem to have occurred to the juiced-up man that he couldn¡¯t possibly win with just a sandshrew he¡¯d never used; his eyes were glued to the Pok¨¦mon still on stage, who was reacting to the crowd¡¯s attention by doing poses. ¡°Do you think they stole it from overseas?¡±

    Nerine shook her head. ¡°No way. We¡¯d have heard about it. That short guy is one of the Professors; I bet he figured out how to get it to evolve.¡±

    Puce¡¯s soft voice floated just over the general murmur. ¡°That makes sense¡­ If they just had the one, they wouldn¡¯t give it out in such a small tournament, right? The Executives would keep it for themselves.¡±

    The Pok¨¦mon continued to pose with Dabi watching from the side. The Senior Executives had left the stage at some point; Hoshi wasn¡¯t entirely sure when.

    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± said Ryan. ¡°If they want as many people as possible to know about it, this is an organic way to do that.¡±

    ¡°Why would they want that, though? There are like sixty people in this room; someone¡¯s going to talk¡­¡± Puce was basically Moony¡¯s opposite, in that the moment the machamp had made its appearance, she had become still and even softer-spoken.

    ¡°If I had one¡¯a those, I¡¯d be singin¡¯ it from the rooftops!¡±

    Hoshi scoffed. Right. And you¡¯d get it stolen out from under you just as quick. Ryan said something in a snide tone ¨C probably putting to voice what Hoshi had merely thought ¨C but he tuned out of the conversation. A few minutes. What can I do in a few minutes?

    Obviously, winning wasn¡¯t anywhere near the table; even if the older grunts were using unevolved Pok¨¦mon, they would still be trained. And it isn¡¯t like they¡¯ve been caught flat-footed ¨C obviously they have tournaments like these regularly. The persian making a ¡®good point¡¯ was obviously just a bit of showmanship¡­

    The other Rockets will be bringing ringers. This was just as much an initiation as a real competition; breaking the new guys down before building them back up as loyal soldiers.

    But there are a few things I can check. Winning wasn¡¯t a reasonable goal, but using the tournament as training was.

    Hoshi ducked down in his seat, and removed the Mini-Dex from his rattata¡¯s ball. ¡°Go, Rattata.¡± he whispered, and the ball opened in his hand with the usual woosh-oosh-oosh. Somebody probably heard, but whatever; as far as he knew, having your Pok¨¦mon out was perfectly allowed.

    The purple-pink rat coalesced, blinking and turning its head, its whiskers twitching.

    ¡°Hey, little guy.¡± The thing was smaller than average if he were comparing it to what he saw in the Gym ¨C hopefully, it was just young, rather than undersized. ¡°How much training have you got?¡± Probably not much, but¡­

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    He held his hand out, making a come-hither gesture. ¡°Use Tail Whip.¡± The rattata froze for a moment, seemingly confused, before obeying. Hoshi received a sharp slap across his palm from the ¡®mon¡¯s curled tail, causing him to wince. ¡°Okay, good. Dodge left.¡±

    No response except a whisker-twitch.

    Hoshi pointed left, exaggerating the motion. ¡°Dodge left.¡±

    This time, the rat took a quick hop to Hoshi¡¯s left. Okay, wow, this thing is raw.

    Pok¨¦mon tended to have a pretty good understanding of body language, even wild ones; that it understood his command wasn¡¯t unusual, but that it had needed the gesture for something so simple was a bad sign. This thing probably hasn¡¯t been out of its ball for more than an hour since it was caught. Hoshi repeated the dodge command a few times, before drawing his hand back. ¡°Dodge left,¡± he said in a low but steady voice, and the rattata completed the action without the gesture. ¡°Good rat. Dodge right.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°And that¡¯s the first round! Amazing showing for our new recruits!¡±

    ¡°Three of the five have advanced, an auspicious number!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    Garcia let the voices of his superiors wash over him, not raising his head. In his hands he clutched a Rocket Ball, its surface smooth and glossy, not yet worn by time and violence like the two at his side were.

    ¡°Will the round three participants please gather in front of the stage, thank you!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t dawdle now, or you¡¯ll be out like a light!¡±

    He opened his eyes, and stood. Even in such a strange setting, using weak newly-caught Pok¨¦mon, there was a certain air to the room, an energy. Garcia had been a Rocket for two decades, and an unlicensed trainer for three, but he still felt the spine-tingling sensation that came before a real Pok¨¦mon battle, the same as when he was five years old with nothing but a pair of kakuna and a butterfree.

    Already, the area around the stage was filling up. His eyes scanned the crowd, then the large list of names, and¡­ Four of the rookies made it through? Impressive. This month¡¯s crop might actually be able to get his blood up.

    ¡°Executive Seto?¡±

    He half-turned, his eyes finding the black-suited grunt who had called his name. Not a participant. ¡°Here to referee my match, son?¡±

    The young man ¨C everyone seemed to be so young, these days ¨C nodded. ¡°Over here,¡± he said with a gesture, beginning to walk before adding a belated, ¡°¡­Sir.¡±

    Garcia followed the man to a cleared space, still clutching the Pok¨¦ball in his hand. Around the auditorium a few battles had already started up, dull thuds and high-pitched cries sounding out as the baby Pok¨¦mon scrambled around, not unlike human children roughhousing.

    It made him feel nostalgic for the forest.

    A second of basking in the emotion, and then they had reached their destination, a cleared circle outlined by traffic cones. His opponent was already there; another young man, perhaps a touch older than the grunt, wearing a grey suit. Ah, splendid. I didn¡¯t expect to get a rookie today.

    His lips twisted into a smile as the referee took his place. The new Rocket, who Garcia knew by face but not by name, also had his ball out and expanded ¨C and interestingly, a distinctive bulge in his pocket. ¡°Two Pok¨¦mon, son?¡± he questioned.

    The purple-haired man¡¯s face twisted. ¡°Yeah. That a problem?¡± He spoke like he expected to be cut down at the knees at any moment; defiant, but a fearful sort of defiance. The tone of a man who had accepted the loss already, only fighting to spit in his opponent¡¯s eye.

    ¡°Not at all.¡± The old bug catcher brandished his ball. ¡°Don¡¯t expect an easy win, though.¡±

    The rookie grunted something that failed to make it across the tiny battlefield, and the impatient referee apparently took that as his cue to begin.

    The uniformed young man raised his arm. ¡°Rockets, prepare your Pok¨¦mon! This will be a standard battle; a winner is determined when their opponent¡¯s Pok¨¦mon are unable to battle! Fatally injuring your opponent will result in both sides forfeiting!¡± A moment, and then, ¡°You may switch freely!¡± Cheeky little bastard. The arm came down, and Garcia was already tossing, aiming for the other side of the arena before the referee could finish his exclamation. ¡°Begin!¡±

    His opponent cursed, throwing a fraction of a second later, and the balls very nearly collided in the air ¨C but it didn¡¯t happen; Garcia¡¯s Pok¨¦mon came out that fraction of a second sooner, already turning, feeling the opponent''s ball strike the ground with its sensitive feet.

    ¡°String Shot,¡± he ordered, raising his hand to catch the returning ball.

    His spinarak followed the order gleefully, shooting sticky webbing from between its clacking mouthparts. ¡°Rattata, forward!¡± came the order from his opponent, and the confused rat, its head swivelling around to look for its missing opponent, just barely bounded forward in time to avoid the first round of webbing.

    ¡°Keep it up! Close in!¡±

    The thin man snarled, his expression worthy of a Scary Face. ¡°Circle around! Right! Sprint!¡±

    The rattata dodged around the continuing stream of webbing by virtue of speed more than dexterity or situational awareness; the tiny thing put its head down and bounded for all it was worth, outpacing his ambush-predator spider¡¯s comparatively slow turning radius.

    ¡°Quick Attack!¡±

    ¡°Poison Sting, ranged!¡±

    The attacks landed at mostly the same time, the rat darting in to land a swipe with its paw as his spinarak¡¯s horn glowed purple, poison-coated hairs jumping off like blaster shots from an old sci-fi movie. A good number of them went wide, his spider¡¯s aim thrown off by the hit, but a few managed to stick in the opponent¡¯s retreating form.

    Both Pok¨¦mon reeled back, and Garcia¡¯s smile was sharp. I¡¯m going to lose this one, I think. His spider had a large scratch across its green exoskeleton, clear fluid dripping from a damaged eye. ¡°String Shot!¡±

    ¡°Dodge left!¡±

    But spinarak¡¯s attack, though undoubtedly lighter than its opponent¡¯s, had done its job; when the rattata placed its weight on its front paws, it squeaked in pain and failed to move ¨C the hairs digging deeper into its soft pads completely destroying its ability to run on all fours.

    The stream of white silk plastered it to the ground. ¡°Finish it! Constrict!¡±

    The man gnashed his teeth, brandishing his Rocket Ball. ¡°Return!¡± Before the spider could begin binding its prey the red laser stole it away, the rattata returning to its ball. ¡°Damnit! I wanted at least one clean win¡­¡± A sigh, and he drew the second ball from his pocket. ¡°Go, zubat.¡±

    A rattata and a zubat? Quite the classic combo. Before the resounding sound effect of the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s release had faded away, spinarak was already firing a spray of webbing.

    But it seemed his opponent was more on-the-ball the second time around. ¡°Fly up!¡± he ordered as his Pok¨¦mon went from red light to flesh and blood.

    The zubat screeched and climbed, moving in an erratic spiral motion that was hard to follow even in the well-lit auditorium, though not necessarily fast. Once again the lines of sticky silk failed to find purchase, and the aging Rocket allowed a touch of sour to enter his expression. ¡°Two manoeuvrable Pok¨¦mon, hm? Switch to Poison Sting, wide shot!¡±

    His opponent countered with an order of his own. ¡°Supersonic! Stay high!¡±

    Glowing hairs filled the air like anti-aircraft cannonfire ¨C but unlike the heavy bolts of Vermilion¡¯s defenses, his spinarak¡¯s attacks were barely scratching its opponent. Too far away, and zubat¡¯s own toxins make it resistant besides.

    The bat¡¯s screeching took on an entirely different quality, and Garcia nearly fell despite not moving, as his sense of balance shorted out. It was twice as bad for his spinarak; perceiving the world mostly through vibrations, the spider must have been effectively blind and deaf.

    ¡°Hang on!¡± It isn¡¯t over just yet. If it goes in for a melee attack we should be able to catch it with a surprise Constrict-

    But either his opponent had seen into his thoughts, or was simply cautious; he withdrew his zubat and sent the rat back out ¨C without the hairs hampering its mobility, and his spider reeling in confusion, the battle was short.

    The rattata landed a Quick Attack ¨C from behind this time ¨C and Garcia withdrew his Pok¨¦mon. ¡°Spinarak, return.¡± He sighed. Of course I would draw a speedy opponent on my first round. He had chosen spinarak to catch the slow-but-strong drowzee and magnemite that the scientists tended to favour, since they were local Pok¨¦mon that made up the bulk of his opponents. ¡°Ah, unfortunate. I suppose this is my loss, young man.¡±

    The victorious grunt didn¡¯t look it; rather than jubilant or satisfied, he stared crossly at both Garcian and the referee, who only shrugged.

    ¡°You won, man. Go over and get your team healed up; round three will start soon.¡±

    A moment of silence, before the rookie recalled his Pok¨¦mon. ¡°Right.¡± He nodded Garcia¡¯s way, at last seeming to let his battle fury peter off. ¡°Thanks for the match. I¡¯m gonna¡­ go do that.¡±

    <hr>

    Hoshi turned away from the thirty-something man in his rich red suit, frustration pursing his lips. Another match I would have lost with either of my Pok¨¦mon alone. His first opponent had been a senior grunt with a staryu, and the thing had nearly taken his zubat out of the air with a single well-placed Water Gun. In truth that first match had been a lot closer to the edge; he¡¯d gotten lucky confusing the starfish Pok¨¦mon at the last minute, and rattata had been able to pin it down before it got its head- uh, before it got itself straightened out.

    Even face down, the water type had made the fight drag on by hardening until Rattata¡¯s teeth could barely scratch it ¨C which might have been a tactical error on the opposing grunt¡¯s part, since if it had been able to flip itself over Hoshi could have easily lost.

    In comparison, this last fight had been pretty easy ¨C if still beyond his abilities as a trainer; had he been fighting one-on-one, that Johto Pok¨¦mon would have trapped his own, then crushed them in its oversized jaws.

    Damnit. I won two fights, I should be feeling good about it. He came up on the nearest of the three healing machines ¨C stripped-down versions of the larger ones that existed in Pok¨¦centres, they would have his Pok¨¦mon back to a hundred percent within seconds. He absentmindedly handed his two balls to the grunt manning the machine.

    It¡¯s just frustrating. Surge¡¯s Pok¨¦mon are all a lot stronger ¨C from where I¡¯m standing, this seems like a downgrade. He got his balls back, and for about the twentieth time wished he had a proper belt to put them in. I probably look ridiculous. Well, whatever, it¡¯s not like I can do anything but-

    ¡°Young man,¡± intruded a voice, disrupting his thoughts. Hoshi turned, meeting the eyes of his previous opponent, the man in the red suit. Damnit. Is he going to hold a grudge? If you couldn¡¯t beat me then you were doomed from the start, you rich ass!

    ¡°¡­Hello.¡±

    The Rocket Executive ¨C assuming that¡¯s what he was ¨C lowered his head in a brief, shallow bow. ¡°Pardon. I just wanted to get your name. I have a feeling you¡¯ll be someone to watch, in the future.¡±

    Implying that I¡¯m nothing much now, aren¡¯t you? ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Hoshi.¡± My name and face are on the licence, so there isn¡¯t much point in keeping anything to myself. ¡°Thanks for the vote of confidence.¡±

    The Executive hummed. He wasn¡¯t the oldest person here, about the same age as the Senior Executive pair, but unlike them he walked with a certain weight to his bones, seeming older than he was. ¡°And I am Garcia Seto. This month seems to have a few standout recruits ¨C and I think you might be one of them. Don¡¯t make me embarrassed to have lost to you, my boy!¡±

    He stepped past, firmly patting Hoshi¡¯s shoulder as he went, and Hoshi was silent for a moment, digesting the encounter. Huh. Weird old guy. Are we really doing that well?

    His eyes found the scoreboard, and he scanned the tiny names from across the room, looking for the ones he had picked out ahead of time. Oh, it looks like we actually are ¨C Puce washed out in round one and Moony just lost to one of the guys who got through with a bye, but Nerine and Ryan are still in it.

 2.04 - Rising Stars

    ¡°Oh my! It seems that three of our adorable little rookies are still in the race!¡± boomed James¡¯s voice from the raised stage.

    ¡°Magnificent work!¡± Jessie continued. ¡°Once might have been happenstance, but winning two rounds shows some actual promise!¡±

    ¡°Especially against our Junior Executives! Those titles aren¡¯t just for show, you know!¡±

    ¡°Meow,¡± the persian named Meowth ¨C is that more or less creative than a persian named Persian? ¨C concluded.

    Could I¡­ actually do this? Despite constantly reinforcing to himself that winning was impossible, staring at the board was making Hoshi¡¯s heart race. I¡¯m a third of the way there already. How many people have a ¡®mon that can beat two in a row?

    In his mild bafflement, it seemed that he truly was the only person with two Pok¨¦mon ¨C a fact that was ratcheting up both his hope and his anxiety in equal measure. The refs haven¡¯t stopped me yet. Is it just etiquette? Maybe they used to bring whole teams, and things ran out of control, or went way too long, so¡­ a gentleman¡¯s agreement was formed. Nothing in the rules, just all the higher-ups deciding to limit themselves together. It was the only rationalisation he could muster.

    He was brought back to reality by another round of narration from the Executives. ¡°In fact¡­¡± Jessie led in.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we get a few words from our intrepid baby Rockets? Come up here, you three!¡±

    The duo gestured, and Hoshi¡¯s gut did a flip. Fuck. Public speaking? This really is the worst bits of grade school all over again¡­

    But as he moved forward and ascended the stage, he kept his spine straight. He wouldn¡¯t be intimidated by a few men in suits, or by the harsh spotlight following him as he went ¨C he was a Mutsu. There are only two people whose opinions I need to care about; the bosses. Ryan joined a moment later, and then Nerine brought up the rear, struggling up the side-steps with her overstuffed backpack. The tree of them stood, looking out at the crowd, as behind them the machamp struck a pose like it was a backup dancer.

    Hoshi could feel Dabi¡¯s stare needling into his back. In my head. It¡¯s just in my head ¨C keep cool.

    ¡°Magnificent showing, you three!¡± projected James, his voice actually seeming slightly less from close up ¨C still impressive, but the design of the stage must be doing at least half the work to make their voices carry.

    ¡°Indeed! Rocket Grunt Mutsu, why don¡¯t you start us off; tell us a bit about yourself!¡± Up close the older woman seemed, impossibly, even more attractive. Hoshi kept his eyes above her neck, but it was a struggle. ¡°Hobbies, dreams, aspirations ¨C you¡¯re one of our older recruits, so I¡¯ve no doubt you put a lot of thought into it before joining!¡±

    He blinked. Am I? Moony and Puce look about the same age, and Ryan must be at least twenty¡­ whatever. Dreams, huh? He opened his mouth ¨C but despite already expressing himself to Black and the other grunts, repeating the exact same words while on-stage felt suddenly impossible. He struggled for a moment, clearing his throat.

    ¡°...I hear you¡¯re actually related to our city¡¯s electrifying Lightning Lieutenant! Why don¡¯t you start off with that?¡± came the voice of James, rescuing him from the stretching silence.

    Cool blue relief flooded his veins. Arcus, get it together. ¡°We¡¯re not related by blood. He was my dad¡¯s best friend, and after he passed¡­ Well, to make it short, I just think of him as Uncle Bob. He¡¯s really helped me out, more than I could ever repay.¡± Though I¡¯ve sure been trying to make it even, with how much his private lessons cost. ¡°I probably have him to thank for getting this far.¡±

    ¡°Ooh! You hear that? Trained personally by the man himself!¡±

    ¡°I hope that soothes a couple bruised egos ¨C no shame in losing to the Gym Leader¡¯s nephew!¡±

    His stoic expression held, but only barely. I didn¡¯t say he trained me ¨C even though he did. Don¡¯t put words in my mouth!

    The pair spun to the next rookie, the fair-haired Ryan. ¡°Mr. Sampo! Your family has a bit of a pedigree,¡± said James. ¡°Care to explain your deep connection to Team Rocket?¡±

    Unlike Hoshi, the apparently-younger grunt took the attention of the audience in stride. ¡°The Sampo family have been supporting Rocket from the moment they stepped foot in Viridian City,¡± he stated, his voice proud and his chin held high. ¡°My grandfather, Leon Sampo, was a close friend to Giovanni Capo ¨C our family¡¯s money helped to fund the expansion of the Viridian City Gym, turning it into Kanto¡¯s largest stadium.¡±

    His smile shone, and for a moment the weird proportions of his face were eclipsed ¨C under the spotlight, the young man seemed every bit a proud, patriotic Kantonian, his words smooth and charismatic. ¡°And of course, my father, Giorgio Sampo, contributed heavily to the rebuilding of the organisation in recent years. I hope that my own contributions will be half as grand, but it seems a tall order indeed ¨C I can only rely on my elders to guide me along the right path.¡±

    He bowed, and the duo clapped. ¡°Ah, what a filial young man!¡± said James.

    ¡°I¡¯m certainly rooting for him ¨C and it isn¡¯t just because of his Pok¨¦mon, either!¡± continued Jessie.

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    A twitch went through the muscle of Hoshi¡¯s brow. His Pok¨¦mon¡­ Is it really that good? He¡¯s been finishing his matches before me, so I haven¡¯t actually seen it yet. Curiosity and a touch of envy bit at him, just deep enough to hurt.

    ¡°And finally,¡± Jessie announced, ¡°Our youngest new recruit, Nerine Bay Rose!¡±

    ¡°Tell us, how does it feel to have made it to the third round? Any secret tips to share with the audience?¡±

    The teenager shuffled, her face gaining a touch of red at the attention. ¡°...I got lucky, I guess.¡± Her voice was small, saved from the description of mumble only by the clarity with which she spoke. ¡°Fought an oddish and a paras¡­ it was a good couple matchups.¡± Her head seemed to be doing its level best to disappear between her top and cap, sinking low while rocking forward to hide her face.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so modest!¡± Jessie admonished. ¡°My first Pok¨¦mon was an ekans, you know; I can tell you¡¯re familiar with them, to command the little noodle so well!¡±

    ¡°A bit of precocious training, perhaps?¡± James cut in.

    Her face coloured further. Ha, I guess I¡¯m not the only one who thinks he looks like a K-pop star. ¡°Uh, just a little? I¡¯ve always really liked the vibe of poison type Pok¨¦mon¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, a lady after our own hearts! Team Rocket loves poison types, don¡¯t we?¡± The sharp-featured Rocket turned to his partner.

    ¡°Of course!¡± They posed, pointing to each other. ¡°Like your weezing!¡±

    ¡°Or your dustox!¡±

    ¡°Or your victreebel!¡±

    ¡°Oh, and who could forget little jellicent!¡±

    ¡°Meow!¡±

    James paused, his head tilting the still-lounging cat¡¯s way. ¡°Is it not?¡±

    ¡°Meow,¡± the persian firmly stated, shaking its head.

    ¡°¡­Well, be that as it may, we still love poison types!¡±

    Jessie spun back to the teenaged girl. ¡°So you¡¯ll fit right in!¡± The two turned back to the audience. ¡°So there you have it!¡±

    ¡°Three bright young stars, and I¡¯m not just saying that for the pun!¡± Scattered chuckles, and Hoshi felt the urge to strangle the stupidly attractive Executive. Ha, ha, very funny. Never heard that one in my life.

    He continued, ¡°Give a round of applause for our trio of prodigies¡­¡±

    ¡°And then those of you still in it should step up for another round, this one of Pok¨¦mon battling! We don¡¯t have all day you know!¡±

    Hoshi stepped down off the stage, nerves continuing to tingle with aftershocks of the mild stage fright he had experienced. Okay, third round. Gotta get my head back in the game ¨C do I open with Rattata or Zubat?

    A deep part of him still wanted to eke out a win with his rattata alone, just to prove he could, but that part was dumb as fuck, so he squashed it. Opening with Rattata worked out fine for the second match, but it¡¯s probably not the winning move. Unless they send our an electric Pok¨¦mon, Zubat is probably the better option.

    The problem with that was that they were in Vermilion City; every other opponent was a magnemite or voltorb. He had even seen a single pikachu, the much rarer rodent taking a loss to an Executive¡¯s geodude. Speaking of geodude, if I run into a rock type I¡¯m pretty much fucked. Normal and bug are my only attacking options, and Leech Life puts my bat into melee ¨C basically unusable. His fists clenched. Fuck, I¡¯m psyching myself out when I should be psyching up.

    He had made it two rounds already, so why was he freaking out? I¡¯m at least as good as anybody here. I just need to treat this like training with Surge. The thought calmed him, and he managed to unclench his fists ¨C only to repeat the action, this time in determination.

    His gaze went over the crowd. I¡¯ll use this time to scout out the competition. If I see any ice or electric types, start with Rattata. Rock¡­ probably go for Supersonic with Zubat. Battles were already starting, a grunt with his spearow facing off against a sharp-suited woman¡¯s seel, Nerine¡¯s ekans slithering in a zig-zag pattern to avoid clumps of sparkling ice crystals thrown out by- holy fuck that¡¯s an ice type sandshrew!

    Hoshi boggled for a moment. Arcus, those things are rare as fuck. Like a lot of Alolan Pok¨¦mon, the island-specific variant of the otherwise common Pok¨¦mon were close to extinction by normal standards, wild specimens existing on only a single mountain on the tiny chain of islands. Glad I haven¡¯t fought something like that so far. Steel and ice¡­ Once again, he resolved that his next Pok¨¦mon would be a ground type.

    ¡°Hey,¡± came a feminine voice from behind. ¡°You Hoshi? Your opponent¡¯s waiting.¡±

    He turned, seeing an older woman in the standard black uniform sans gloves. So? You¡¯re meant to be guiding me; it isn¡¯t like I know what my opponent looks like. ¡°Sorry. Which way?¡±

    The grunt guided him to the other edge of the vast room, and Hoshi snuck a peek at a third match as he went. A labcoat-wearing scientist type was all but pulling his hair out as his floating metallic disk ¨C the first Pok¨¦mon today that Hoshi couldn¡¯t identify ¨C was slapped around by the hooves of a ponyta, an aura of flame issuing from the much larger horse¡¯s coat to lend heat to its attacks.

    Fire type. Probably no ranged attacks ¨C Zubat should be able to handle it.

    Loping strides ate up the distance swiftly and soon enough Hoshi was standing across from his second Executive opponent of the day ¨C a woman in a black suit and long straight skirt, her equally long hair bone-white despite being into her early forties at most, according to her face.

    ¡°Finally.¡± Her voice was deep, surprisingly so, and Hoshi received an even larger surprise as she lifted a pure white, opalescent ball ¨C a Pearl Ball, rather than the strange Rocket Balls Hoshi had been seeing up to this point. Does this mean she¡¯s a legit trainer? That she¡¯s using a Pok¨¦mon she caught herself? He had no idea, but he was wary.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°Sorry for the wait. Let¡¯s get this battle started, alright?¡±

    She sneered, and something in Hoshi¡¯s chest calmed ¨C it was a lot easier to fight someone who was looking down on him. ¡°I should hope so. Referee, start us! I have other meetings today!¡±

    The referee ¨C who seemed reasonably sour to be talked down to by someone her own age ¨C flared her nostrils, but obeyed. ¡°This is a standard battle. A winner is chosen when one side has no Pok¨¦mon fit to battle, and lethal damage counts as an automatic loss for both sides.¡± She raised her hand. ¡°On three. One, two-¡±

    Hoshi expanded his zubat¡¯s ball, preparing to throw. Right on my side of the field, to give it time to climb. ¡°-Three!¡± Her hand came down, and both combatants threw their Pok¨¦balls.

    ¡°Zubat, fly up!¡± he ordered, peering across the field. Come on, give me another bug type.

    His opponent¡¯s Pok¨¦mon revealed itself in a flash of red, and he smiled. Krabby! Yes, this should be easy! The short, red-and-tan crab was well-known for its extreme attacking power and solid defense¡­ but also, Hoshi happened to know that the thing wouldn¡¯t have a decent ranged attack. Zubat should be able to dodge a few Bubbles, and that super-strength will work against it once it¡¯s confused! ¡°Dip down and use Supersonic!¡±

    The woman¡¯s sneer continued. ¡°Dodge,¡± she ordered, seemingly unconcerned.

    The crab scuttled sideways, avoiding the main blast of sound, but Hoshi grinned. There¡¯s no way that thing can jump. ¡°Keep it up! Stay right above it!¡±

    His bat moved in erratic circles above the zig-zagging water type, dancing tantalisingly, just out of reach of its clacking claws.

    But again, the Executive seemed unworried. ¡°Scald,¡± she ordered, and Hoshi¡¯s smile dropped.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± That isn¡¯t- she must have shelled out for a move disk! Instead of a froth of slow-moving bubbles ¨C the only ranged attack a krabby should have ¨C the Pok¨¦mon attacked with a spray of pressurised, boiling liquid.

    Dodge or attack? There was no time to pick, he was already yelling-! ¡°Dive!¡±

    The zubat dipped, still screeching, and the steaming stream doused one of its wings. His Pok¨¦mon¡¯s cries took on a different tone as its attack was cut off in favour of expressing its pain. ¡°Get under it! Leech Life!¡±

    ¡°Vicegrip,¡± came the disinterested order from the Executive, and Hoshi¡¯s teeth grit as his vision reddened.

    The foot-long bat made a valiant effort, but the krabby snatched it before it could roll under the crab¡¯s armoured belly. A single squeeze, and it was over.

    ¡°Zubat is unable to battle!¡± the referee announced, as though it wasn¡¯t plainly obvious as the crab dropped his unconscious ¡®mon. ¡°Grunt Hoshi, withdraw your Pok¨¦mon!¡±

    He knew his face had frozen into an ugly rictus snarl, but it was beyond his ability to feign anything else. ¡°Fucking fuck fuck.¡± Didn¡¯t manage to confuse it. Fucking rich-ass cheating- fuck! ¡°Return.¡±

    Zubat disappeared, merging with the red laser, and he immediately put the ball into storage mode, freezing it in stasis until it could be healed ¨C then he withdrew Rattata¡¯s ball, pausing to consider his options. The red receded a touch as he forced away the suicidal urge to go out and stomp the stupid crab with his steel-toed boots.

    Can I still win this? If it was completely hopeless, he was better off not risking his Pok¨¦mon¡¯s health. Quick attack might let me get a few hits in, but it¡¯s armoured up. Hoshi was pretty familiar with coastal Pok¨¦mon, and he had seen foraging krabby outright ignore the questing pecks of even evolved birds.

    His snarl became a grim line. The referee looked over. ¡°Grunt? Are you going to send out your next Pok¨¦mon?¡±

    He lowered Rattata¡¯s ball to his side. ¡°I¡­¡± But then he saw it: the slightest tremble, the krabby¡¯s claws wavering as it adjusted its feet. ¡°Sorry, just thinking. Go, Rattata!¡± Thanks, Zubat. Looks like we might just get to the fourth round! ¡°Circle around and use Tail Whip!¡±

    The white-haired Executive sniffed. ¡°Crush it.¡±

    The crab smoothly turned to follow his rattata¡¯s movements, and Hoshi prayed to Arcus. Come on. I know what I saw; Zubat¡¯s Supersonic got it as it dove! Come on! Stumble, you front-heavy fuck!

    And for once, Hoshi¡¯s prayers were answered; the crab misjudged a step in its addled state, overextending and dipping to the side. The swinging, open claw grazed his rattata¡¯s back, removing a stripe of fur, but the darting rat smashed its tail into its opponent¡¯s face as it ducked past. The crab slipped, clutching its face with its other claw, and Hoshi found himself grinning savagely.

    ¡°Tackle from behind! Don¡¯t let it stand up!¡±

    ¡°Prince, protect yourself with Bubble.¡±

    Rattata struck the crab in the back and it reeled, but before Hoshi¡¯s Pok¨¦mon could attack again a thick mass of large bubbles frothed up around its opponents body-encompassing mouth, spreading across its slick surface in an instant to create a sort of armour.

    ¡°Rattata, stop!¡±

    But while it had been growing quite used to Hoshi¡¯s orders over the last two battles, the rat was still untrained; it¡¯s attempt to pull back was uncertain, and it struck a number of bubbles ¨C which detonated with a series of sharp pops, more akin to firecrackers than anything else. Rattata recoiled, and the Executive smirked.

    ¡°Vicegrip,¡± she ordered.

    ¡°Stay behind it!¡± Fuck, what do I do? The bubbles weren¡¯t actually very strong, but he didn¡¯t think his young Pok¨¦mon would willingly attack something explosive. ¡°Tail Whip! Aim for the legs!¡±

    His rat whipped its opponent over and over, but though the krabby stumbled, it seemed to have shaken off the confusion ¨C the crab outmanoeuvred the lavender rodent, managing to pivot enough to snatch it in a claw. Hoshi withdrew his Pok¨¦mon before it could be crushed, once again scowling.

    ¡°Rocket Grunt Hoshi concedes! The match¡¯s winner is Junior Executive Tanya!¡±

    The Rocket withdrew her Pok¨¦mon, cooing at the ball for a moment in motherly affection, before turning and walking towards the healing station without further acknowledging either Hoshi or the referee.

    I hope that ¡®junior¡¯ in your title haunts you for your entire fucking life, you whore.

    <hr>

    Hoshi stepped away from the healing machine, still sporting a scowl. He knew, he knew that he was going to get knocked out, but the loss still stung. If it hadn¡¯t known a fucking disk move-!

    He huffed. Pointless. He¡¯d already lost ¨C there was nothing worth being mad about. At least now I get to actually watch some matches, see what Ryan¡¯s super-secret Pok¨¦mon is.

    He headed towards the ongoing matches.

    ¡­But still, he couldn¡¯t put the anger behind him. Fucking childish shit. He¡¯d thought he hadn¡¯t had any illusions about his chances of winning, but it seemed a part of him was a dumb kid who thought they were a special little boy, who would be able to beat money and experience and better Pok¨¦mon! Wow! But it turns out I¡¯m just some guy! Who would have fucking thought that a fresh trainer couldn¡¯t beat hardened criminals twice his age! Isn¡¯t that fucking weird?!

    His self-loathing continued to build until some internal dam broke, his vision blanking out for a second. A moment passed, he breathed, and he kept walking, empty, the anger washed away to leave nothing but some lingering puddles of annoyance.

    ¡°Fucking take the loss like a man,¡± he mumbled to himself, and settled into a seat to watch the last moments of round three.

    <hr>

    Nerine won her match, the teenager¡¯s ekans scoring an easy win against a grunt¡¯s balloon-like jigglypuff. The little thing could only weakly beat its fists against the young-but-still-larger snake as the latter choked it out with Wrap and Poison Sting.

    Then the intermission, where the Executive duo acted ¨C or maybe were, he didn¡¯t know them well enough to guess ¨C astonished that two rookies had made it to the fourth round.

    And then, finally, Hoshi rose from his seat to stalk his fellow grunt. I want to know what that Pok¨¦mon is that you seemed so proud of.

    He followed behind Ryan, thankful that the man¡¯s features made him stand out from the crowd ¨C and then someone put a hand on his shoulder. Oh for fuck''s sake. What now?

    ¡°Suit, there you are!¡± Moony greeted. ¡°Me ¡®n Puke were wondering where you got off to!¡±

    Oh, fucking amazing. ¡°Hey. I was about to watch Ryan¡¯s match.¡±

    Seemingly immune to Hoshi¡¯s flat tone, the acne-riddled man continued. ¡°Us too! Puke¡¯s following him around ¡®cause she¡¯s got a crush, and so¡¯m I, ¡®cause why not?¡±

    Puke- Puce made a face. ¡°Don¡¯t make up weird rumours, Moony. He is,¡± a pause, ¡°Way too young for me!¡±

    Hoshi blinked. ¡°Is he really a kid?¡± I¡¯d have sworn he was just a bit younger than me, but maybe his weird face threw me off?

    Moony elbowed the woman. ¡°Naw, Puke¡¯s just bein¡¯ weird. He¡¯s like eighteen or something.¡±

    ¡­Well, a couple years off isn¡¯t that bad. ¡°Hm. Anyway, looks like his referee found him, so let¡¯s walk and talk.¡±

    The three rookies followed after the fourth, Hoshi leading the way. What could it be? Something rare and strong¡­ A dratini? Maybe a rare fighting type, like a hitmontop ¨C except no, that wouldn¡¯t be allowed for the tournament, I don¡¯t think. What was the baby form¡­ tyrogue? Or maybe something foreign, like a¡­ His face scrunched in thought. A sandile or something. He was vaguely aware of a dozen different foreign Pok¨¦mon that were considered top-tier, but put on the spot his mind was blanking.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± a soft voice sounded out from behind. ¡°Sorry for not cheering for your matches. You did really well.¡±

    Hoshi glanced back at the muscular woman. ¡°Oh. Well, thanks.¡± Having someone cheering for me would have been¡­ weird, so I¡¯m kind of glad you didn¡¯t. ¡°Sad you got knocked out right away. Who¡¯d you lose to?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± she trailed off.

    ¡°She said she got smashed by a dweeb with a pikachu. Right?¡± Again, Moody elbowed the larger woman.

    ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah, I guess ¡®smashed¡¯ is a pretty good word. Koffing only knows Tackle and some poison moves, so it just got hit over and over with lightning.¡± She sighed. ¡°I¡¯m a bit embarrassed¡­ You made it pretty far, and Ryan and the younger girl are still in¡­ you three seem way more skilled than I am.¡±

    Hoshi grunted. Two pikachu? Maybe they aren''t as rare as I thought¡­ I guess it''s been a long time since Champion Red, people must have started breeding them by now. ¡°Well, I have some experience. I trained for a bit with Surge before joining.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? I thought maybe the instructors were making that up.¡±

    Moony broke in. ¡°You¡¯re really his nephew? Man, that¡¯s crazy! Does that mean that Team Rocket has like, gotten into the government and shit?¡±

    Hoshi turned back to shoot the man a look. What the fuck thread of twisted logic are you following? ¡°No, I didn¡¯t tell him I¡¯m in Rocket,¡± you moron. ¡°His job is literally to beat the piss out of criminals and shit.¡± Theoretically; that hasn¡¯t really been a thing since before the war, it¡¯s all the Jennys now. ¡°¡­He¡¯s cool with the old, wartime Rocket, though.¡±

    ¡°Cool,¡± said Moony, and Hoshi restrained the urge to pop him in his too-wide fucking ignorant face.

    Arcus, can the match just start already? Ryan was standing with his arms crossed, waiting for his opponent to arrive, and whoever it was sure seemed to be taking their fucking time.

    Thankfully Hoshi was spared from the increasingly awkward conversation; the other two lapsed into silence, and eventually the grunt referee returned ¨C a second, identically-dressed grunt in tow.

    ¡°Fucking finally,¡± Hoshi mumbled.

    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ finally!¡± Moony exclaimed, and Hoshi winced. I don¡¯t sound like that, right? No, that¡¯s impossible, he¡¯s like a giant baby.

    The referee¡¯s opening spiel was the same as the ones Hoshi had gotten, and he leaned forward as the two trainers drew their Pok¨¦balls.

    ¡°Oh hey, you haven¡¯t seen Ryan¡¯s Pok¨¦mon yet have you? It¡¯s pretty cool, I was surprised that-¡±

    ¡°Shut the fuck up,¡± he hissed, and Puce fell silent.

    The referee¡¯s hand came down, Ryan and his opponent ¨C a man with similarly platinum blond hair, actually, though his was long and straight ¨C threw their balls, and both of them yelled out their orders.

    ¡°Jormungandr, Fire Fang!¡±

    ¡°Spot, use- is that a fucking dragon?!¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s eyes widened. I was close. Not a dratini, but a¡­ ¡°Bagon,¡± he stated, taking in the baby dragon¡¯s bipedal stance and ridged, armoured cranium. ¡°Fuck, no wonder he¡¯s gotten this far.¡±

    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t like it¡¯s entirely the Pok¨¦mon, right? You lost to a krabby, and that¡¯s an even stronger Pok¨¦mon, so there are a lot of¡­ strong¡­¡±

    She petered off at Hoshi¡¯s withering look. How the fuck-? You implied you weren''t watching! He didn¡¯t tell the woman to shut up a second time, though he did think it. That¡¯s¡­ okay, not the worst point in the world, but that¡¯s a fucking dragon. That¡¯s a Champion-level Pok¨¦mon, if he manages to raise it right.

    The fight ended within seconds. The bagon got its maw around its opponent ¨C a bulbasaur ¨C and flames erupted around the sides of its mouth. The straight-haired grunt withdrew his Pok¨¦mon before it could catch on fire, and rubbed his forehead.

    ¡°Fucking- how am I even supposed to fight that?¡±

    He trudged off towards the healing station while Ryan preened, letting his Pok¨¦mon jump around excitedly at its win.

    ¡­Could I take that Pok¨¦mon out with mine? I don¡¯t think bagon learns to breathe fire until after it¡¯s matured a bit, but¡­ Entirely possible that it, too, was sporting a move the species didn¡¯t usually learn.

    Moony hollered, waving to the man ¨C Hoshi didn¡¯t think eighteen warranted a young ¨C and Ryan waved back. ¡°Great show, man! Yer gonna win this whole thing, I know it!¡±

    The blond approached. ¡°Thank you. Ah Hoshi, I saw you¡¯d been eliminated ¨C no worries, I¡¯ll be sure to avenge you on my way up.¡± He smiled, entirely sincere, and Hoshi forced down his reflexive response.

    ¡°¡­Well, I doubt that old lady will make it that far. You¡¯re on the other side of the bracket, after all.¡± I refuse to believe a fucking krabby can make it to the finals, rich trainer or not.

 2.05 - Little Cups Big Conclusion

    Kanto shared its immediate borders with three other nations: Johto to the west, Sinnoh to the north, and the Orange Archipelago to the south. Theoretically, it had friendly relations with all three: Orange had been a steady trade partner since each nation¡¯s discovery of the other; Sinnoh kept mostly to itself, separated from the rest of the continent by a tiny strip of land filled with large mountain ranges; and though the recent past had been fraught, Johto and Kanto were so closely linked they were labeled as a single nation on many maps.

    But that was only the theory, of course. In reality there were a whole host of sticky issues to gum up the peace in our times narrative, not the least of which was the Indigo War of Hoshi¡¯s earliest memories.

    ¡°Ooh! Lookit that hit! Go for it, Ryan!¡±

    ¡°D-do your best, Miss Rose!¡±

    And as Hoshi watched Nerine¡¯s ekans take measured Poison Sting potshots against Ryan¡¯s increasingly enraged bagon, he was reminded of one of the primary reasons Kanto hadn¡¯t won that war.

    Fucking dragons. Johto had them, and Kanto didn¡¯t ¨C save for the extremely small numbers of dratini imported for Fuchsia¡¯s Safari Zone. It also didn¡¯t have the most direct counter to dragons, fairy type Pok¨¦mon, because living in a land with zero dragons and omnipresent poison had slowly drained away what made ¡®mons like clefairy and jigglypuff dominant against the former and vulnerable to the latter.

    A self-assured voice flew across the battlefield. ¡°Keep charging, Jormungandr! The next hit will end this!¡±

    Only to be countered by stiff determination. ¡°Left. Poison Sting. Back. Back. Poison Sting.¡±

    Nerine¡¯s cap was clenched in her white-knuckled fists, her expression sharp enough to cut glass. Each order came out with stiff precision, a half-second before her ekans actually needed to follow it ¨C it was obvious that she was predicting her opponent¡¯s movements ahead of time, showing a level of tactical skill that was, in Hoshi¡¯s eyes, not just solidly above her opponent, but maybe on par with that of an elite, professional trainer.

    Not that Ryan is bad, either.

    The rich man¡¯s plan was obvious, simple, and effective: let his bagon build up a Rage from his opponent¡¯s weak attacks, then take it out. The ekans had been nearly knocked out from a glancing blow earlier; his words hadn¡¯t been just a boast, the next hit would end it.

    Nerine grit her teeth. ¡°Keep retreating.¡± The three-foot-long snake, only half the size it would eventually reach as an adolescent, attempted to follow the order ¨C but the battle had been going on for minutes, and it had been sprinting- it had been slithering at max speed the entire time.

    And Ryan¡¯s pretentiously-named little dragon seemed to be an endless wellspring of energy. It bounded, closing the distance, heedless of the poison needles digging into its body and face.

    Hoshi saw the exact moment the young grunt gave up on her strategy; her face slackened as tension released, blood flowing freely where it had previously been constrained ¨C it almost made her look instantly healthier, the teen¡¯s skin almost glowing. He had seen that look a few times over his life; the face of someone who had decided to throw caution to the wind, and rely on one last throw of the dice. ¡°Wrap,¡± came the order, a touch of something kin to relief colouring the word.

    The snake turned, bared its fangless maw, and the two cold-blooded Pok¨¦mon lunged at each other.

    The ekans attempted to encircle the smaller creature¡¯s limbs as the dragon thrashed, the two ¡®mons grappling in a brief test of strength and dexterity ¨C and then the bagon smashed its bone-plated skull into its opponent, and it was over.

    A roar of applause, about as loud as the dragon¡¯s own cries of victory. ¡°Ah¡­¡± sighed Puce. ¡°You did your best, Miss Rose! Finishing in the semifinals is super impressive!¡±

    Beside her, Moony pumped his fists. ¡°Yeah! Hardcore! That little guy¡¯s a powerhouse!¡±

    You know, you accused Puce of having a crush on the man, but out of all of us, you¡¯re cheering the loudest.

    Hoshi watched the match¡¯s aftermath with a strange feeling he couldn¡¯t name.

    Ryan actually returned his Pok¨¦mon first, before the little dragon¡¯s continued fury could pose a threat ¨C he left the ball in active mode, a decision that made Hoshi nod as the referee announced the blond grunt¡¯s victory.

    He knows what he¡¯s doing. Out of storage mode, his ¡®mon will be able to cool off. Nepotism or not, the man was a competent enough trainer.

    The teenager returned her own Pok¨¦mon, and then the two actually stepped forward to shake hands, something very few competitors were doing. Hoshi strained his ears to catch their words over the gathered crowd.

    ¡°My hardest-won victory of the day! Nerine, I can see how you managed to climb so high ¨C your skill as a trainer is head and shoulders above the competition!¡±

    The defeated grunt had a complicated look on her face. ¡°¡­Thanks. I didn¡¯t expect to make it this far.¡± A swirl of mixed emotions chased each other across her features ¨C it seemed Hoshi wasn¡¯t the only one who didn¡¯t know how to feel ¨C but her voice remained the steady, almost bored rasp he was becoming familiar with. ¡°Win this thing for the five of us, yeah?¡±

    Ryan¡¯s reply was washed out as a second cheer combined with the tail end of the ongoing one ¨C Hoshi turned his head, his expression going flat. Damn, that must be the other semifinal ending. I wanted to at least catch the back of it¡­

    But he had decided to watch Ryan and Nerine¡¯s match instead, and as the two circles ¨C much larger than his own battlefields had been ¨C broke up, he found that he didn¡¯t regret it. ¡°Good match, both of you!¡± he added to the waning congratulations.

    The pair approached, and for a minute the five of them were together in a little huddle. Moony slapped Ryan¡¯s back hard enough to knock the smaller man over, and Puce peppered both semifinalists with questions about their tactics. Hoshi stayed mostly silent ¨C there wasn¡¯t a whole lot he had to contribute, anyway.

    Then came the intermission. The male Senior Executive¡¯s voice washed over the crowd. ¡°Two stunning battles! On one side, a brutal beatdown of fire versus water!¡±

    ¡°And on the other, our two up-and-comers duking it out to enter the finals!¡± his partner continued, before turning to address him. ¡°What do you think, should we do one last speech before the grand finale?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± James turned, oblivious ¨C though if it was real or scripted, Hoshi had no idea. ¡°Are we not already doing a speech?¡±

    ¡°Meow!¡±

    ¡°From the finalists, you dolt!¡±

    The Executive made a noise of understanding. ¡°Of course, why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡± Then his expression became thoughtful, and he turned back to the crowd. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to overdo it, though. Usually we save the hot air for the winner¡­¡±

    Jessie also turned back to the crowd. ¡°What do you think? Want to hear a few words from our soon-to-be first and second place?¡±

    The crowd asserted that yes, it did, with a roar that wasn¡¯t quite as loud as Hoshi would have predicted, but still cacophonous enough to make his ears ring. Damn. Some of those old people can really holler.

    ¡°Magnificent!¡± she continued. ¡°Get up here, you two!¡±

    <hr>

    The house of Sampo was young, as far as families went ¨C or at least, their legacy in Kanto was young. Ryan¡¯s great-grandmother, Ninfina Girasole, had come to the country in 1955, a tale whose every word was engraved into his memory; it had been the one his great-grandfather most loved to tell, before his passing.

    Indeed, Ryan knew every step of his family¡¯s legacy in exacting detail. How they settled in Viridian City, how they swiftly took control of the entire textiles industry, how they allied themselves with the local Gym ¨C and later, how they butted heads with the intruding Team Rocket, before replacing enmity with friendship as the western conflict brought about Kanto¡¯s highest highs and lowest lows.

    Today is another step in that legacy, one that my own sons and daughters will one day learn.

    As he ascended the stage a second time, he exalted in that feeling ¨C today was his first day owning a Pok¨¦mon, but in many ways he had been a trainer since he could walk. Another step, taking the Sampo lineage into the future.

    He entered the spotlight, the rest of the world washing out against the radiance from above. ¡°Ryan Sampo!¡± boomed his superior, Senior Rocket Executive James Kidd. ¡°Nineteen years old, and already fighting your way to the top of the pile! Let¡¯s hear some praise, folks!¡± The man gestured together with his partner, the two mimicking each other with not a single hair out of place as the crowd¡¯s collective voice washed over the five people and one Pok¨¦mon standing on-stage.

    Ryan¡¯s smile widened. He knew these two by proxy, through their superior, and together with the day¡¯s observation he thought he had a good handle on their actual personalities¡­

    Their praise was overblown, maybe, but sincere. A small knot of fear, that the rest of Team Rocket¡¯s administration would resent his obvious skill, untied itself from around his heart.

    Then, like clockwork, the other ¨C Senior Rocket Executive Jessie Oakley ¨C took up the speech. ¡°And on the other side of the coin, our venerable Rocket Executive; please give a cheer for Mister Quirius!¡±

    More applause, similar but distinct in tone; the grunts had put their hearts into cheering for him, while the executives did so for his opponent. Ryan¡¯s smile did not waver. Win or lose, I¡¯ve gathered quite a bit of clout. People will be looking at me for real, now.

    ¡°Amazing work, the both of you!¡± continued Executive Kidd as the noise died down. ¡°But you know what they say: age before beauty!¡±

    ¡°So why don¡¯t you start us off, Mister Quirius? Your last match was quite the upset!¡±

    ¡°A fire type beating a water type? That takes some serious skill!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    As the elderly Executive stepped forward, Ryan caught a good look at him. White of hair, short up top but with an expansive moustache and beard, deep wrinkles nearly obscuring sharp eyes ¨C mischievous, was the word that came to Ryan¡¯s mind as he observed the man¡¯s expression. Like an old forest fox; not malicious, but more than willing to lead someone around by the nose for a quick laugh. He wore a red suit, as many of the upper management did, but his was worn around the edges, older in style ¨C the man couldn¡¯t be a day under ninety, his back bent forward, though he walked without even a cane.

    He cleared his throat, then spoke, revealing a voice as aged as his face implied. ¡°Thank you, thank you. Of course all the real compliments should go to my ponyta, Buckingham ¨C he did all the work, after all.¡±

    ¡°Ah, what humility!¡± projected Executive Kidd

    ¡°Surely you have a little bit to say about your strategy?¡± continued Executive Oakley. ¡°Move choice? I saw a few things the average ponyta definitely wouldn¡¯t learn!¡±

    Quirius cleared his throat a second time. ¡°Oh, nothing too special, I assure you. But if you¡¯re interested¡­¡± The Senior Executives, and the crowd ¨C and yes, Ryan himself, all leaned forward expectantly. ¡°I happen to be friends with a breeder of some skill; I¡¯m sure you¡¯re acquainted with Mister Sukizo? Well, about two months ago I was in the market for a new Pok¨¦mon to participate in these little tournaments ¨C Windsor had evolved during the last one, and sadly gotten herself disqualified ¨C and I¡¯d heard good things about the pedigree of his ponyta, so I went down and had a chat¡­¡±

    What followed was a long, meandering, mind numbing story about how the man acquired his ponyta, which revealed absolutely nothing about its moves, or the strategy its master had employed. Ryan would have applauded if he weren¡¯t so annoyed; from the glint in his eye, the elderly Rocket knew exactly what he was doing.

    After about a dozen attempts to wrench the flow of conversation away from the finalist, Jessie threw etiquette to the wind and physically covered the old man¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Magnificent words from one of our most respected members!¡± She turned to Ryan, expression pained. ¡°Why don¡¯t we move on to Mister Sampo?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± her partner all but screamed. ¡°As the highest placing Rocket Grunt and rookie, how do you feel about the upcoming match?¡±

    Ryan stepped forward. The crowd of less than sixty seemed small against the largeness of the room, filling well under a quarter of the seats ¨C but at the same time, it was easily twice as many people as he had ever addressed.

    ¡°I¡¯m feeling confident, sir.¡± He allowed his smile to turn cocky; the higher ups would find it gauche, but by the time he climbed the ranks many of them would be gone. It was the Rocket Grunts he had to impress, and they were a more hot-blooded breed. ¡°Some of you may think I¡¯m only here because of my Pok¨¦mon, but I¡¯ll be sure to show you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what kind of trainer I am.¡±

    The crowd applauded ¨C those who weren¡¯t asleep, at least ¨C and the Senior Executives looked relieved.

    ¡°What a wonderful-¡±

    ¡°And brisk!¡± Jessie interjected, still restraining the older Rocket.

    ¡°-Speech by our other finalist!¡±

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any more time ¨C onto the finale!¡±

    ¡°Winner takes all!¡±

    ¡°Meow!¡±

    <hr>

    Red. A sea of red, enough blood to cover the tallest mountain, soft sand holding it up from below as a black void pressed down from above.

    Two moons, shining white, rolling across the horizon like the sea was a soft cushion. A point of blue formed between them, infinitesimally small, only visible by sharp contrast, a single star illuminating the dark sky.

    The blue shone, somehow hot, and Hoshi was rent apart.

    ¡°Gah!¡± he gasped, jolting in his chair.

    ¡°There we go,¡± said Moony, and Hoshi blinked dumbly for a fraction of a second before his brain fully woke up.

    Oh, that fucking horse story- did I seriously fall asleep? ¡°Ugh. How long was I out? Has the match started?¡± Or is the old blowhard still talking about his fucking ponyta?

    ¡°Naw, we¡¯ve got like a minute to go, still. Bosses ¡®r making it fancy; setting up a whole thing.¡±

    He pointed, and Hoshi swivelled in his seat ¨C behind him, in the middle of the room, something like the Vermilion Gym¡¯s Battlegrounds was being set up. Well, a mini version, at least. Apparently the room featured a trap door, because there was now a yawning pit where a section of seating had been, other bits of the auditorium transforming into rock-strewn fields and extremely shallow pools as a smattering of scientists and grunts directed their Pok¨¦mon to set things up.

    He watched a rhydon conjure a torrent of sand from nowhere, the tiny Sandstorm settling down to create an equally small desert.

    Holy shit, there¡¯s like¡­ twenty Pok¨¦mon going at it. Hoshi was a professional construction worker, he knew how impressive it was to coordinate something like this, even on a small scale. ¡°Wow, they¡¯re really going all-out ¨C though¡­¡± Something about the effort didn¡¯t fit. ¡°I¡¯d have guessed they¡¯d have a dedicated battle room for this sort of thing.¡± Even my elementary school had one of those.

    Moony shrugged. ¡°Probably do, but for sixty people?¡± ¡­Okay, that¡¯s not a bad point. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s watch!¡± He started moving forward, and Hoshi threw off the last dregs of sleep before standing ¨C something he noticed more than a handful of other people doing, to his hidden solace. Boring as shit story must have knocked out a third of the crowd.

    As he approached, it became clear that the field wasn¡¯t just similar to the Battlegrounds, it was a direct copy ¨C Hoshi could see bits that were just scaled-down replica hazards taken directly from the Gym¡¯s high-tech courtyard. No electrified sections or running water, though. I guess that¡¯s too much to expect, even from this place.

    With the increase in size and complexity, it was already going to be harder to see the actual fight; adding big setpieces for a single battle would be ridiculous overkill.

    ¡°So,¡± he said, as they reached the edge of the field. ¡°You think Ryan¡¯s going to win this whole thing?¡±

    Moony replied with a grin. ¡°Fuck yeah! You saw the last fight, little guy took like a hundred Poison Stings!¡±

    ¡°From an ekans, sure.¡± A really young one, at that. Based on its height, that little dragon¡¯s at least a few months old ¨C it isn¡¯t just a strong Pok¨¦mon, it¡¯s older than the rest of ours, too.

    The ex-wrestler snorted. ¡°C¡¯mon man, you really think the other guy can win?¡± He had a cocky grin on his face, and Hoshi had to hold himself back from commenting about his obvious man-crush. You¡¯re acting like him winning does something for us, but it really doesn¡¯t. ¡°Oh, I get it! You want the old guy to win ¡®cause he beat the lady who beat you, right?¡±

    ¡°Fuck off. I don¡¯t care about petty shit like that.¡± He folded his arms. Ahead, past Moony¡¯s overly round face, the finishing touches were being put into place. Two tower-like pedestals were forming; the places the trainers would stand, so they could see everything from on high. ¡°You really think somebody who won with a type disadvantage isn¡¯t going to put up a damn good fight?¡±

    If we compare the three, krabby, ponyta, and bagon, they¡¯re all pretty damn good for unevolved Pok¨¦mon. Krabby has its super-strong grip, ponyta is the fastest, and the dragon resists both the other two¡¯s types. I honestly can¡¯t say which would win ¨C except the ponyta did win, against that bullshit disked-up crab, so it must have some way around a type disadvantage.

    He was starting to regret not watching the other match. Ryan versus Serine had been a spectacular demonstration of the younger girl¡¯s tactical mind ¨C and Ryan¡¯s less impressive, but not terrible, skills ¨C but the match between the krabby and ponyta would probably have been more educational where high-level battles were concerned.

    Moony made another dismissive sound. ¡°Whatever. It doesn¡¯t really matter, does it? I just wanna see them duke it out!¡±

    Arcus, why did I come over with you? Even the teenager would have been a better choice for conversation. Hoshi scanned the crowd, but failed to find the other two rookies; the field was just too wide, and half the people were dressed exactly the fucking same.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess we¡¯ll just enjoy the match,¡± he hissed out, and settled down to wait.

    <hr>

    ¡°Trainers, are you ready?¡±

    My, they¡¯re really pulling out all the stops. Ryan felt like he was in an actual tournament finale; the grounds had been prepared with a variety of terrains, and he was standing on a passing replica of a real trainer platform. Across from him stood his opponent on his own platform, and their eyes were locked in the powerful fervour that preceded a Pok¨¦mon battle.

    ¡°I am,¡± he replied to the stripe-clad woman on the sidelines.

    ¡°As am I,¡± his opponent followed a second later. Ryan felt ever more confident in his assessment of the elderly man as he continued to observe him; though his back remained bowed, so too did his eyes retain that sharpness Ryan had seen on the stage. He hefted a Rocket Ball, expanded and ready to throw.

    ¡°Then you may release your Pok¨¦mon and wait for the signal to begin!¡± came a more masculine voice from the other side of the field.

    The two instructors had actually traded their Rocket Admin uniforms for authentic-looking League Referee garb, black and white vertical stripes with shaded caps ¨C they were overseeing the match personally, and Ryan couldn¡¯t have been more delighted. He tossed his dragon¡¯s ball, issuing the first order. ¡°Jormungandr, stay still!¡±

    For a moment he lamented that he couldn¡¯t have retained the Rage-boosted strength from the previous battle, but alas; while the amazing healing technology had cured his bagon¡¯s injuries, it could not overcome base fatigue. He had been forced to let his Pok¨¦mon rest naturally, lest it emerge from its ball with maximum power and minimum energy.

    ¡°One last push, Buckingham.¡±

    Unlike Ryan¡¯s excitable dragon, the pony needed no further orders to stop it from attacking.

    ¡°Alright!¡± shouted the blue-haired Rocket.

    ¡°On three!¡± followed the other. ¡°One!¡±

    ¡°Two!¡±

    ¡°Meow!¡± said the persian apparently named Meowth, emerging from a spot of fake vegetation on the edge of the field.

    For a moment Ryan stilled ¨C why was the persian hiding? Why is it wearing an umpire¡¯s uniform? ¨C but experience in mock battles at his father¡¯s salons won through. ¡°Jorm, hunker down and wait for it to get close!¡± I won¡¯t be able to catch it straight out. The best thing to do is respond; if it gets close, Bite, if it uses a ranged attack, Rage.

    Ponyta could have some respectable firepower, but he had faith that Jormungandr could weather a hit of two ¨C he resisted fire, after all.

    But rather than issue a verbal order, Executive Quirius whistled sharply. His ponyta took a few steps back, and Ryan began to get a bad feeling. The grunt I paid off told me he defeated the krabby with an electric stomping attack ¨C surely, he hasn¡¯t got too much more up his sleeve, right?

    But the thought failed to provide comfort; a twinge on the back of his neck was telling him he was in danger, and after a second¡¯s hesitation he decided to heed the warning. ¡°Charge it! Latch on with Bite and don¡¯t let go!¡± Jorm is strong, but with only three moves¡­ he lacks options.

    The old man watched the baby dragon charge his young horse, his heavily wrinkled face showing not a hint of concern. Ryan¡¯s teeth grit as something built up. A charging attack? He could feel it, an ephemeral wave that made Jormungandr sprint even harder.

    But the size of the field worked in his opponent¡¯s favour. Ryan¡¯s Pok¨¦mon dodged through obstacles feverishly, twenty metres, fifteen, ten, and then¡­ finally, Quirius issued his order.

    ¡°Solar Beam.¡±

    <hr>

    Hoshi watched his coworker descend with middling dignity down the back of the platform.

    ¡°Ah, bad luck in the final matchup!¡± announced James.

    ¡°But still, an amazing effort!¡± Jessie continued. ¡°It isn¡¯t often a rookie gets this far¡­ in fact, I can¡¯t recall it happening a single time!¡±

    ¡°Neither can I!¡±

    ¡°Meow!¡±

    Ryan¡¯s face was a mask, solid and unyielding, not a hint of emotion peeking through as he approached.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Puce muttered. ¡°I want to say it was a good match, but¡­¡±

    Hoshi tamped down on the urge to snicker; it would have been impossible for him to say something as wounding as the woman¡¯s comment, and it hadn¡¯t even been purposefully insulting. Ryan¡¯s mask slipped just a hair as her soft voice reached him, the edges of his thin lips turning down.

    ¡°Aw, don¡¯t say that Puke! It would¡¯a been a real good fight if the old guy hadn¡¯t had a super-strong move!¡± He growled. ¡°Who ever heard of a fire Pok¨¦mon with a grass move, anyway? Must¡¯a had to shell out hard for a TM like that.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that uncommon,¡± came a flat voice from behind, and Hoshi startled. Damnit! At least approach from the side, like Puce did! Nerine continued, unperturbed by his sharp look, ¡°A lot of fire types get stronger in the sun, so teaching them Solar Beam to deal with water and rock types is a pretty basic strategy¡­ Though you¡¯re not wrong about it being expensive.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I suppose it was a bit conceited of me to think I could win with a barely-trained Pok¨¦mon.¡± Ryan stepped past them, going for the seats near the stage, and the rest of them followed. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d have had some way to deal with that ponyta, Miss Rose?¡±

    The teenager shook her head. ¡°No, I think I¡¯d have done about the same. Maybe ekans could have hid in the fake bushes¡­ but then it¡¯d have gotten burned out, probably.¡± She strode forward to give the older grunt a knock on the shoulder. ¡°It was just a really strong Pok¨¦mon. Nothing to do about it but train up.¡±

    The blond sighed. ¡°I suppose¡­¡±

    The five of them were shortly joined by a few other grunts, including Black, and there was some back-and-forth about whether it was sportsmanlike to bring disk moves ¨C TM moves, I¡¯m a trainer now, I should use the proper name ¨C to such a low-power tournament.

    ¡°Yeah, it''s usually one of the old hands who takes it,¡± Black commiserated. ¡°The suits get their positions through either money or power, so they¡¯ve got an advantage over us grunts.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes one of the science guys wins, though,¡± another grunt broke in. ¡°I remember one of them got through three in a row with the same drowzee, just putting everything to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, then half the executives showed up with mankey! Hah!¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t just some guy, man, that was the other Professor.¡± The black-clad man shivered. ¡°Gives me the fucking creeps.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± countered a woman. ¡°That¡¯s a hurtful stereotype. Drowzee are perfectly normal Pok¨¦mon!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re only saying that ¡®cause you have one of them¡­¡±

    The light banter continued, and as before Hoshi stayed mostly silent. Even with his brief nap, the day¡¯s adrenaline rush was getting to him. You wouldn¡¯t think ordering something else around would be tiring, but I feel like I ran a marathon. The walk home was going to be brutal with the heat.

    ¡°Yo, Suit,¡± came a voice directed his way, forcing him to perk up. ¡°You even listening?¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s nostrils flared. ¡°Sorry, feeling a bit out of it. First real battles, you know?¡±

    Black laughed, the sound sharp. ¡°Suppose I do, though that was a while ago for me. You did pretty good out there, by the way.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thanks. And it¡¯s Hoshi.¡±

    Another laugh, and some of his coworkers joined in. ¡°That¡¯s so old fashioned!¡±

    ¡°This coming from the guy named Black,¡± he grumbled.

    Puce looked away. ¡°Way better than Puke, though¡­¡±

    ¡°Or Nerd!¡±

    ¡°Or Menard!¡±

    The crowd turned Moony¡¯s way, and Hoshi opened his mouth. ¡°That¡¯s your name name, dude.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but it sucks. My parents should have picked something cool!¡±

    A bolt of amusement went through Hoshi¡¯s side, but before he could take the opening to roast the man a deep, feminine voice rang out from the stage.

    ¡°Sorry for the delay, ladies and gentlemen!¡±

    ¡°Somehow we keep misplacing Meowth¡¯s hat¡­¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°Anyway! This one¡¯s run a bit long, and we all have other things to do today!¡±

    ¡°So without further ado, let¡¯s present the prize already!¡±

    The two gestured. ¡°Come on up, Rocket Executive Quirius!¡±

    The elderly man plodded his way up the stairs, and soon he was in the spotlight. Dabi stepped forward, and spoke for the first time since ascending the stage.

    ¡°I present to you my latest and greatest masterpiece: a fully evolved machoke, a machamp, one of the strongest Pok¨¦mon on the planet.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just his body language; he spoke differently, too. Though it was still the same voice Hoshi knew, the man¡¯s tone had gone from quaking to rock solid, almost arrogant.

    The machamp struck a pose, its muscles bulging, its four arms held at different angles to show off each in a different light.

    ¡°Thank you, Professor,¡± Quirius stated, none of the drawling tones he had told his long story in present. ¡°I¡¯ll make good use of him.¡±

    ¡°Her,¡± Dabi corrected.

    ¡°Ah, pardon. Does she have a name?¡±

    ¡°I knew I would be giving this specimen away, so I did not name it. Feel free to choose one for her, if you wish.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± The old man walked deeper onto the stage, approaching the Pok¨¦mon. Contrasted against a human figure, the machamp looked even more monstrously top-heavy, its atavistic proportions causing it to resemble a lizard even more than its pre-evolutions.

    It had a beak, pale yellow against grey-blue scales fine enough to pass for bare skin, and three red frills along the top of its head. A ribbon of dark envy twined itself around Hoshi¡¯s skull as the tournament¡¯s winner inspected his prize.

    I could have won, came a voice that was immediately smothered by no I couldn¡¯t. That ponyta was a menace; it would have jumped up and smashed Zubat right out of the sky, with or without Solar Beam.

    ¡°I believe I¡¯ll call you Elizabeth. How do you feel about that, young lady?¡± Quirius extended his hand, and the machamp looked mildly confused as it mimicked him, receiving a handshake.

    ¡°Maaaaa..?¡± came its incredibly deep, reverberating reply.

    The Rocket Executives clapped, and the rest of them took the cue to join in.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have many adventures from now on!¡± said James.

    ¡°Usually this is where we would have a speech¡­¡± Jessie paused. ¡°But you already got one, so we¡¯re giving it to the Professor! Professor?¡±

    Dabi nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure that everyone in this room can see the potential of this Pok¨¦mon ¨C and by extension, the potential that Team Rocket has unlocked.¡± He pushed his glasses up by the bridge. ¡°Now that I have unlocked the secret of this species¡¯ final evolution, we are one step closer to our ultimate goals.¡± Then suddenly his voice raised, and Hoshi rocked back slightly in his seat ¨C not at the noise itself, but at Dabi Mokusen raising his voice. ¡°But this is only the beginning! My fellow Professor and I are close to unlocking the secrets of alakazam, with gengar close behind.¡±

    Jessie broke in, ¡°And of course, Rocket has had golem from the start, thanks to our illustrious, prodigal boss!¡±

    "I don''t think that''s what the word means, Jessie¡­"

    Dabi¡¯s face scrunched, the scientist obviously annoyed at the interruption. ¡°Yes, quite. As I was saying, with these Pok¨¦mon Rocket¡¯s ascendancy is all but assured.¡± His head turned, and again Hoshi got the feeling he was being stared at ¨C but this time, it probably isn¡¯t just in my head. ¡°Assuming our agents are up to the task of wielding said Pok¨¦mon. I had my doubts, but today has¡­ put them to rest, somewhat.¡± From one of his oversized labcoat pockets he drew a ball ¨C a standard Pok¨¦ Ball, not a Rocket Ball. ¡°Here is¡­ Elizabeth¡¯s ball, Executive. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be quite pleased with such a skilled trainer, though I¡¯d suggest coming down to my lab for a full briefing on care instructions. At your leisure, of course.¡±

    Quirius accepted the ball with a shallow bow. ¡°Of course, of course. I¡¯m not too familiar with fighting type Pok¨¦mon ¨C hmm, I¡¯ll have to get some helpers¡­¡± His voice began to trail off. ¡°Maybe poach a few Blackbelts from saffron¡­ Ah, but I¡¯ll do my thinking later. Elizabeth, return!¡± The red laser shot out, engulfing the human-sized Pok¨¦mon and sucking it in.

    James clapped again, just once. ¡°And with that, the festivities are concluded!¡±

    ¡°There will be a selection of refreshments before you go ¨C remember to tip your waiter!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. And if our delightfully precocious rookies could come backstage, we¡¯d appreciate it!¡±

    ¡°That means now, you five!¡±

    The two posed for a final time. ¡°Team Rocket, blasting off again!¡±

    Smoke enveloped the stage, and when it dissipated only Dabi was left, coughing into his sleeve.

 2.06 - The Job

    For a moment the gathering of Rocket Grunts was silent ¨C then Black began to chuckle, the sound evolving into full-on laughter as a few of the other grunts joined in. ¡°The old smoke bomb trick! Haven¡¯t seen that in years!¡± He removed his cap to fan himself, revealing short hair that was honestly kind of boring.

    Hoshi shook off some of his post-tournament lethargy. ¡°They said to go now. Should we¡­ go now?¡± If Everheart gave me that order I¡¯d scramble to obey; the man is a hardass of the highest calibre. But those two seem less¡­ serious.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll probably want to get on it before too long.¡± The grunt looked his way, and seemed to read his mind. ¡°They¡¯re pretty lax, up to a point ¨C but hit that point, and you¡¯re in for some¡­¡± He chuckled again. ¡°Remedial lessons. Ha.¡±

    Oh, amazing, we¡¯ve progressed to euphemisms for punishment. Maybe those Unovan gangster movies were worth something after all.

    ¡°In any case,¡± Black continued, readjusting his cap, ¡°You should be fine to grab a drink or three before you go.¡±

    <hr>

    Okay, this is a little closer to what I was expecting.

    When Casca had told him about her own training as a fresh Rocket Grunt, she had described something not very different from what Hoshi would have imagined; getting dropped a hint by a fellow street rat, showing up at a warehouse half-expecting it to be a sting, then a few weeks of small jobs ¨C everything from burglary to slipping something into a target¡¯s drink at a club. The pay was shit, but she had been desperate.

    It was only at the end of that period that his girlfriend had learned who she was working for, and officially became part of Rocket. The pay got better, the jobs got more intricate, and eventually she was shipped off to Veridian to go through the Electric Academy.

    Being directly scouted by a recruiter let Hoshi skip right to the ¡®end¡¯ and become an official grunt on day one ¨C but he had still been expecting something more¡­ gang shit, as Danny would say. But no, it was weird uniforms and a tournament and bosses who sang a theme song for the organisation while dressing their Pok¨¦mon in a suit.

    In comparison, the business-party type of thing happening now was much more normal. If he deleted the old-fashioned grunt uniforms, he could easily slot the scene in front of him into Mabosstiff II: The Boss Returns; men and women in suits sharing expensive drinks as they openly discussed crime, with a casual air as if poaching and bribery were no different from office gossip.

    Hoshi himself was sipping his own drink ¨C some sort of extra-sweet wine he couldn¡¯t pronounce ¨C letting the built-up emotions from the tournament slip away. Somehow he had gotten swept up as part of Ryan¡¯s entourage, so he was mostly going around the old money side of the room, bouncing between different cliques and letting his third-round placement be patronisingly congratulated.

    ¡°Ah, our young semifinalist,¡± gasped a middle-aged woman in a revealing dress she really didn¡¯t have the figure to pull off. ¡°Please, chat with us for a moment, would you? My friends and I are simply dying to get a look at that little sweetheart of yours.¡±

    Ryan smiled brilliantly at the cluster of women, and Hoshi prepared himself for a litany of ¡®oh what a precious baby¡¯ and ¡®you simply must meet my daughter¡¯ type statements. The fakeness of it made him want to throw up, but these were his superiors ¨C he had to schmooze a little, and taking cover behind Ryan¡¯s back was better than doing it himself.

    He endured the tedious conversation, then the cooing over the hyperactive little dragon when Ryan deigned to release it, and he even managed a half-sincere smile as he received a round of plastic compliments about defeating the Rocket Executive named Garcia, who was apparently well-liked.

    At least the liquor is good, he thought, as they went from one cluster of suits to another. Then, mercifully, an electronic jingle sounded out from Ryan¡¯s bag.

    ¡°Pardon,¡± said the rich blond Rocket Grunt to a trio of two executives and a scientist. ¡°That was my Pok¨¦gear ¨C we really must be getting back to the Senior Executives. If you¡¯ll excuse me?¡±

    A man with impressively large eyebrows covering nearly half his face grumbled out something pardoning, and Hoshi stepped away with the rest of the hangers-on. ¡°Hah,¡± exhaled Black, ¡°Been a minute since one of us grunts made it to semifinals. Always gratifying to see them bend their ears.¡±

    Ryan opened his mouth, but Hoshi undercut him to ask something that had been bugging him for a while. ¡°Hey Black, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask¡­ why is that?¡± The man turned his way.

    ¡°Why is what? Why are we at the bottom of the totem pole?¡± His smile was sarcastic. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡±

    Hoshi stood his ground. ¡°Not really, after thinking about it. You guys have boots on the ground; shouldn¡¯t your Pok¨¦mon be stronger?¡±

    The older grunt took a long pull of his drink as they walked. ¡°Ah, I see what you¡¯re saying,¡± he eventually answered. ¡°But you¡¯re thinking about it wrong. Sure, a lot of Rocket Executives paid their way up, but those aren¡¯t the ones that come here, you get me?¡± He gestured in a circle, indicating the room at large.

    ¡°These little tourneys must attract a certain type of person,¡± Ryan broke back in. ¡°That¡¯s what you refer to? The less¡­ active members of Team Rocket would not come down to tussle with the new recruits.¡±

    Black snapped his fingers. ¡°Exactly. Usually the prize isn¡¯t much to speak of¡­ And it isn¡¯t like being a grunt automatically means you fight a lot, anyhow. I mostly do paperwork.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± continued one of the two other grunts riding Ryan¡¯s coattails. ¡°The poaching and stuff is what brings in cash, but the political power we mostly get through corporate ops. Been like a year since I went out in the field; it''s almost all threatening businessmen and greasing palms and doing banking shit.¡± She rubbed at her forehead. ¡°So the higher-ups probably get a lot more training done, actually.¡±

    Hoshi grunted in understanding, and the group of five spent the next minute gathering up the other Rookies. Then Black and his friends split off, and Hoshi and his new coworkers ¨C also a group of five, coincidentally ¨C took a discrete door out the back of the room, going behind the stage.

    Corporate ops, huh? he thought as he left the large auditorium behind. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be very good at that. Hopefully I can get into something a little more active.

    After all, if they¡¯re putting time and money towards machamp and other Pok¨¦mon evolutions, they¡¯ve got to be doing something that needs some¡­ heh, heavy lifting.

    <hr>

    The backstage was¡­ well, it was a backstage. Probably not too different from an actual theatre¡¯s; mannequins wearing different costumes were strewn about between boxes of props and even more clothing, with cardboard cutouts simulating different locations dotting the warehouse-like space.

    Just past the door they found something of an open-air dressing room, and also a guide.

    ¡°Meow,¡± said the persian, in its oddly human voice. It stood up from a raised, cushioned chair set before a vanity table, and stretched its back before jumping down. Its claws made sharp clicks as they touched the ground, despite the impact being feather-light.

    ¡°¡­Hello,¡± ventured Ryan.

    ¡°Yo, it¡¯s that sick-ass cat!¡± Moony said for the rest of them. ¡°You gonna show us where the other two are, right?

    The feline had changed back into its mob boss outfit ¨C been changed; it¡¯s not like it has thumbs ¨C the alternating black and dark red stripes of its suit and hat contrasting strongly against its greying tan fur. They got the shoulders right, was the only thought that Hoshi could muster, as absurd as it was. I can¡¯t guess how long it would take to translate those little details into a completely different body type ¨C do they have a custom tailor, just for this Pok¨¦mon?

    Or maybe all the duo¡¯s Pok¨¦mon had their own outfits.

    ¡°Meow,¡± replied the persian, and it turned, padding away with the tails of its coat bobbing along on either side of its actual tail.

    ¡°Does anybody else feel really weirded out about this?¡± Nerine asked, her voice a touch slurred, and Hoshi nodded along with Puce.

    ¡°Naw,¡± Moony refuted. ¡°This is super cool. Back at the Passage, we had a granbull that would open the door for people ¨C but it would¡¯a been twice as neat with a bouncer outfit. Should go back and suggest it some day.¡± He started following the large cat, and the rest of them mimicked him a beat later.

    The Passage? Probably where he did his wrestling; the name is tacky enough to let him in.

    They wound around different sets, and it became clear that either Rocket actually did use this place as a theatre, or they were really committed to making it look like they did. Hoshi saw a dozen different doors peeling off, some labeled dressing, or lighting, or simply numbered.

    Finally, they reached an unlabeled door. The persian went up on its hind legs to grasp the knob, and with an unsettlingly human motion it popped open. ¡°Meow,¡± the Pok¨¦mon ordered, beckoning them forward with a wave of its head.

    Moony barrelled forward, while the others paused another beat before moving. Okay, it has to be something like Benny the machoke. Is Dabi turning Pok¨¦mon superintelligent? Is that what his mom was doing with machop? Hoshi nodded to the cat as he passed into the next room. Whatever it is, I¡¯m going to be real fucking polite.

    Their destination appeared to be another dressing room, though it was also furnished like an office; filing cabinets and two desks holding up computers decorated a wall, while the middle of the carpeted room was taken up by a long conference-style table.

    And seated at that table was-

    ¡°Hoshi!¡± Casca yelled. ¡°I saw your matches! You were so close to beating Mister Seto!¡±

    The woman practically flew out of her chair, and Hoshi found himself trapped in a hug, then a long kiss. Puce looked away, blushing, while Ryan turned his eyes away more discreetly and the other two simply stared, nonplussed.

    ¡°Casca,¡± he breathed out after the kiss ended. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± His eyes went to the table, where the two Senior Executives were still seated, watching amusedly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she whispered. ¡°They love me.¡± Then she took his hand, letting the rest of him go. ¡°But that¡¯s enough pleasure, let¡¯s talk business,¡± she continued at normal volume, leading him to the table.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Yes,¡± said James. ¡°There will be plenty of time for socialising later!¡± While less booming than his stage voice had been, the Rocket still spoke with a certain bombast.

    A bombast shared by his peer. ¡°We¡¯ve got a mission for the five of you; something to cut your teeth on!¡± Like her partner, Jessie¡¯s voice filled the entire room, larger than life.

    Hoshi sat, his girlfriend taking his lap, to his mild embarrassment. ¡°A mission?¡± he asked. On my first day? The other grunts found their own seats, the Executives waiting for everyone to be seated before answering.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Jessie finally said. ¡°Idle hands are the Dexus¡¯s plaything, as they say!¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t be throwing you in the deep end right away!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    The unexpected noise caused Hoshi to jolt; he hadn¡¯t noticed Meowth enter behind them. Ryan raised his hand.

    ¡°And what does this mission entail?¡± he asked. The man was poorly trying to hide his excitement, a smile breaking through his professional veneer.

    Moony¡¯s fists met the table. ¡°Are we beatin¡¯ up some fool? Catchin¡¯ rare Pok¨¦mon?¡± Unlike the younger grunt, he didn¡¯t attempt to hide his emotions at all.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Jessie said, teasingly, ¡°A little of column A, a little of column B¡­¡±

    James drew a remote from under the table and pressed a button, dimming the lights. From somewhere along the computer side of the room a projection shone, turning the opposite wall into a map of the city.

    ¡°But mostly column C! If you¡¯ll draw your attention to the south-west, along the coast¡­¡±

    ¡°To that little star¡­¡±

    ¡°You should see a very recognisable building!¡±

    Of course, Hoshi didn¡¯t need to search for even a full second ¨C the target couldn¡¯t be more obvious. ¡°The Gym?¡± he asked, his heart in his stomach. Fuck. Fucking shit! Casca, did you know about this?

    Her hand found his under the table, and her reassuring squeeze seemed to say keep listening, trust me.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Jessie exclaimed. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, we aren¡¯t sending you into the lion¡¯s den!¡±

    ¡°The security on that baby is too much for us, let alone a handful of grunts!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°That was a decade ago, they¡¯ve obviously changed the locks! Anyway¡­¡±

    James tossed the remote to his partner, who changed the projection to a blueprint-style diagram of the interior. ¡°You¡¯ll be going in as normal trainers challenging the Gym. Rocket Grunt Mutsu, part of your job will be educating your fellow grunts on the workings of the Gym.¡±

    ¡°Layout, security, when the Lightning Lieutenant¡¯s attention will be away, that sort of thing,¡± James clarified.

    But I don¡¯t know ¡®that sort of thing!¡¯ I¡­ The thought trailed off as he realised that actually, he pretty much did.

    ¡°Your target is in the basement.¡± Jessie continued, pointing to a spot on the diagram. ¡°The records room!¡±

    ¡°Inside, you should find a computer, one hooked up to the League¡¯s central database!¡±

    ¡°Your mission is to get into that room, and insert a little widget made by our wonderful Professor Hypno!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°And then get out, yes. Without being spotted!¡±

    Hoshi''s guts settled down, just the smallest amount. Just bugging a League computer? ¡°Is there a reason we aren¡¯t going after an unguarded one, like the public terminals in a Pok¨¦centre?¡±

    James pointed his way. ¡°Good question! Now computer literacy has gone down in recent years¡­¡±

    ¡°So a technical explanation wouldn¡¯t mean much to kids like you. Suffice to say that a Gym Leader has access to different files than the general public!¡±

    The room went silent for a moment as the grunts digested their bosses¡¯ words, and then Ryan nodded. ¡°This seems doable. Get in, have one of us slip away, and distract the Gym personnel with the others¡¯ challenges. Is there a time limit?¡±

    ¡°Not as such,¡± answered Jessie.

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but we would prefer you get it done as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°Remember that none of you have to actually win, just get the mission done and bug out!¡±

    The group made a smattering of affirmative noises, but under his breath Hoshi muttered. ¡°But obviously it would be better to distract him for longer¡­ Rather than winning or losing, we¡¯re trying to buy time for the infiltrator.¡±

    This time it was Jessie who pointed. ¡°Exactly! You five seem like smart cookies ¨C we¡¯re sure you¡¯ll do fine!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    A few more minutes passed as the other four asked questions about the mission, and Hoshi stewed in his head. This doesn¡¯t seem like anything too bad. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m doing something to Bob, just his bosses.

    It was almost too easy to rationalise, and he wondered if the Rocket duo had designed this specifically to ease him into the organisation.

    Well, if my next mission is to kill somebody, at least I¡¯ll know they¡¯ve stopped treating me with kid gloves. The morbid, half-joking thought brought a morbid, half-joking smile to his face.

    ¡°And we¡¯ll only be getting the one device?¡± Ryan asked. The blond had been leading the conversation for the most part; Moony was too dumb to ask questions, and the other two were too passive ¨C or possibly drunk, in Nerine¡¯s case. I suppose it¡¯s too much to ask a teenager to not get drunk if there¡¯s alcohol about, especially with the good shit they were pouring out for free.

    Jessie nodded. ¡°Sadly yes, there¡¯s only the one for this mission.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t like your licences; this thing needs to go all the way to the juicy centre!¡±

    ¡°And that means being built to form!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    A nod. ¡°Understandable.¡±

    Moony broke in. ¡°Are we getting it now? We could have this whole thing done tomorrow!¡± He grinned, and Hoshi¡¯s nose wrinkled.

    ¡°Yes,¡± James affirmed. ¡°Rocket Mutsu will receive it; he has to go down to get his uniform anyway, so we¡¯ll just kill two pidgey with one Rock Throw.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll stay behind for a moment, Rocket Mutsu,¡± the red-headed Executive shot his way.

    Hoshi saluted. Ryan hummed, not showing any emotion, and the meeting soon came to an end.

    The four grunts went back the way they came, guided by Meowth the persian, while Hoshi remained in his seat. Casca slid off his lap, taking her own seat.

    ¡°Was that necessary?¡± he asked, receiving a cocky half-grin in return.

    ¡°Just staking my claim. Can¡¯t let anyone else get their hooks into you!¡±

    One of them¡¯s a teenager ¨C with a scrawny figure to boot ¨C and the other is built like my dad. ¡°I don¡¯t think you have to worry about that.¡±

    A tittering chuckle came from the opposite side of the table, and Hoshi¡¯s focus shifted to his new bosses.

    ¡°I have to say,¡± began James, ¡°That Jessie and I were quite surprised when Miss Kichi brought in a file on the Gym Leader¡¯s godson.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s girlfriend purred. ¡°What can I say?¡± she said with a toss of her hair. ¡°I know how to pick ¡®em.¡±

    ¡°Quite!¡± Jessie agreed. ¡°We were skeptical at first ¨C wouldn¡¯t a League lackey¡¯s son be a League lacky too? ¨C but after giving is some thought-¡±

    ¡°And having some people look into your history.¡±

    ¡°-We were swayed by our little girl¡¯s arguments. Any comments on your upcoming mission, Rocket Grunt Mutsu?¡±

    Hoshi shifted defensively in his seat. ¡°¡­Not really. If you wanted me to hurt Surge I¡¯d tell you to go fuck yourselves, but this is just planting a bug on his work computer. It basically doesn¡¯t involve him at all.¡±

    James smiled. ¡°Language, grunt. This is a school after all.¡± The two of them chuckled again. Okay, this is turning a little more ominous. ¡°We¡¯ll be looking forward to how you perform.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t wait to see how you corral all those different personalities.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s eyes narrowed. Oh, fuck me. ¡°You¡¯re implying that I¡¯m¡­ going to be in some sort of leadership position.¡±

    The two looked at each other, then back to him. His eyes slid Casca¡¯s way, but she only nodded, her expression bright and cheery.

    ¡°Usually grunts get split up into pairs,¡± said Jessie.

    ¡°But with things about to pop off, it¡¯s better to get people used to working in larger groups.¡±

    His heart quickened. ¡°Are you implying..?¡±

    It was Casca who answered. ¡°You heard the Professor¡¯s speech, Hoshi.¡± She beamed. ¡°This is what you wanted, right? Action, people doing something about the League. Am I wrong?¡±

    He passed a hand through his hair. Well yeah, but¡­ ¡°I thought I¡¯d be working up to it. I don''t even have the uniform yet!¡±

    Another, quieter paired chuckle. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t complain,¡± said James.

    ¡°It¡¯s a fair price for skipping all the way to Senior Grunt.¡±

    His lips pressed against each other. ¡°I¡¯d have assumed that Ryan would get a leadership role, if anyone. The strong Pok¨¦mon, second place in the tournament, and apparently his family pedigree..?¡±

    Jessie waved her hand. ¡°Oh, the bagon was from Archer; he has his city, we have ours.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all just waiting for the real  Boss to come home, after all.¡±

    For the first time, Casca lost a bit of her mirth. She looked away, coughing into her fist.

    The two posed for a moment, nodding to each other, the air of vague menace that had been developing blowing away as they had some sort of internal conversation before snapping back.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± James continued, ¡°We hope you succeed!¡±

    ¡°Genuinely! Now before you two lovebirds go, let me give you a map¡­¡± The female Executive rooted around under the table for a moment, before her expression went flat. ¡°James, do you have the map?¡±

    ¡°Do I have the..? Of course not, you have it!¡±

    ¡°I could have sworn it was in this box here, but now that I¡¯m looking¡­¡±

    Hoshi awkwardly cleared his throat. ¡°I have a map already. If you just tell me what room I¡¯m looking for..?¡±

    The two looked at each other. ¡°Elec 303,¡± they said simultaneously.

    Oh, amazing. It was a strange mix of relieving and infuriating to see the facade crack a little ¨C though there was a part of him that thought that even this might be some sort of bit. ¡°Thanks. That¡¯s in the basement, right?¡±

    Two nods. ¡°Indubitably!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you already on top of things. The two of you are dismissed!¡±

    ¡°Have a nice night!¡±

    They waved, still in-sync, and Hoshi and Casca stood. ¡°See you later!¡± his girlfriend exclaimed, while Hoshi only grunted. Okay, I¡¯m starting to fill back up on weird. I¡¯ll need to get another drink on the way-

    ¡°Meow,¡± came the voice of an aging gangster from directly under his nose, and Hoshi almost brought the two of them to the ground with how hard he jumped.

    ¡°Son of a-!¡±

    The persian padded past the two grunts. ¡°Meow,¡± it repeated.

    The executives each put a hand to their heads. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re completely right!¡± said James.

    ¡°How could we have forgotten?¡± Jessie asked to herself, before the two recovered and pointed Hoshi¡¯s way a third time. ¡°Try to nickname your Pok¨¦mon!¡±

    ¡°Yes, if you ever have to command a squad, it makes things so much less confusing!¡±

    They looked at the cat, who had jumped up onto one of the computer seats and was¡­ No, that can¡¯t be right. It has claws, how is it typing? Hoshi blinked. But the strange situation failed to change. I take it back; I need to have drunk less.

    ¡°Anything else, Meowth?¡±

    ¡°Meow,¡± the Pok¨¦mon said, typing away.

    ¡°Splendid.¡± They waved a second time. ¡°That will be all!¡±

    <hr>

    Hoshi let the door close behind him, the tonal whiplash he had experienced still leaving him a touch dazed.

    ¡°So,¡± Casca said, turning his way. ¡°What¡¯s the verdict? Do you love them, or do you love them?¡±

    She grinned, her eyebrows waggling as Hoshi blinked.

    ¡°They¡¯re a couple of characters, alright.¡± he answered. I feel like its going to be 100% endearing right up until I want to strangle them.

    She pumped her fist. ¡°Yes, I knew it!¡± But then her good mood evaporated. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± she groaned.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Elec 303¡­ That¡¯s the science lab! We¡¯re going to have to deal with that pair of creeps!¡± Another long groan. ¡°Maybe there¡¯ll just be one of them¡­¡±

    ¡°The science lab, huh?¡± Hoshi stepped forward, and his girlfriend toned down her theatrics as she followed. ¡°Okay, you might not believe this, but unless Rocket¡¯s found a way to make evil clones¡­¡±

 2.07 - The Power of a Name

    A few minutes of navigation, and Hoshi was beginning to sympathise with his apparent underling. Puce was right. This place really is built like a maze.

    Even with Casca knowing where to go, and a literal map to his destination, he still felt slightly lost ¨C and the fact he was still processing his conversation with the Rocket duo wasn¡¯t helping him get a handle on things. ¡°How does anybody find their way around this place?¡±

    Casca looked back. ¡°Practice, Hoshi. Trust me, a few months from now you¡¯ll be able to find any room in the building ¨C once you stop focusing on what turns to make, and go with what each hallway looks like instead, it gets, like, twenty times easier.¡±

    Suppressing his urge to grouse, Hoshi continued following her back, the map taking up the bottom half of his vision. Why the fuck would they build it like this? It''s like one of those old Lavender houses that were built to confuse ghosts. Maybe this was just how rich people lived? Maybe it was to confuse the Jennys if they ever discovered the place? Maybe those two Rockets are insane, and this is just an extension of the chanting and posing and shit.

    Eventually they went down a flight of narrow stairs tucked into a corner, completely different from the ornate set that had led up to the second floor ¨C and at the bottom was an entirely different aesthetic; the basement was, from ceiling to floor, solid stone. No carpets, no greenery, no conspicuously lavish wealth. Lit by fluorescent bulbs set into indentations where wall met ceiling, it gave off the air of a mad scientist¡¯s secret dungeon; unsettlingly medieval and almost completely sterile at the same time.

    Hoshi shivered. ¡°Woof. I feel like I just walked into a horror movie.¡±

    Casca shot him an understanding smile. ¡°Oh yeah, that never goes away. Especially when you see some of what they cook up down here¡­¡± Her blue eyes flashed in the almost overpowering illumination. ¡°Nice and cool, though, so at least we¡¯ll be comfortable before we¡¯re dissected.¡±

    With an unappreciative grunt, Hoshi slipped around her. ¡°Girl, don¡¯t joke about that. I feel like today has taken a decade off my life.¡± He held the map up. Okay, this is actually slightly less of a maze. Helps that the halls are following a consistent square grid pattern¡­ ¡°But seriously, what am I in for? You make these ¡®Professors¡¯ seem like real assholes.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± she began, accepting his lead. ¡°I¡¯m kind of playing it up, a bit? But not really.¡±

    Hoshi lowered the map to give her a look.

    ¡°No, I mean it! Professor Mokusen ¨C who I¡¯m struggling to picture as a construction worker, by the way ¨C is literally always angry. Today¡¯s speech was like the first time I¡¯ve ever seen him drop the holier-than-thou scowl.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m having a hard time believing it too,¡± he replied with a shake of his head. ¡°Dabi¡¯s always been spineless. I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s just an act ¨C can you picture yourself swapping personalities that consistently? Without slipping up all over the place?¡±

    She mirrored his expression. ¡°Both my lessons and common sense say it¡¯s unrealistic. You don¡¯t make your undercover personality too different; you put as much truth in as you can afford to, ¡®cause otherwise your story¡¯s gonna come out half-baked.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Freaky shit. ¡°What about the other one?¡±

    Casca made a thoughtful noise. ¡°Professor Kimigawa ¨C Doc Hypno is¡­ Well, you can probably guess from the name.¡±

    Straight at the next intersection, then a right¡­ ¡°He fits that old stereotype?¡±

    ¡°Oh, to the letter. His eyes¡­¡± She shivered, hugging herself theatrically.

    Hoshi stopped moving. ¡°He ever¡­ do anything?¡±

    ¡°Not to me,¡± she answered, and the red tinge in the corners of his eyes went away. ¡°It¡¯s just a vibe, you know? Like if somebody said he did, I¡¯d believe them before they could finish saying it.¡±

    He grunted, and began walking again. ¡°That¡¯s good. But like, what do they do? Like I heard Dabi talk about evolution, and the Executives-¡±

    ¡°Just call them the instructors, everybody does.¡±

    ¡°Right ¨C and the instructors said they made the licences and Mini-Dex and this bug we¡¯re going to plant. But how much is them, and how much is the two-dozen guys in labcoats who got their asses kicked up there?¡±

    The next hallway was silent as his girlfriend thought. ¡°I can¡¯t really say?¡± she eventually replied. ¡°I think a lot of it is actually just one or the other, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m here, you know? I¡¯m a Grunt; I do grunt stuff, not science stuff.¡±

    Another straightforward hallway, and then Hoshi paused. To his left was a tunnel that didn¡¯t seem to be on the map, just slightly smaller than the normal ones. ¡°Is that..?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that looks like a new one. Sometimes diglett come by and mess something up, so they have to switch the rooms around.¡± Her smile was brittle. ¡°The big rooms are usually where they always are, so we should be fine.¡±

    Hoshi suppressed the urge to fling the map down and stomp on it, putting that energy into moving forward instead.

    <hr>

    Eventually, after only a small number of wrong turns, they made it to the correct door; Elec 303 stared back at them, the font exactly the same as the financier doors above, the only thing breaking theme with the barren styling of the corridors. Muffled sounds came through, too indistinct to make out.

    Hoshi was glad; Casca could have taken the lead back at any time, but had restrained herself to pointing out his mistakes, letting him find his way. I probably won¡¯t have her with me every time I come here; better to learn it early.

    ¡°Do you want to stay out here?¡± he asked.

    She shook her head animatedly, sculpted orange hair wobbling. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t like being here, but it¡¯s just uncomfortable, not anything else.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± With a deep breath to prepare himself, Hoshi turned the knob and pushed.

    The muffle resolved into a symphony of clashing sounds; it was loud, much more than he had been expecting, beeps and whirrs and crunches as a dozen different kinds of computer noises and industrial machinery slurred into one another.

    ¡°Fuck, that¡¯s loud,¡± he commented, before pushing forward.

    ¡°You get used to it,¡± Casca replied, following.

    Elec 303 appeared at first glance to be about half chemical lab, half¡­ factory, or something. Men and women in long white coats occupied everything from standing desks to computers to what Hoshi recognised as assembly lines; real heavy-duty ones, like you¡¯d see in a car factory, metal being shaped via machine before being taken and assembled by human hands.

    Other scientists were rushing about from section to section, and there were Pok¨¦mon too, a couple voltorb and electabuzz powering different generators scattered around, and a row of large tubes ¨C are they still called test tubes if they¡¯re that big? ¨C contained a selection of muk and weezing.

    Danny sometimes uses grimer to make his own battery acid and shit. Is that what they¡¯re doing here?

    He stepped further in, sweeping the room with his eyes. ¡°More crowded than I thought it would be.¡± I was picturing something more¡­ orderly? This is closer to what I¡¯d imagine if you shoved twenty Dannys in a room, than anything I¡¯d expect from a professional laboratory¡­ Then again, it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d ever been in a laboratory before now ¨C maybe this was the standard.

    A man started screaming, bolting up from his seat in the desks-and-chalkboards part of the room.

    ¡°It all makes sense!¡± he yelled, easily overpowering the machinery. ¡°It¡¯s the only way the math lines up! A simulation, it¡¯s all a simulation! Arcus playing dice with the universe! It¡¯s- no, get off! Unhand me!¡±

    Hoshi watched, mouth agape, as a trio of other researchers lifted the man up and dragged him to an¡­ open pool? Okay, no, this is more weird shit. Does working for Rocket make you insane?

    ¡°The world needs to know! I can feel His hand, guiding my motion, the unseen string behind every-!¡±

    They dunked the man ¨C an experience that must have been unpleasant, given that Hoshi could see ice cubes floating in the blue water ¨C and when he came back up the mad mathematician had lost some of the crazy in his eyes.

    ¡°What the-?¡± he sputtered, treading water. ¡°Where am I, why am I-?¡± His face blanked, then screwed up as he started to feel the cold. ¡°Damnation, not again!¡±

    Casca slid a hand under his chin, closing his mouth. ¡°I know, right? Total madhouse, top to bottom.¡± Hoshi snapped out of the shock the strange event had instilled, drawing his eyes across the room a second time. What the actual fuck? ¡°I¡¯d never have thought they¡¯d get anything done, but the balls and cards and stuff seems to come out clean, so it must work on some level. Let me grab one of these pencil pushers, wait here a sec¡­¡±

    She sauntered off, visibly enjoying his bafflement, and Hoshi¡¯s mental jaw followed the physical one as he pulled himself together. Madness. Actual fucking mad science shit. The trio finished pulling the screamer out of his ice bath and then just¡­ walked back to their stations, like it was the most normal shit in the world.

    He spent a minute continuing to take it all in, and almost against his will Hoshi began to see a reason behind the room¡¯s ebb and flow. There¡¯s where they make the Rocket Balls. The fumes off the gasbags feed a dozen different stations, both generators and what looks to be distilleries, so they¡¯re using the gas as fuel as well as material for the stuff they¡¯re manufacturing. The muk get showered in I-don¡¯t-want-to-know, then the filtered liquid goes down into a grate ¨C where does it go after? Are there even deeper labs? Some of these machines are actually for making car parts; they must have raided or bought out a factory¡­

    When Casca came back, she brought a tall woman in thick-but-not-Dabi-thick glasses with her.

    ¡°Here we go,¡± she chirped. ¡°This is Hoshi, he¡¯s meant to get some mission-critical doohickey from the Professors. Oh, and his uniform.¡±

    The dark-skinned woman adjusted her collar, gently but insistently tugging her sleeve out from his girlfriend¡¯s grip. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve been expecting you. Things run a little late up above?¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Hoshi replied. ¡°So where should I go?¡±

    The scientist¡¯s brows came together in thought as her face became vacant. ¡°Hmm, would he be..? No, Professor Mokusen explicitly said¡­¡± She trailed off, her mouth moving but not making sound. Great, even more crazy. Eventually she stopped muttering, giving an actual audible answer. ¡°Doctor Hypno should be free at the moment. His office is there ¨C just behind the crusher, see?¡±

    Hoshi, in fact, did not see; whatever she was gesturing at was firmly hidden behind a massive industrial press, whose purpose he refused to consider. Nonetheless, he nodded. ¡°Thanks, we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±

    The woman half-nodded and turned, returning to muttering under her breath as she stepped away. Latching onto his girlfriend¡¯s arm, Hoshi took the scientist¡¯s cue and walked swiftly, making a beeline for the¡­ crusher.

    ¡°You okay, my man? You seem kind of spooked.¡±

    He looked his girlfriend in the eye. ¡°Casca, I just watched a man have some kind of- of psychotic break, and it¡¯s like seven PM. I am tired and hungry, and yes, kind of fucking spooked.¡± I haven¡¯t eaten since breakfast ¨C actually, why aren¡¯t you starving? Is there a cafeteria around here? ¡°I want to grab some takeout, go home, and crash for twelve hours.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Good plan. Sorry if I¡¯m doing the forced-casual thing a little too hard; this place creeps me out, too.¡±

    They entwined their hands, and the doorway the scientist had implied came into view; very similar to the other ¡®classroom¡¯ doors he had seen, this one was labeled Prof. K. Kimigawa in gold leaf. With mirrored nods, Hoshi twisted the knob, revealing-

    His Pok¨¦mon¡¯s ball jumped into his hand. ¡°Rattata! Tackle!¡±

    The rat appeared in a burst of red light as its vibrantly-coloured target spun in place with a shriek.

    ¡°What¡¯s-?¡± came a voice from in front of him, but Hoshi¡¯s hindbrain set it neatly to the side to be processed later. His rattata¡¯s eyes found its hovering opponent, a duck-like collection of magenta and blue shapes. ¡°Wait! No! You¡¯ll mess up all my-!¡±

    Rattata pounced, the porygon dodged, and the rat slammed its head into a desk, sending papers everywhere. Hoshi reached for his other ball ¨C but an impact to his side jarred him, and it slipped from his fingers.

    ¡°Hoshi! It¡¯s tame, it¡¯s tame! Call it back!¡±

    Chaos as his Pok¨¦mon tried to climb the desk, the porygon ¨C it¡¯s smooth, why is it smooth ¨C plastering itself to the ceiling, still screeching, the noise joined by multiple human voices. The insistent impacts along his arm jarred something loose in his brain, and the raw panic gave way to a hot flash of jumbled-together emotions.

    ¡°Return,¡± he breathed, semi-conscious, and rattata disappeared.

    ¡°Oh,¡± came the voice again, and Hoshi¡¯s tunnel vision widened to the point he could actually see the room as something other than streaks of colour. ¡°Darn it, I just finished organising¡­¡±

    He swallowed. ¡°I-¡± I¡¯m sorry, he tried to say, but his heart was racing too fast, pulse thundering in his ears, every muscle jittery from adrenaline. ¡°Who the- why the fuck do you have one of those killing machines?!¡±

    The man- the Professor stood beside his desk, a cane in his hand, looking up at his Pok¨¦mon. His gaze turned down. ¡°Murder..? Oh, don¡¯t be overdramatic, that¡¯s a porygon2, not porygon.exe. Entirely different evolution!¡± His head tilted back up, to where the collection of coloured shapes was trying to phase through the stone. ¡°Blast. It¡¯s okay, girl, the scary little mouse is gone, you can come down¡­¡±

    The reality of the situation finally settled, and Hoshi¡¯s heart rate began to normalise. ¡°Fuck, sorry. I- you get why, right?¡± Casca¡¯s grip on his arm registered, and he sent a grateful look her way.

    ¡°Oh, I had hoped we¡¯d be past it so many years later, but I suppose I¡¯m a little too much of an optimist.¡± The elderly man awkwardly climbed up on his chair, reaching up with his cane to beckon the¡­ porygon2. ¡°It''s okay Dos, there isn¡¯t any danger. Come on down, please¡­¡± The Pok¨¦mon endured a few light prods without moving.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    As Hoshi eyed the trembling artificial creature, his traitorous hindbrain fucked him a second time by supplying a memory: being seated in front of the family computer, his mother showing him a colourful web page, the exact contents gone ¨C something about a dancing monkey, maybe. She draped over him as he sat in the too-big chair, her hand covering his as she manipulated the mouse for him.

    Then something popped up from the bottom of the screen, a little duck-like head poking out like it was looking through a window, cocked to the side, curious. Black and green and purple, wavering like water, like it was made of gelatin.

    ¡°Oh?¡± his mother said, in a voice he couldn¡¯t recall. ¡°Is that a friend of Mr. Buddy?¡± She frowned. ¡°It looks a bit scary, doesn¡¯t it? I like the monkey better-¡±

    A sound, cartoonish, whizz-pop like a firework, and his mother stepped back, a line of red starting to go from the top of her shoulder down her blouse. Again, the same sound, accompanied by a giggle, and another point of red appeared on her collar.

    Hoshi breathed out. ¡°Yeah, way too fucking optimistic¡­ sir,¡± he tacked on at the end.

    The scientist gave up with a huff, stepping down from his desk. Now that he had enough processing power, Hoshi could immediately see why Casca would find the man creepy ¨C his face was built to leer, his eyes large and heavy-lidded, his mouth seeming to form a too-friendly smile no matter the man¡¯s actual emotion ¨C or at least, Hoshi has to assume so, since his tone of voice had seemed pretty damn exasperated. His hair, dark grey with a touch of chocolate, was bowl cut, stubble dusting his cheeks and jaw, lengthening as it went until his neck was covered in bristles cut like those of a toothbrush.

    And what a neck ¨C his body couldn¡¯t seem to decide if he should be thin or fat; his head down to the cheekbones was skeletal, but then he suddenly put on enough meat to form a double chin that melted into his chest. His arms and legs seemed thin, but his open coat was pressed to the side by an expansive pot belly.

    I regret ever calling Ryan¡¯s face weird; all those comments belong to this guy. He was so weirdly shaped, Hoshi was actually having trouble placing his age ¨C he could have been anywhere from a bad forty to a good sixty.

    ¡°Fine, fine. She¡¯ll come down on her own time.¡± The aged scientist sat heavily, leaning his cane against the desk. ¡°What are you here for, ah¡­¡± His squinty eyes narrowed further, and Hoshi felt a spasm of revulsion pass through his entrails like the tide going out. Dear Arcus, it really does look like he¡¯s checking me out. He isn¡¯t, right? ¡°Executive?¡± he guessed.

    ¡°Grunt, sir. Uh, Senior Grunt, that is.¡± Is that an official rank? I don¡¯t even fucking know ¨C how the fuck is this all happening on my first Arcus damned day?

    The scientist grumbled. ¡°If you insist. Unless my memory is failing me, I don¡¯t know you.¡± The man¡¯s voice was ill-matched to his face; he spoke a lot like some of the Junior Executives Hoshi had met up above, a sort of old-fashioned cadence that emphasised soft tones. ¡°Are you one of the new recruits? No, if you¡¯re a senior, then¡­¡±

    Actual rank it is, then. ¡°I actually am ¨C a new recruit, that is. I need my uniform, and also the tool for the Vermilion Gym job. The instructors sent me down.¡±

    The man continued to squint in what for all the world seemed like sexual fascination. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± He opened a drawer on his desk, pawing through it. ¡°Your name?¡±

    ¡°Hoshi Mutsu, sir.¡±

    ¡°Just call me Doc, everyone does. Hmm¡­ Ah, here we are!¡± Hoshi was expecting him to draw out a bundle of black fabric, or whatever widget would go into the computer, but instead the Professor pulled up a bulky cylindrical case, like a stretched-out egg carton. ¡°Here, your coverings.¡±

    Hoshi took the offered case. My what? Rather than ask, he just opened the thing ¨C the side split open along a series of tabs, and inside were red-and-white plastic disks. Wait, these look like¡­

    ¡°Need a hand?¡± Casca asked.

    ¡°No, I think I understand.¡± He plucked out one of the disks, and squeezed it by the edges; the flat plastic jumped into a spherical shape ¨C turning into a hollow shell that looked exactly like a standard Pok¨¦ Ball. ¡°To hide the Rocket Balls? Clever.¡±

    The Professor nodded. ¡°Oh, not that clever. Got it working before the balls themselves were even finished.¡±

    Slapping the thing over Rattata¡¯s ball, he found that it fit like a glove ¨C no, even better; it was completely undetectable. The lens was now the standard circle rather than a sinister eye, and none of the underlying colour came through. ¡°I assume I can¡¯t use the Mini-Dex like this?¡±

    The answer was slightly muffled as ¡®Doc¡¯ continued to dig in his desk. ¡°Unfortunately not. But you can put them into storage mode just fine, and they¡¯ll pass inspection at a Pok¨¦centre. Give me one more second, and¡­¡± With a noise of triumph, he withdrew something not entirely dissimilar to the tool Hoshi had asked about; a long, complexly-shaped piece of metal and plastic. ¡°Here we are, my last Super Re-router! Be very careful with this, it¡¯ll be a good while before Dos can scrounge up the passcodes to make another.¡±

    He placed the tool reverently into Hoshi¡¯s hand, treating it like the thing was made of glass, and Hoshi resolved to do the same. I¡¯m feeling a bit luke-warm on my first official Team Rocket assignment, but that¡¯s no reason to get lax about it.

    ¡°Thank you, Professor.¡± A beat. ¡°And my uniform?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Oh, yes, I was just distracted, thinking about all the reorganising I¡¯ll have to do¡­ hint hint.¡± Once again he dived into his desk, and Hoshi shared an awkward look with Casca, a blush colouring his cheeks.

    She cleared her throat. ¡°Sorry sir, we¡¯ll get right on that.¡±

    The two of them began gathering up the scattered papers, but about a tenth of the way through ¨C which was still a solid few minute¡¯s work, Hoshi had spilled a lot ¨C Casca approached him.

    She spoke in a low voice, not quite a whisper. ¡°Hey, Hoshi.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Earlier¡­ I don¡¯t mean to pry, but¡­ with the timeframe, that was¡­¡± A longer pause as they continued to gather papers. ¡°That was about your mom, right?¡±

    He was silent for a moment before answering. ¡°¡­Yeah. Sorry for freaking out.¡±

    ¡°No, it''s cool. Well, it isn¡¯t, it¡¯s- you know what I mean.¡±

    He made an affirmative noise, and they continued gathering sheets, shuffling around on their knees ¨C until a raised voice grabbed their attention.

    ¡°Blast it all, I can¡¯t seem to find a single one!¡±

    The Professor emerged, his sleeves rolled up and his face sweaty ¨C which made him look almost impossibly lecherous. Holy fuck, I think I get why everything¡¯s insane down here; all the regular scientists took one look at this guy and ran for the hills.

    Hoshi grimaced. ¡°Is there a problem with my uniform, sir?¡±

    ¡°Well you see, I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d promote a fresh grunt right off the bat, so I might have neglected to keep stock on the Senior Grunt uniforms¡­¡± Oh, great, fantastic. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this will take a minute. Come out, Kimmy!¡±

    The man drew and tossed a Rocket Ball in one seamless motion, the purple orb a blur as it went from under his coat to releasing its stored Pok¨¦mon in a fraction of a second, and Hoshi was reminded that this wasn''t just some old researcher ¨C he was actually looking at a criminal.

    Taking him as harmless would be stupid, no matter how doddering he appeared to be.

    A hypno coalesced, its ¨C her, based on the name ¨C yellow fur and white mane completely spotless. The Pok¨¦mon was bipedal, maybe a bit more or a bit less human than machoke, depending on how you measured; mammalian, with five fingers and three toes, standing at just under five feet. She was also completely lacking a mouth, though the massive pointed nose seemed to be trying to make up for that lack.

    She snorted, the sound not unlike a Kalosian horn.

    ¡°Yes, could you go out and fetch a Senior Grunt uniform from the stores?¡± Another bleat. ¡°Thank you, darling.¡±

    The Pok¨¦mon waddled off, and Hoshi was stuck by the uncanny similarity the Professor had to his namesake. Is that why he¡¯s named that? Is it an insult, or..?

    The door opened, closed, and it was just the three of them again ¨C and also the porygon2, who had migrated to the room¡¯s other corner.

    They finished with the spill before the hypno returned, and Hoshi placed the massive stack in front of the scientist with an awkward cough. ¡°Sorry, Doc.¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes slid down his body, and Hoshi bit his tongue. Don¡¯t gag. Even if he is some kind of weird pervert, don¡¯t react. ¡°Well, no harm no foul, as they say. Pardon, I haven¡¯t even introduced myself have I?¡± He stood, and sidled around the edge of his desk to offer Hoshi his hand. ¡°Rocket Professor Kim Kimigawa ¨C but I¡¯d prefer you call me by my title, Doctor Hypno!¡±

    He laughed, a drawn-out hoo hoo hoo that set Hoshi¡¯s teeth on edge. ¡°Hoshi Mutsu,¡± he replied. The man¡¯s grin exuded sleaze, more than any person he had ever met. ¡°You¡­ seem to be doing a lot of interesting work, down here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you have no idea!¡± He continued to grip Hoshi¡¯s hand, his skin clammy. ¡°Every day is a cornucopia for the mind! Why, when you were coming in I was looking over these wonderful plans from- ah, let me show you¡­¡±

    He slid away to flip through the stack of papers, and Hoshi glanced back as his girlfriend. Casca was leaning against the wall, subtly keeping herself between him and the Professor. She sent him a small, conciliatory smile.

    ¡­Okay, fair. I¡¯d be doing the same thing if I could. He replied with a quick flash of theatrical disgust ¨C Doctor Hypno was almost overwhelmingly uncomfortable as a man; he could scarcely imagine what it was like to be in here with him as a young, attractive woman.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the ticket! From one of my underlings, look at this!¡± The scientist passed the paper with a flourish, and Hoshi¡¯s eyes narrowed as he looked at it.

    ¡°¡­Sorry, this is¡­¡± Fucking nonsense. ¡°Too advanced for me.¡± He passed the diagram of squiggly lines and dense hyper-jargon back.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not too  complicated. We managed to sneak out a few of Silph¡¯s files a few months ago, and I¡¯ve been having my people go over them with a fine-tooth comb. If you look here, you¡¯ll see it plainly ¨C we managed to snag a copy of the Pok¨¦mon Transfer System! Now it¡¯s still mostly encrypted, but if we keep working on the problem¡­¡±

    The Doctor¡¯s words devolved into a thick sludge of tech-speak, and Hoshi sighed internally. Well, at least he isn¡¯t looking at me, anymore.

    An age later, Kimmy the hypno returned. The breeze of the door opening ruffled a few papers on the Doctor¡¯s desk, rousing Hoshi from the protective fugue his brain had placed over itself.

    ¡°There you are, darling,¡± cooed the Doctor. ¡°I was beginning to fear you¡¯d gotten waylaid ¨C here¡¯s your uniform, Mr. Mutsu!¡±

    The five-foot-tall goblin monster handed over the neatly-folded bundle, complete with puffy newsboy cap, with a musical snort.

    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Are you another experiment? No, hypno are pretty smart by default, this is actually pretty normal. Wild hypno sometimes came into town with handfuls of pilfered change; they were smart enough to understand trade, though they actually had a slightly worse understanding of language than most psychic type Pok¨¦mon; every now and then some grifter would try to show off that their hypno could read and write, before an actual test would reveal the thing to just be mindlessly parroting whatever it was shown.

    Kimmy the hypno didn¡¯t seem to have that same¡­ spark, for lack of a better word, that Benny and Meowth had shown.

    ¡°You should be all set, then,¡± the Doctor said. ¡°Kimmy, return. Do you need an escort out?¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s eyes slid to his companion, and she shook her head with pursed lips. ¡°No thanks, Doc. We can make it out just fine.¡±

    <hr>

    After twenty minutes ¨C is that really all it was? My watch must be running slow ¨C the cacophony of the larger lab seemed like paradise.

    ¡°Arcus¡¯s fucking halo, that was painful.¡±

    Casca made a gagging sound. ¡°I know, right? Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±

    No argument from me. The two of them stepped around the crusher. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s an act? If he was actually like that somebody¡¯d kick his ass, right?¡±

    His girlfriend shrugged. ¡°No clue. But I could definitely feel him staring at my tits, so fuck ¡®im. He¡¯s a creep.¡±

    Again, no argument from me. They were forced to stop as a quartet of machop lifted some sort of machine ¨C is that a fucking train car? No, no wheels, it¡¯s just a tank or something shaped like one ¨C across their path.

    In a quiet tone of morbid curiosity, Casca continued. ¡°Arc, he even looked at his Pok¨¦mon like that. Do you think he¡¯s fucking the thing?¡±

    Hoshi stared at her a beat, before grimacing. ¡°Fuck, don¡¯t put that image in my head!¡± He stuck out his tongue. ¡°Ugh, it won¡¯t leave! He even looks like the damn thing¡­¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s actually legal in a few places up north.¡±

    They looked at each other, and Hoshi replied, ¡°Casca, that beard isn¡¯t legal anywhere.¡±

    The stupid joke made them both break into giggles, and they twined their arms together as the machop slowly carried the six-metre-long whatsit slowly across the open area. Something exploded out of sight, and Hoshi felt another spurt of hyper, almost manic amusement go up his spine.

    This place is fucking crazy. Is my life just going to be this, now? The not-a-train passed, and they continued ¨C but ten steps later, a stern voice called out. ¡°Wait.¡±

    Huh? Hoshi turned, and for a moment he just stared. ¡°Oh. Hey, Dabi.¡±

    The short man¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t as brain-melting the third time, though it still made Hoshi¡¯s gut feel off. Against the backdrop of the laboratory, he looked truly in his element.

    ¡°Professor Mokusen,¡± he corrected. ¡°You will refer to me only as Professor Mokusen, and nothing else.¡± His voice was harsh, his words obviously an order, not a request.

    Damn. The weedle really went and evolved into a beedrill. Hoshi might have been intimidated, if he hadn¡¯t spent three years seeing the four-foot-nothing man as a cowering bug. ¡°¡­Sure, Professor. You need something?¡±

    The man bared his teeth. ¡°We don¡¯t know each other. Get it? Outside of this building, Professor Mokusen does not exist ¨C and inside it, Dabi the¡­¡± he almost spat the next words ¡°Construction worker, is only a figment of your imagination. Do we have an understanding?¡±

    Hoshi continued to stare. ¡°Sure. As long as you play along, so will I.¡± What, did you think I was gonna talk about¡­ ¡®work¡¯ stuff while on the clock? Do you think I¡¯m stupid?

    Dabi stared back, his face a rictus sneer, his fists clenched. Then the corners of his mouth tilted up into a smile completely bereft of amusement. ¡°Play along. An apt choice of words.¡± He turned away. ¡°Don¡¯t let your rank give you a swelled head. You¡¯re still just a grunt.¡±

    He walked away, following astride the machop and the machine they were carrying. Fucking drama queens, every single one of these fucks, Hoshi thought to himself. Aloud, he said ¡°That was fucking weird. Gonna be strange to see him on Monday- Casca, you okay?¡±

    She was clutching his arm. They locked eyes, and he saw something almost like fear. ¡°Hoshi, don¡¯t talk to him like that. I know you know him ¨C but don¡¯t. He¡¯ll have his Pok¨¦mon break your fingers.¡± Her voice was steady, serious, and Hoshi blinked.

    ¡°¡­Yeah, okay.¡± They started walking again. ¡°You¡¯ve heard about him doing that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen him do that. In one of my first real jobs¡­¡± She bit her tongue. ¡°Later. After we get home.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Right. You lead the way; I¡¯m bone-tired.¡±

    She nodded, but then winced. ¡°Actually, one last stop on the way out; we should make sure your uniform actually fits.¡±

    <hr>

    Casca led him to a locker room, the place right next to an indoor pool, and Hoshi examined his new clothes.

    The fabric shirt and pants were black, like he¡¯d expected, but the gloves and boots were white with gold accents, rather than grey ¨C and the latter were slightly more shaped. These aren¡¯t rubbery like the standard ones the others were wearing. I don¡¯t know what this material is, but it feels strong.

    Going back to the shirt, it seemed to be the same felt ¨C or an artificial equivalent ¨C fabric as the base uniform. It was stiff, not inclined to bend, but soft to the touch. Unlike the standard uniform, the Senior Grunt¡¯s chest featured two yellow lines, framing the red R on either side.

    I feel like the belt is slightly different too, but I can¡¯t put my finger on how.

    He quickly pulled off his suit and donned the uniform. It felt just a touch awkward to move in, the fabric scratchy. I¡¯ll have to add a thin shirt underneath. But it¡¯s the right fit. Looking in the room¡¯s mirror, he felt a bit silly, like he was in a costume rather than working clothes. The hat is fucking goofy.

    ¡­But I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll grow into it.

    Hoshi swapped back to his original clothes, and soon his reflection was exactly as it had been before leaving the house that morning ¨C save for his new belt, two Pok¨¦balls displayed for all the world to see. He took one off, pleased with the amount of effort it took to detach the magnetic grip; enough that he¡¯d never lose one accidentally, but not so hard it interfered with his draw.

    ¡°Go,¡± he said, and Rattata appeared. He released Zubat as well, and without orders his two Pok¨¦mon loitered around, sniffing at the lockers and flapping around the fluorescent lights.

    ¡°Nicknames, huh¡­¡± Hoshi had always felt that just giving your Pok¨¦mon normal human names was tacky, but he didn¡¯t have anything picked out ahead of time either ¨C he had assumed a name for his new Pok¨¦mon would jump out at him organically.

    Something that matches their species ¨C but not fucking Ratty or Whiskers  or some shit, something unique¡­

    His eyes turned up. Zubat evolves into golbat¡­ and then crobat, if the conditions are right. Some Pok¨¦mon only evolved into their final form under specific social conditions, like being the leader of a pack; he knew that crobat was one of those Pok¨¦mon, but the exact condition wasn¡¯t something he could pull off the top of his head. Might not be possible. If it needs to be around other zubat to evolve¡­ Well, might as well shoot for the moon. ¡°Zubat, come down here.¡±

    The bat swooped down, settling on the back of his raised forearm. It wrapped its wings and abdominal feelers tightly around, making soft but high-pitched chirps.

    ¡°Your name is Crow now. Do you like that?¡± The Pok¨¦mon¡¯s eyeless face wasn¡¯t able to emote much; Hoshi had no idea if it understood. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll stick if I keep using it.¡± His other arm came up with the bat¡¯s ball. ¡°Crow, return. Rattata, come over here.¡±

    The undersized rat bounded over, and he picked it up like it was a cat. Okay, this one is harder. I can¡¯t think of anything that isn¡¯t stupid as shit¡­

    Unbidden, a memory. Red, flecked with white and lavender. Hoshi¡¯s face twisted, and the Pok¨¦mon responded by tilting its head, chittering. ¡°Huh. That works.¡± Sounds tough, even. He put the rat back down.

    ¡°Rattata, from now on, your name is Guts.¡±

 Interlude - Two Kinds of Genius

    Professor Mokusen strode through the upper laboratory, his jaw set, his eyes following the machop as they worked. Kimigawa¡¯s peons set a wide berth around him ¨C exactly as it should be. The ectoplasm chamber slowly made its way to an empty section on the far wall of the room, and as it approached the indentation he reached for his belt; slotting it in was a precision job, something best left to more¡­ gentle ministrations.

    ¡°Put it down. Return.¡±

    Four flashes, and the machop disappeared. One more, and something replaced them.

    With both its arms and legs crossed, the word ¡®hovering¡¯ failed to describe the kadabra only due to its voluminous tail still keeping contact with ground. The Pok¨¦mon¡¯s sharp eyes were closed, and so deep was its meditation that it seemed almost dead, not even breathing.

    ¡°Harry, I need this connected to the wall socket.¡±

    The vaguely fox-like humanoid did not stir ¨C but even so, a soft glow enveloped the chamber, and it began to float just a hair off the ground. It moved in straight lines; up, forward, a touch to the left, then forward again. With a soft thunk, it was done; electricity flowed, and the machine began to hum away. Mokusen nodded¡­ but there was a touch of frustration to his features. ¡°Good work. Return.¡±

    The kadabra disappeared, and the Professor took a moment to admire his latest breakthrough.

    Immaculate. The ectoplasm chamber would get them one step closer to transforming a haunter into a gengar¡­ perhaps it would even be the last step. It was simply a shame that constructing and transporting the bulky thing had required Harry ¨C the only one who could be trusted to properly move the exceedingly fragile thing ¨C to use so much of his stored telekinetic potential, delaying his own evolution.

    Thirty seconds passed before the scientist realised he was procrastinating, and so he huffed and turned. Best to just get it over with. With the chamber connected, it was time to update the¡­ other Rocket Professor.

    <hr>

    ¡°There we are, Dos, there we are¡­ Kimmy, honey, the box! Quickly!¡±

    The hypno snuffled in irritation, but hoisted the box. It was a simple thing, cardboard lined with old rags, but Doc hadn¡¯t found a single other thing that his old bird would tolerate as bedding. The porygon2 eyed the inviting surface with customary wariness, but descended a handspan. She bleeped out a complex series of tones, and Doc gestured with his hands.

    ¡°Completely safe, I promise! There isn¡¯t a single thing that-¡±

    A harsh voice entered the room, interrupting him and completely negating his efforts. ¡°Doctor, the chamber is in place. Everything is ready for the next stage.¡±

    His office door touched the wall with a faint sound, and Dos took that as her cue to race back to the ceiling, screeching. Doc hung his head.

    ¡°Damn it all,¡± he sighed, before turning to his new guest. What absolutely atrocious timing. ¡°Hello, Professor. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve caught me at an inopportune moment.¡±

    The man bared his teeth. Dabi Mokusen was an¡­ interesting person. Many of his colleagues found the man intolerable to work with, but his competence was undeniable ¨C and Doc found much of the man¡¯s rumoured aggression to be overstated, anyhow; he had certainly never had any such trouble.

    ¡°Just put it in its ball, Doctor. We have important work to be doing.¡±

    Bah, you young people don¡¯t know how to treat a delicate lady ¨C ¡®put her in her ball,¡¯ indeed! If I did that, she¡¯d hide herself away for a week! Dos was eminently useful, but she had an unfortunately nervous disposition; one had to know how to deal with the latter, if one wished to make use of the former.

    But of course, he wasn¡¯t so rude as to say that to his colleague''s face, so instead he simply sighed again. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll just have to leave her here. Come along, Kimmy.¡±

    His darling hypno, at least, was fine travelling via Pok¨¦ball; she returned without protest, and Doc sent a fleeting look towards the unorganised pile that grunt had made of his notes. That would be bothering him all day, but there wasn¡¯t anything for it.

    ¡°Lead the way, Professor.¡±

    With a sneer, Mokusen turned, his coat whipping like the tail of an angry persian. Doc grabbed his cane and followed, exiting his office and venturing out into the lab proper.

    Everything seemed to be in order, his people going to and fro like busy little bees, and a smile tugged at his lips. Ah, always nice to see people being productive. ¡°So, any trouble with the assembly?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°And moving it? Getting it up the stairs must have been-¡±

    ¡°You can see it from here; obviously I handled it,¡± the diminutive scientist snapped, and Doc decided that further conversation was a lost cause. My, he¡¯s in a mood. What put a beedrill in his bonnet today, I wonder?

    Eventually they came to the object of their small journey, and he couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle. ¡°Ooo hoo hoo, what a wonderful mechanism! Mokusen, you¡¯ve outdone yourself once again!¡±

    His partner sneered in appreciation, and Doc walked forward to place his hand against the glass. Cold to the touch ¨C or should I say, deathly cold? Hoo hoo! The ectoplasm chamber was one of their ¨C or rather his ¨C longest-running projects, something he had been tinkering with on and off since well before he had joined his current employers. Seeing it finally whole made his aura positively radiant.

    ¡°Are you waiting for something?¡± Mokusen asked. His voice dripped with acidic tones, but the Doctor knew he must be just as excited as he was. ¡°Release your haunter; I want to get preliminary readings.¡±

    ¡°Blast it, Professor, don¡¯t you have any sense of how momentous this is? Obviously, we must give it the weight it is due!¡± He clapped his cane on the ground, raising his voice. ¡°Everyone, gather ¡®round! Yes, I see half of you are only pretending to work anyways ¨C we might as well make it an official break!¡± Hoo hoo hoo!

    Magnificent, absolutely astounding! The machine was cylindrical, like a great technological pill, and composed mainly of glass ¨C from the outside, anyway. The caps on each end were metallic, the surfaces bearing fresh tool marks ¨C Mokusen must have finished it literally within the hour.

    But inside the glass casing, dark shadows and points of light seemed to swirl. He didn¡¯t even attempt to contain his beaming smile.

    Over a minute ¨C during which Mokusen irritably tapped his foot ¨C the laboratory¡¯s workers came together to witness the coming historic moment. How long have I been waiting for this? Over twenty years, at the very least!

    Finally, the last researcher took their place, and he drew a pair of Rocket Balls from his belt with a reverent flourish. Kimmy was released, appearing with a soft bleat, but he paused before continuing. ¡°Ah, I almost feel afraid. What if it doesn¡¯t work at all?¡± The joints of his fingers locked the second ball in a tight embrace, as if reluctant to part with it.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll redesign it and try again,¡± Mokusen answered. ¡°Now get to it. This is only the first use; who knows how long proper calibration will take?¡±

    The Doctor chose not to immediately follow his partner¡¯s advice, instead readying himself with a breath. Steady on, steady on. Then he threw the ball, low and with extreme spin. ¡°Hiebelle, this is the moment we¡¯ve been waiting for!¡±

    The ball hit the ground and popped open, the backspin causing it to jump straight up. His precious haunter was released, a gaseous cloud with two clawed hands and a wide, gaping maw. She was hard to see, the harsh lights only seeming to make her less visible, her airy body interacting strangely with the senses.

    The returning ball flew back to his waiting palm, and the dense smack felt like triumph.

    All together, the entire room held its breath. The indistinct blur floated around the machine, inspecting it with her senses, and Doc gripped his cane so hard he feared something might break. ¡°Someone dim the lights,¡± an onlooker hissed, and a moment later the ghost became more discernible.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    As the room fell into a dusk-like gloom, Hiebelle became more vivid, more solid, as though gathering a body from the shadows themselves. Mokusen, the cretin, only continued to tap his foot in the face of her majesty.

    ¡°Hiii¡­¡± the Pok¨¦mon snickered, and Doc felt a chill go up his spine, several researchers gasping as they experienced the same sensation. She feels it. What must it be like, to sense such a thing? The power to reach your final form..? Then, like the incorporeal being she was, the ghost slipped right through the glass body of the machine and disappeared.

    Immediately, the surface began to dance as a series of lights buried in the glass blinked on and off, a cascading rainbow of colours that dazzled his vision. Doc put a hand out to shade his eyes, but refused to look away. ¡°It¡¯s working! Mokusen, it¡¯s working!¡±

    ¡°Shut up you dolt! I can¡¯t think with your meaningless babble!¡± His thick spectacles must not have provided much protection, because he raised his hands to shade himself as well. ¡°Damn it ¨C the reaction is too strong! Shut it down!¡±

    The man¡¯s kadabra came out, but with a gesture from her master Kimmy raised her pendulum and disrupted its telekinetic grasp.

    ¡°Absolutely not! Look at the pattern! It¡¯s holding steady!¡±

    The man gnashed his teeth, and between scintillating flashes a graveler and exeggcute materialised. ¡°I refuse to rebuild it from scratch! Dan, Bernard, restrain that hypno!¡±

    Doc felt a laugh bubbling up, and released it with a howl. ¡°Hoo hoo hoo! Oh, don¡¯t be overdramatic!¡± He could feel it now, too, the glut of ghost-type energy permeating the room; it was no coincidence that ghost and psychic were once considered a single type. He gestured with his cane. ¡°My fellows, the Professor and I are having a cordial disagreement! Who else feels like weighing in?¡±

    The intense lightshow tilted towards red as over two dozen Pok¨¦mon were released, and the containment tubes slid open in a series of whooshes, muk and weezing joined the field. Then the lights dimmed further, winking out for a fraction of a second before blue emergency lighting flickered on, painting the laboratory in deep, shadowy tones.

    ¡°You-!¡± Mokusen snarled. But then he stilled, the pulsing veins in his forehead disappearing ¨C but the anger did not; the Doctor could still see it, the small dregs of psychic ability he had sacrificed so much to awaken showing him the truth of the man¡¯s very soul. ¡°Very well, if you want it to be like that, I¡¯ll show you how disagreeable I can be.¡±

    Another flash, and a towering figure appeared; something seven feet tall, its four arms bulging with muscles like coiled arbok.

    ¡°M-machamp!¡± screamed a panicking fellow. ¡°Weezing, Explosion!¡± Several aghast faces turned his way, but the Doctor only continued to laugh.

    ¡°Dos, Barrier!¡± The timid girl didn¡¯t show any part of herself, but she must have heard his order, because a pane glistening like crystal glass shimmered into being between the delicate chamber and the soon-to-explode weezing. ¡°Oh, I feel like I¡¯m back at Cinnabar again!¡±

    The bag of poison gasses detonated.

    <hr>

    Professor Mokusen strode through the halls, his jaw set, the remains of his formerly pristine labcoat smouldering.

    Insane fool. Dexus take that man and spare us all his bullshit.

    He always hated going to the upper labs; they were an uncivilised, barely functional cavalcade of half-baked ideas ¨C not unlike their master, the self-proclaimed Doctor. Every time he went there, something conspired to blow up in his face.

    He looked back to scowl in its direction, and realised with rising horror that he was leaving a trail ¨C he lifted a foot, staring in disgust at the coating of muk juice liberally coating the bottoms of his shoes.

    There went a perfectly good set of footwear, joining his coat in the casualty list. He shucked off the ruined shoes, setting them next to the wall and continuing in his socks ¨C he would have someone dispose of the toxic waste later.

    Blowhard. Arrogant, selfish prick, he admonished internally. And since the chamber ended up being semi-successful, I can¡¯t even complain to the instructors.

    That was always the way it went; Kimigawa would swoop in at the last minute, toss one of his carefully designed experiments like a cheap salad, and manage to produce something viable by sheer luck. Luck. Fucking luck!

    The man was a menace, a bad joke, but he always appeared to be just competent enough to warrant promotion, just innocent enough to avoid backlash. Mokusen had traced him back through one disastrous event to the next; the illicit Ghostwire Project, whatever perversion Bill had been up to in Cerulean, Silph Co.¡¯s Porygon3 Open Initiative, the original Cinnabar Labs disaster ¨C the man¡¯s resume was a smoking crater. And every time, he had escaped by the skin of his teeth; ironically the only time he hadn¡¯t been responsible for the outcome was the one time the authorities blamed him, ruining his career as a civilian scientist.

    The Professor took the stairs two at a time, descending down to the sub-basement ¨C his domain, a place of sanity, of real science.

    But although the softly lit corridors calmed his heart, he couldn¡¯t discard the seething rage produced by the day¡¯s events. The ectoplasm chamber had indeed exploded, as he¡¯d predicted ¨C but it had also produced a fully evolved gengar, something that he hadn¡¯t projected to happen for months, still.

    Yet again, by nothing but luck, Doctor Hypno would take the win. It was maddening.

    The door to his primary lab was caught by the doorstop before it could collide with the wall, and the Professor entered to see everything in its place; the machoke training with a rotating cadre of martial artists, a duo of kadabra quietly meditating in a psychic resonance chamber, and, taking up half the room, the area for his underlings to observe and record. He repeated it to himself again: actual, sane science.

    A doctor ¨C a real, medical doctor ¨C approached, her face covered by goggles and a paper surgical mask.. ¡°Professor, welcome back. We heard something of a¡­ commotion. Do you require assistance?¡±

    His face twisted. ¡°Get me new clothes, and alert the project manager for Ghost Level Three.¡± A smidgen of fear came through the woman¡¯s posture as she took in his expression. ¡°We¡¯ll have to build a new ectoplasm chamber.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ see,¡± she stated. ¡°I¡¯ll get right on that. Excuse me.¡±

    She hurried off, and Professor Mokusen, with excruciating effort, placed the simmering rage into its box; it could come out later, when it wasn¡¯t in the way. He headed into the martial section of the lab, and was again approached ¨C this time by a martial artist, one of Saffron¡¯s premier blackbelts.

    ¡°Sir!¡± the man said with a salute. ¡°Is the facility being invaded? Shall we prepare for battle?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he replied sharply. ¡°I had a small disagreement with that idiot upstairs, that¡¯s all. Give me a status report.¡±

    Another salute; while the martial artists were all competent enough, some of them did have their own¡­ quirks. ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    ¡°And don¡¯t yell!¡±

    The man looked confused for a moment, before continuing. ¡°Of course, sir. The machoke are absorbing everything like sponges, as always; we should see them ready to evolve within the month.¡±

    ¡°Good, you¡¯re within schedule. The machop experiment?¡±

    He winced. ¡°Results haven¡¯t been what we were hoping for, sir. They just don¡¯t learn very well until they¡¯re adults.¡±

    Mokusen hissed through his teeth. ¡°Fine. Have a written report on my desk within the hour.¡±

    Yet another salute. Neither of us is in the military, you fool. ¡°I¡¯ll get it done right away, sir!¡± Then he turned and headed off.

    With a shake of his head, the Professor did the same. He took a moment to release Harry with the other kadabra, then crossed the room to the observation chamber. For a third time he was approached, but he waved the researcher off. ¡°Later, after I¡¯ve dressed and read my reports. I¡¯ll be in my lab; have those two things delivered to the office, nothing else.¡±

    Without giving his underlings any more attention, he opened the door to leading his private laboratory and stepped inside.

    <hr>

    Dabi Mokusen did not consider himself a genius. No; there existed towering giants, titans of progress, and he was not one of them.

    His mother had been. He was merely above average, barely adequate to follow in her footsteps.

    And yet, he continued to follow. He passed through his office, cleansed himself in his private bathroom, then went through into the clean room beyond, where he dressed in sterile medical scrubs. Yet another door opened, this one keyed to open only for someone of his precise height and weight, and he finally stepped into the lab proper.

    Brilliant white lights flicked on in sequence, revealing massive tanks containing different Pok¨¦mon; three prominent spaces were filled by charizard, blastoise, and venusaur, while more out-of-the-way containers held beedrill, pinsir, pidgeot, and more. While they might have appeared like nothing more than preserved corpses to the untrained eye, the truth was that they were merely in suspended animation, not altogether different from the state a Pok¨¦ball took when in storage mode.

    On the front of each pod was a control panel, and affixed to the front of each panel was a stone, perfectly smooth, bearing a spiral pattern within like a cat¡¯s-eye marble.

    Professor Mokusen breathed in, and Dabi Mokusen breathed out. The urge to rub at his singed face was overwhelming, but that would destroy his sterility, so he suppressed it.

    With heavy steps he made his way to the centre of the room, where the main control panel was located ¨C and beyond it, the largest tank of all. ¡°Hello, Granny,¡± he muttered, placing his hands on the controls.

    The massive machamp did not answer; out of all the Pok¨¦mon in the room, it was the only one that was actually dead.

    For several hours, he worked, carefully teasing apart the corpse¡¯s secrets, compiling notes, attempting to translate his mother¡¯s coded writings. He made little progress; all the low-hanging fruit had been picked years ago.

    But progress was made. A shaky half-step was taken on the road to true evolution. That was real science: observation, repetition, and refinement. Moving carefully, lest valuable, irreplaceable samples be lost.

    Eventually his body cried out for maintenance loudly enough to pierce his fugue, and Dabi carefully packed everything away, away from light, and air, and time.

    The lights went off behind him of their own accord, obedient and logical, and Dabi became Professor Mokusen once more. The hunger pains went from excruciating to merely distracting, a problem to be solved, and he emerged from his bathroom to find fresh clothing set out, and a bundle of reports waiting neatly on his desk.

    He smiled without mirth, stuck his head out to order one of his peons to fetch a late night snack, and continued to work.

 3.01 - Life Goes On

    On Saturday, July 31st, 2010, Hoshi Mutsu slept through the sunrise for the second time. And this time, he was actually successful.

    Ugh, was his first thought upon waking. I feel like yesterday was some sort of strange dream¡­

    After exiting the academy grounds, clothes and ultra-illegal knicknacks contained in a paper bag, Hoshi and Casca had gotten a double order of pizza, staggered home, and crashed like¡­

    Well, like Rockets, I suppose. Heh.

    A soft but insistent murmur was sneaking in through the blinds, and when he put his feet down Hoshi found that the night¡¯s chill had been woefully overpowered; the carpet completely failed to cool his feet. He was already starting to sweat ¨C or maybe it would be more accurate to say he never stopped ¨C the air inside the apartment hot and humid despite his bedside alarm reading 6:43. A steady rain pounded against the window, but it seemed that even the heavy cloud cover wasn¡¯t enough to beat the unnatural heatwave. Too worn out to even sigh, he stood up.

    Arcus, I feel like I worked a double shift. After a minute of standing blearily in the gloom, he went to the bathroom and confirmed that, yes, he looked that way too.

    Hoshi splashed some blessedly cold water across his face as he listened to his girlfriend undergo her own awakening ritual; Casca preferred to eat before anything else, which was convenient on the rare occasions where they woke together, since he got the bathroom all to himself. He debated indulging in an early-morning shower, but eventually discarded the thought.

    No; I have only today and tomorrow before my paid leave is up. I need to get something at least resembling a plan together for the Gym job. Coordinate with the other four, convince them to actually do what I say ¨C fuck, I don¡¯t even know where they live.

    Cleaning himself quickly, he stepped out of the bathroom with a bit more energy. ¡°Hey Casca, my first ¡®lesson¡¯ won¡¯t be ¡®till next weekend, right? Can I go into the Academy before then, or do I need an appointment?¡±

    Casca was standing near the fridge, squinting suspiciously at a carton of milk. ¡°Hm? Oh, yeah, that should be fine. You might get some heat at the door, but just flash your ID and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± She paused, then thrust the carton his way. ¡°Might be better if we go together. More importantly, does this milk smell weird to you? It smells weird to me.¡±

    He took the container with an eye-roll. ¡°I bought this on Wednesday, of course it isn¡¯t-¡±

    The sentence was cut short as he immediately felt something off about the carton. He sniffed it, but¡­ No, it isn¡¯t bad. It¡¯s¡­ Hoshi was usually a morning person, but the heat and fatigue had combined into a swamp that his every conscious thought had to trudge miserably through in order to complete.

    There¡¯s definitely something weird about it. Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­

    His hands slid over the carton ¨C the room temperature carton. ¡°Oh, for fuck¡¯s-!¡± Casca stepped aside as he wrenched open the fridge door, and when a blast of frosty air failed to appear, he cursed again. ¡°The damn fridge is busted!¡± For all the cold to be gone, it must¡¯ve happened yesterday ¨C maybe even the day before. ¡°Of all the shitty timing¡­¡±

    ¡°Shit, that sucks.¡± Casca commented. ¡°Do you know anybody with a machop or something? ¡®Cause I don¡¯t think the two of us could haul a whole-ass refrigerator up here from wherever the heck the nearest appliance shop is¡­¡± Gingerly, she plucked the milk from Hoshi¡¯s hand, sniffed it again, and began to pour herself a bowl of cereal with a shrug. ¡°At least we caught it before the stuff went bad, right? Silver lining.¡±

    For a moment Hoshi only stood, sour, before he softly slammed the door. ¡°Yeah.¡± Some silver fucking lining.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t just unplugged, right?¡±

    <hr>

    It turned out that no, it hadn¡¯t been unplugged, and yes, the plug still had power; his toaster worked just fine when he switched things around, producing a quick breakfast for him while his girlfriend polished off her cereal.

    And so Hoshi was now out in the sweltering morning rain, protected only by an umbrella and the thick armour of his seething annoyance, debating with himself as to whether he should go down to Electric Paradise, a store just a few streets away, or hoof it all the way up past the power plant to see Danny about some salvage.

    Because while his body was telling him the convenience was worth it, his wallet was saying something entirely different: that he had dropped a pretty fucking large cut of his savings on training lessons over the last month, and paying full price for a new refrigerator would put¡­ a certain amount of strain on his finances.

    He looked up at the dark clouds, visibly churning with a speed that must be ludicrous given their size and distance. The rain fell down in sheets, and to his right the comparatively-close sea crashed against the docks in violent fits.

    His teeth grit ¨C but then Hoshi began to laugh. In the empty streets near the Gym, the sound seemed almost thunderous. Arcus fuck¡­

    While I¡¯m doing this, Casca is going in to fetch the contact details on my criminal team, so I can coordinate with them to bug the Gym¡¯s official League computer. The juxtaposition between the two major problems of the day was just too absurd; he had to express it aloud.

    Eventually the echoing laugh ran out of gas, and Hoshi was left¡­ not empty, not even close, but cleaner inside, more aware.

    ¡°Fuck. This better be a volcano, ¡®cause if it¡¯s actually a legendary Pok¨¦mon, I¡¯m gonna kick its fucking ass.¡±

    Nature responded to his hubristic statement with a gust of wind, and Hoshi struggled to keep hold of his umbrella. Fuck it. I¡¯ve got other shit to talk with him about anyway.

    <hr>

    If there was one upside to the constant deluge, it was that it washed away the heavy garbage-stink of the dump. Usually Hoshi could smell it from a ways off, decaying machinery combining with the stench of grimer and koffing ¨C and what little organic waste got routed there, all the way out of town ¨C into a putrid miasma that singed his nose hairs as he went through the gates.

    But not today; today, even the moisture-loving grimer were taking shelter. The only Pok¨¦mon that Hoshi had seen on the way over had been a pair of electabuzz, up on top of the crimson shadow of the power plant, fighting each other for the privilege of getting struck by lightning.

    Not that they¡¯ll be satisfied, win or lose; I haven¡¯t heard a single peal of thunder all day. Yet another anomalous bit of weather ¨C usually the summer storms were heavy with electricity.

    Hugging his umbrella close, Hoshi went through the open gates. ¡°Danny, you out and about?¡± It would be completely stupid to try and get anything done in the rain, but Danny Houndoom was the exact right blend of idiot and mechanical savant to get caught up in something in the middle of a typhoon. ¡°It¡¯s Hoshi!¡±

    No answer. In the darkness of the stormy morning the stacked refuse was nearly indistinguishable from natural mountains, seeming to loom on the horizon despite being only metres away. Okay, maybe that thought was a little too uncharitable; not even Danny would be working out in this.

    He trudged to the man¡¯s little cabin, dodging the deeper puddles by luck more than ability. Lights are out. Is he asleep?

    For a second he debated knocking, before a flash of movement in the window made the decision for him.

    Clack clack clack, went the corrugated metal. ¡°Danny, open the door! It¡¯s fucking underwater out here!¡±

    Shuffling, what might have been a muffled voice, and then the door opened. Huh, still in his pajamas. Did I imagine seeing something? ¡°Fucking heck, kid. Sun¡¯s not even out yet.¡± Danny yawned, old-fashioned nightcap completely incongruous with his sweatshorts and sunglasses, and as the man¡¯s long exhale continued Hoshi solved the mystery: a grimer, brighter green than normal, burbled around behind Danny¡¯s heels.

    Huh, that explains the movement. ¡°Sorry man, didn¡¯t think you¡¯d still be asleep ¨C it¡¯s like ten already.¡±

    Danny¡¯s head tilted, and he looked around, seeming to notice the rain for the first time. ¡°Oh. Fuck, I guess that makes sense ¨C it¡¯s hot as balls. Come on in.¡±

    The interior of Danny¡¯s little shack hadn¡¯t changed much from the last time Hoshi had seen it.

    ¡°So what¡¯s up? No way you swam through a damn hurricane just to chat,¡± the man said, a layer of sleep still lurking under his voice.

    ¡°Fridge conked out.¡± Hoshi¡¯s eyes went across the room as Danny turned on the lights ¨C like his speaker system, they were distributed amongst the rafters, obviously jury-rigged.

    ¡°Huh. Well, fuck, that¡¯s inconvenient.¡± He peered through the window as Hoshi sat. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not gonna be able to dig something up for you with the rain like this. Holy shit, it¡¯s coming down¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything pre-built?¡± Danny usually keeps a few fast-sellers on hand, but with the heat being what it¡¯s been¡­

    The scrap seller shook his head. ¡°Nope, sorry. I can do something in¡­¡± His tongue slipped through his lips as he thought. ¡°Maybe three or four days? Depends if it keeps raining.¡±

    Hoshi grunted in displeasure. No way my food¡¯ll last four days. ¡°What price?¡± But it might be cheaper to just write the groceries off and get takeout for a while.

    Danny answered with an uncertain sound. ¡°Ehhh, no less than three hundred. Probably more; really depends on what model I manage to find, and the damage. I ain¡¯t welding something together in fourty-plus for pocket change.¡±

    He ambled to the side to make use of his own, functioning mini-fridge, and Hoshi¡¯s thoughts ran sour. Three ¨C or more likely four or five ¨C hundred. That¡¯s better than I¡¯d get at Paradise, but if I can scrounge up something used from a different scrap shop¡­

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Another grumble of displeasure. Arc, I really don¡¯t want to go bargain-hunting in the rain, and even less in the heat. Though it was still fucking sweltering, it was legitimately cooler than the previous days had been. Plus there¡¯s the time investment ¨C yeah, no, it¡¯s either here or just buying retail.

    Hoshi¡¯s voice cut through the drumbeat of raindrops on thin steel. ¡°I have the thing itself; I¡¯ll agree to a cheap patch job if you help me haul it in and out of town.¡±

    Danny took his time answering, cutting the pit out of his breakfast ¨C a single large peach or nectarine or whatever ¨C and scarfing half the fruit down before deigning to speak.

    He smacked his lips. ¡°Ugh, Hoshi, don¡¯t make me work in this fuckin¡¯ heat.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s brows raised as he shot the man a look. ¡°I¡¯m not making you do shit; I¡¯m offering to pay for a service.¡±

    ¡°Taking advantage of an honest man¡¯s greed, that¡¯s what you''re doing,¡± came the muttered reply. ¡°Fine. A couple ¡®a koffing should be able to carry something that big, or at least make it light enough to carry¡­ You¡¯re getting it past the stairs yourself, though.¡± He bit into the other half of the fruit, and it was gone in seconds ¨C somehow, the old huckster managed it without getting a single drop of juice on his face. ¡°Little guys are half-wild; I¡¯m not taking ¡®em indoors.¡±

    ¡°Unlike the grimer?¡±

    ¡°Course. Grimey¡¯s basically tame, ain¡¯t that right?¡± The grimer burbled as it received a pat on the head from Danny¡¯s bare foot. ¡°You¡¯d know if you had a Pok¨¦mon of your own ¨C there¡¯s like, a bond and all that sappy shit.¡±

    He grinned his nearly-toothless grin, and Hoshi¡¯s brow climbed up his forehead a second time.

    Seriously? Bright red and white aren¡¯t exactly subtle colours, old man. ¡°Did you not notice?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Hoshi gestured to his belt. ¡°As of yesterday, I¡¯m the proud owner of two freshly-caught Pok¨¦mon. Even won a few battles.¡±

    The shack¡¯s owner froze in place, his expression fixed in teasing mirth for a moment before changing to disbelief. ¡°What? Bullshit.¡±

    With a grin of his own, Hoshi pulled a ball from his belt. You know what they say, seeing is believing. ¡°Guts, come out and say hello.¡±

    The furniture-dense confines of the building flashed red as the rattata appeared. It ¨C you know, I should really sex the things sometime soon ¨C squeaked questioningly, turning to face the grimer.

    ¡°No, no battle. Just showing you off, Guts.¡± Keep saying the name, so it¡¯ll stick in its head. He turned back to Danny. ¡°Well? Still think it¡¯s bullshit?¡±

    The man¡¯s jaw worked for a moment. ¡°Kid, that¡¯s dangerous. Without a licence-¡±

    ¡°What, you think I¡¯m stupider than I was last month? Look at this.¡± Continuing to grin at his friend¡¯s flabbergasted expense, Hoshi pulled out his wallet and flashed his new credentials. ¡°Fully licensed Pok¨¦mon trainer, Hoshi Mutsu.¡±

    Danny¡¯s face remained incredulous as he looked at the card tucked under the wallet¡¯s clear plastic pocket. ¡°Bullshit,¡± he whispered. ¡°No, this is worse than bullshit. Hoshi, where did you get this? No way you aced the exams well enough ¨C they¡¯re only taking, like, top one hundred in all of Kanto-¡± His face screwed up. ¡°And it isn¡¯t even the right season! You¡¯d have gotten it in spring if¡­¡±

    Hoshi waggled his wallet. ¡°I¡¯m not hearing an apology, you old jackass. Or do you want to settle this with a battle?¡±

    Finally, Danny seemed to break out of his disbelief. ¡°Fuck off, I¡¯m retired. Seriously, where? How? You can¡¯t have faked the thing¡­¡± Then he caught Hoshi¡¯s shit-eating grin, and snorted. ¡°No! You can¡¯t! I couldn¡¯t fake a licence, and I¡¯m an Arceus-damned genius!¡±

    He turned, making for his computer and pulling open a thin desk drawer. ¡°Where¡¯s the fucking- hah, here we go! Lemme see that thing!¡±

    He gestured with a hand scanner ¨C does Pok¨¦mart just throw those things in the trash? I¡¯d have thought they¡¯d be too valuable to toss ¨C and Hoshi relinquished his wallet with a roll of his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not gonna tell you anything, Danny. Just take the loss with grace.¡±

    ¡°Shuddap,¡± he replied with his usual eloquence. An orange laser flashed out from the scanner¡¯s front, playing over the complex pattern on the right side of the card, opposite Hoshi¡¯s mugshot, and the scanner beeped cheerfully. A light on the side flashed green, and Danny¡¯s face cycled between disgust and disbelief.

    Idly, Hoshi noted that Guts was chewing on his host¡¯s wooden bedframe.

    ¡°Fuck me. This is-¡±

    ¡°If you say bullshit one more time, I¡¯ll keep how I got that thing to myself. You¡¯ve gotta expand your vocabulary, Danny.¡±

    ¡°¡­Horse shit. Bouffalant shit. Fuckin¡¯ fairy shit on toast!¡± He stared at the card for another moment, then tossed the wallet back to Hoshi, who caught it. ¡°I¡¯m speechless, Hoshi. It can¡¯t- it can¡¯t be a real fake, right?¡±

    Hoshi took his time putting the thing away, letting the man stew. But eventually he answered, letting some of the verdant smug feeling drip away. ¡°Ignoring the oxymoron, it totally is a real fake. Got it yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Fucking..!¡± The junkyard owner¡¯s face made interesting shapes as he composed himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say, kid. This is¡­ this is gang shit, right?¡± Hoshi nodded, and the man¡¯s nostrils flared, ¡°Arceus- damn it, Hoshi, you know I hate that shit!¡±

    The rookie grunt was silent as his older friend worked himself up, then back down, curiosity building until it beat out caution.

    ¡°¡­Okay, fine. You win. You got this from Rocket?¡±

    Another nod. ¡°Yeah, and that isn¡¯t all. Guts, come over here.¡± The rat stopped sharpening its teeth on Danny¡¯s shitty furniture, giving him a long look before ambling over. Not very motivated when out of battle ¨C something to work on, I guess. ¡°They just handed me two Pok¨¦mon ¨C in these weird fucking balls. Here, check it out¡­¡±

    <hr>

    Danny Houndoom considered himself to be a pretty damn good tech guy, despite the shakes that age and¡­ other things were adding to his fingers. He could code, he could wire, he could weld and sodder and screw ¨C he was the whole fucking package, tied with a bow.

    So it was with exceedingly large reservations that he quietly admitted to himself, in the privacy of his own head, that he hadn¡¯t the vaguest fucking idea of what he was looking at.

    ¡°Arc, kid. This thing is- I don¡¯t even know how to describe it.¡±

    Under the spotlight of his desk lamp, the weird purple ball was splayed out in its service mode ¨C it was, at least, similar enough to a standard Pok¨¦ball for that feature to still be present. So it¡¯s using at least the base of the same tech. He just wished he could observe that, instead of having to intuit it.

    Danny knew Pok¨¦balls. He could reset them, change registration codes, and he was halfway sure he¡¯d be able to assemble one if he had all the parts laid out¡­ but the tangle of incredibly fine wires and circuitry in front of him didn¡¯t resemble anything in Silph Co.¡¯s catalogue, not in the least. ¡°Look at these lenses, Hoshi ¨C they¡¯re so fine. You can¡¯t grow them like that, the seed crystal starts off too spherical; this must be cut down. But it¡¯s flawless, there aren¡¯t any marks¡­¡±

    Carefully, he brought his tool down and pressed it into the carefully concealed service slot, and the ¡®Rocket Ball¡¯ snapped back together with incredible force, much more than any ball he¡¯d ever worked on. ¡°I can¡¯t say any more, I¡¯m too afraid to dig into this thing to get at the battery or storage shit. Fucking- who the fuck made this, a fucking space alien?¡±

    Hoshi bobbed his shoulders in an infuriating half-shrug. Damnit, man, can you not see I¡¯m freaking out here? ¡°Something like that ¨C I mean, I¡¯d believe they were aliens, anyhow.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not screwing with you, Hoshi. This thing is- I¡¯ve never touched a Master Ball, but if you just showed me this thing without context that¡¯s what I¡¯d think of first. This is some dumb fucking future shit, man.¡± Or at least the tech needed to build it is future shit; the materials themselves are mundane, it¡¯s how they¡¯re refined that makes this thing shine.

    Or at least, that was the impression he got from looking just under the skin ¨C for all he knew, the innards could be hiding a fusion reactor or living alakazam brain or any kind of sci-fi nonsense.

    The kid had the gall to respond to his statements with a dubious.look. ¡°Is it really all that? I¡¯ve met the Rocket Professors, and they seemed¡­¡± He chewed on his words for a second. ¡°Unreliable. Crazy.¡±

    ¡°All geniuses are crazy, Hoshi.¡± Danny tapped the side of his head. ¡°Workplace hazard. Some of the shit I put up with way back when¡­¡± He trailed off with a shake of his head. ¡°Look, I¡¯m just saying this shit is whack. Using something like this to catch normal Pok¨¦mon is complete fucking overkill.¡±

    The kid accepted his ball back, and snapped the plastic cover back on without speaking ¨C and to think he¡¯d thought that was impressive. Between that ball and the fake licence, I¡¯m having serious thoughts about joining myself. What I could do with that tech and twenty hours of alone time¡­

    The possibilities were endless. No way Rocket is just some gang. If their tech is outpacing Silph, then someone in the government is sponsoring them. Fuck, maybe more than one. He could think of a few people back in Unova that would froth at the mouth to get one over on the overlords of the Pok¨¦ball market, and an entirely different set that would do twice as much to get access to untraceable balls.

    After staring at the concealed Rocket Ball for a long moment, Hoshi finally snapped out of it. ¡°Guts, return,¡± he ordered, and the rat disappeared in a flash of light. ¡°Arcus, Danny. I want to say first off that I¡¯m not doubting you, but¡­ It¡¯s kind of hard to believe that a gang is able to make something as good as Silph Co.¡±

    ¡°I know, right?¡± Danny nodded as the young man followed his own thoughts exactly. ¡°It¡¯s gotta be some conspiracy. Nobody makes fake licences, that shit¡¯s impossible. The Indigo League owns, like, ninety-nine percent of remaining porygon; getting into their systems is¡­¡± Not impossible, but¡­ ¡°It just doesn¡¯t happen.¡±

    Rolling the ball in his palm, Hoshi considered. ¡°What if they had an evolved porygon? A porygon2?¡±

    Danny sucked on his gums. ¡°¡­No, still no. That¡¯s still a hundred to one; like a hundred of your little guy there getting beaten by one raticate. It¡¯s gotta be some black ops shit ¨C they get tech, Indigo or whoever gets a disposable asset. Maybe Sinnoh, they¡¯ve been getting a lot of weirdly good deals lately.¡±

    Danny could almost feel the intensity of Hoshi¡¯s mulling. ¡°That¡­ makes sense. But- Danny, you had to be there. It was fucking insane ¨C no way a a government with like, oversight and red tape and shit would put up with what I saw on my first fucking day. It was a madhouse ¨C they had a persian dressed up in a suit, Danny.¡±

    He continued sucking on his gums. Damn kid is going to give me ulcers. ¡°I¡¯ve said my piece. I¡¯m washing my hands of this shit; you lie in whatever bed you decide to make.¡± Throwing his hands up, he leaned back in his chair.

    ¡°¡­Yeah, okay. Thanks for taking a look; I¡¯ll be back in a day or two to hash out the details on the refrigerator.¡±

    <hr>

    Hoshi walked into his apartment with a slurry of thoughts sloshing around in his head. Rocket can¡¯t be some kind of foreign group, right? All the bigwigs I saw were Kantonian. Right ¨C Kantonian businessmen, who might have been bought out by promises of money or power. And they¡¯re sending me to bug a League database¡­

    No, that doesn¡¯t count, that¡¯s something Rocket would do even if it was legit. Hoshi¡¯s teeth creaked as his jaw clenched. If they¡¯re backed by a foreign power, I want to cut my losses and ditch as soon as possible. But how do I figure out if they are? Casca wouldn¡¯t be any help; she was just a grunt like him ¨C in fact, if being a Senior Grunt meant sweet fuck-all, he would probably know more than her pretty soon. So do I just keep going? Work my way in, like I was planning?

    Just carrying on straight ahead felt weird now that Danny had pointed out something that didn¡¯t make sense, but he legitimately couldn¡¯t think of anything he could do differently. Arcus, I can barely fucking think straight with the heat and humidity. Gazing at his disguised balls for a minute, he pondered in circles, going nowhere.

    Then he got up, and resolved to think about it more after a cold shower.

 3.02 - Over the Moon

    ¡°And off the top rope- HEAVY SLAM! There it is, The Onix¡¯s signature move! Can Silver Dollar get back in the fight, or is he down for the count?!¡±

    Menard Kaneth ¨C Kenny to his friends, and ¡®Moony¡¯ to a couple of his new work buddies ¨C listened to the television with half an ear. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure why he kept up with it, the fights, the culture, the industry¡­

    It gave him a weird feeling in his gut; not quite sad, not quite lonely. Something he couldn¡¯t name. A lot bitter, cut with a few grains of sugar ¨C not nothing, but not nearly enough to take the edge off.

    ¡­But he still hadn¡¯t decided to stop, for whatever reason.

    ¡°And a-one! A-two! Last chance-! A-THREE! Silver Dollar is out! The Indigo Heavyweight Belt goes to The Onix! Look at him showboating, the rotten bastard- and OH, it looks like Dollar¡¯s trying to fight off the paramedics! He thinks the fight¡¯s still on!¡±

    Kenny smiled listlessly. Good work with the medics, that. Looks almost like a real concussion. It wasn¡¯t ¨C you could tell by the eyes ¨C but Silver Dollar was really selling it. Ha. Dollar, selling. He continued to watch the ending of the summer¡¯s blockbuster storyline, before being turned back to the task at hand by an insistent squeak.

    ¡°Hm? Oh, sorry Bubbles. What were we doing?¡±

    The sandshrew looked at him from its perch ¨C a tall, padded stool ¨C the extra height meaning the Pok¨¦mon only had to look up two feet, rather than four. It squeaked again, a rough sound that reminded Kenny of an exercise mat sliding around on unwaxed hardwood.

    ¡°Right, right, I remember.¡± His Rocket Dex had told him that Bubbles knew three moves: Scratch, Defense Curl, and Sand Attack ¨C except it had displayed that last one in orange text, and when he had tried to use it in battle the sandshrew had just scrabbled against the floor, before looking back at him with a look like ¡®well what am I supposed to do now?¡¯

    The easiest path forward would probably be to ask his bosses about it, but he was a trainer now, and that meant he was supposed to have an adventure. So¡­ he and Bubbles would do their best to figure it out together.

    And then they¡¯d get one over on their rivals, that guy with the pompadour and his weird beetle. ¡°Let¡¯s try it again. Sand Attack!¡±

    Bubbles twitched his nose, then, reluctantly, turned and made digging motions at the air. If he had been on loose ground, Kenny would have gotten a face full of grit ¨C but perched up in the air, the attack did nothing at all.

    ¡°Nothin¡¯, huh?¡± He reached out and patted his Pok¨¦mon on the head. ¡°You¡¯ll get it. Practice makes perfect!¡± It was just like learning how to do a suplex: at first you needed the help of the other guy to make it look real, but eventually you¡¯d be able to do it with anyone, even someone who was resisting.

    Bubbles just needed to learn how to put aside the crutch of needing real dirt.

    They practised for enough time that the TV switched to the next program ¨C without much progress ¨C before a shaky voice came up the stairs.

    ¡°Menard, you have guests. Come on down here.¡±

    Kenny blinked at his Pok¨¦mon, frowning. ¡°Huh? Damn it, we were just¡¯ getting¡¯ a rhythm goin¡¯¡­ Be down in a sec¡¯, Nana!¡±

    Bubbles went back in his ball, and then the ball went under Kenny¡¯s pillow; the bosses said everything would look legit, but he didn¡¯t want to be the first person in their roster to test that out. If the guest was a blue, then they¡¯d have to work for it.

    He descended the narrow stairs with practised ease, coming down to the first floor nearly silently. He peeked around the corner just enough to see¡­

    Whew, not a Jenny. It was just Suit ¨C in a suit, construction worker my ass ¨C and his piece, that orange-haired fat chick, making light conversation with his nana; it was easy to remember them- actually, it was easy to remember the whole squad, something that Kenny was thankful for. With nothing to fear, he walked into the kitchen.

    ¡°Hey Suit. Didn¡¯t expect to see you today.¡± Or at all, actually; how the heck did you find out where I live? ¡°Shit¡¯s really coming down.¡±

    The man gave him a surly look. ¡°It¡¯s a typhoon, Moony. Shit¡¯s going to be coming down for a while.¡± Then he stilled, side-eyeing Nana, and lifted a teacup to his lips.

    The old woman waved him off with a bony hand. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t need to watch your language around me, young man. I know how men are in the industry.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s eyes flashed as he froze, and Kenny had to hold in a laugh as the purple-haired man struggled not to spit out a mouthful of tea. Ha! Not that industry, man! But the amusement died a moment later, and he turned to his grandmother. ¡°Nana, I told ya I don¡¯t work there no more, remember? Got a new, better job.¡± He attempted a smile. ¡°I¡¯m a trainer now.¡±

    She frowned, her wrinkled brows turning down and in behind large bifocals that made her eyes look wide as saucers. ¡°You aren¡¯t..? No, I don¡¯t remember that¡­¡±

    The two guests looked at each other, and Kenny winced. Ah shit, always awkward to do this in front of people.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it later, okay Nana? Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He turned back to the tall, thin man he had met a couple days ago. ¡°What brings you here, Suit?¡±

    ¡°The¡­¡± he began, but then his eyes slid Nana¡¯s way again.

    ¡°We just popped over to see how you were dealing with things!¡± the girlfriend smoothly took over. ¡°Vermilion may be a sea town, but that doesn¡¯t mean things are always built that way ¨C so, you holding up? No leaky roof?¡± She smiled, and despite her being way outside his preferences, Kenny felt his blood stir.

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re going just fine young miss, just fine,¡± Nana answered. ¡°Those new houses might be shoddy, but things on this side of town were built right. Why, I remember coming down the road the first time, it was all open ocean ¨C they hadn¡¯t built the big stone docks yet, it was just wood back then¡­¡±

    As his nana drifted off into a story, Kenny felt relieved. Not too bad, today. Sometimes his old work buddies would show up, and Nana would screech at them ¨C she had a foul mouth when she was upset, fitting for a sailor¡¯s wife. He noticed that she had set out a place for him and sat, ignoring his coworker¡¯s pointed looks.

    Sorry man, Nana¡¯s stories come before whatever you¡¯re here for. Gotta care about it while it lasts.

    <hr>

    Hoshi listened with increasing frustration as Moony¡¯s grandmother went on and on about how the docks were built, something he was more than familiar with already ¨C he must have gotten this exact story a hundred times between his father, Surge, and random people at the museum.

    Normally he wouldn¡¯t mind, but today¡­ Today is the last day before work starts up again. According to a message from Everheart, Hoshi had been right; they weren¡¯t working outdoors in the heat ¨C but indoor renovations and deskwork, no matter how much more comfortable they were than construction proper, would still take the same amount of time out of his day. He needed to get his ducks in a row before Monday.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll tell you, the magikarp was bigger than I was. I¡¯ve never seen one that big since, not even on the telly when they show those big fishing contests from the lake. Waddles was strutting around with his head up for weeks, you couldn¡¯t imagine a prouder cat.¡±

    The old woman, her grey-white hair held up in two loose buns, paused to sip at her tea, and Hoshi took the opportunity.

    ¡°That was a delightful story, ma¡¯am. But I was hoping to talk shop with M-enard, just a bit.¡± He looked Moony¡¯s way. ¡°Maybe upstairs?¡±

    She opened her mouth, but Casca pre-empted her. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea ¨C why don¡¯t the men go off and talk about work, while the two of us have our own chat? You must be starved for intelligent conversation, girl.¡±

    Moony¡¯s grandmother tittered, and Hoshi took that as his cue to stand. He grabbed his briefcase as he went, shooting his girlfriend a thankful look before taking his¡­ underling, by the arm.

    ¡°Oi, hold up, I ain¡¯t done with-¡±

    ¡°Moony,¡± Hoshi hissed into the over-muscular man¡¯s ear. ¡°I need to talk to you about the job. Do you want to have that conversation here, or in private?¡± Arc, you¡¯ve already shown you¡¯re shitty at operational security. Maybe I should leave you out of this¡­

    After an uncomfortable pause, the ex-wrestler shrugged off Hoshi¡¯s grip. ¡°Yeah, fine. My room¡¯s upstairs.¡± He gulped down what was left of his tea, before turning to his grandmother. ¡°Be back in a sec, Nana.¡±

    Then it was apparently his turn to take Hoshi by the arm. ¡°C¡¯mon. You wanna talk shop? Let¡¯s talk shop.¡±

    <hr>

    Moony¡¯s room was basically exactly as Hoshi would have pictured, if he had bothered to think about it: one half was taken up by a small at-home gym, while the other pulled double duty as both a sleeping space, and a shrine to Kanto¡¯s professional wrestling circuit. Posters were hung so thickly that the actual walls were obscured, with a life-sized body shot of a female wrestler in a skimpy leotard taking centre stage, while a shelf over the bed held a collection of action figures.

    ¡°Look, man,¡± Moony growled out now that they were alone. ¡°I know I said we could get it done in a day, but that was like, figurative, you get me?¡± Hoshi turned to look the man in the eye. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it, so¡­ no need to come to my house.¡±

    Hoshi discarded the man¡¯s words with a minute shake of his head, laying the mildly damp briefcase against a set of barbells. ¡°What does your grandma know? Is she in?¡±

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The man scratched his shaved head, his face tightening. ¡°What? Naw- well, not really?¡± The fuck do you mean, ¡®not really?¡¯ Either she knows or she doesn¡¯t. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ She has bad days, sometimes. I¡¯ve tried explaining things, but I don¡¯t know what¡¯ll stick and what won¡¯t. So¡­¡± He threw his hands up.

    Hoshi¡¯s own expression tightened. ¡°How about you don¡¯t tell people you¡¯re a criminal? I don¡¯t care if you blow yourself out of the water, but that shit¡¯ll bounce back on me ¨C and the others, too.¡±

    The man stilled, and for the first time Hoshi saw him angry, rather than annoyed. It was a cold thing, completely different from his normal expression, and it made his stupid, swollen face look menacing rather than just a product of steroid abuse.

    ¡°I¡¯m not lying to my Nana. I ain¡¯t about that, and you don¡¯t tell me what to do.¡± The cold thawed a touch. ¡°But whatever. I get what you mean ¨C Nana¡¯ll be chill with it, she¡¯s always telling me about how Grampy used to hang with pirates. Rocket¡¯s, like, pirates on land, right?¡±

    Taking a deep breath, Hoshi expelled the deep, deep stupidity of that statement. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not going to tell you how to deal with family, but you¡¯re actually wrong. I do tell you what to do, at least while we¡¯re¡­ on the clock.¡±

    Moony¡¯s lingering anger was washed out by confusion. ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Due to my connection with the Gym Leader,¡± and some kind of pissing contest between the instructors and another Rocket leader in Viridian, probably, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten a promotion. As a Senior Rocket Grunt, I¡¯m in charge of making things go smoothly.¡± He shot the man a stern look and crossed his arms. ¡°And that means whatever happens, my neck is first on the chopping block. I need to give a shit about your situation; if your nana has an attack of conscience ¨C or just blabs to someone because she¡¯s fucking senile ¨C that is, and I hate this as much as you do, on me.¡±

    The two men stared at each other, and Hoshi did his best to keep his hand on the leash. Don¡¯t look at his hands, don¡¯t think about punching him or being punched or anything. Deep breaths, be cool.

    The grunt¡¯s face was screwed up with different emotions, but after a second of two he nodded, slowly. ¡°Senior Grunt, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Thought it¡¯d be Blondie runnin¡¯ the bird¡¯s eye ¨C he seems more the type, no offense.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m surprised as you are.¡±

    His eyes narrowed as the confusion, in turn, was washed away by¡­ Conviction, or something like that. I¡¯ve been in the guy¡¯s presence for a few hours; I can¡¯t read his mood perfectly like Surge or Danny. ¡°You think he¡¯ll, like, fight you for it?¡±

    ¡°¡­We¡¯ll cross that bridge when we get to it.¡± The man doesn¡¯t live in town, so I can¡¯t even talk to him; he¡¯ll have a whole week at least of assuming he¡¯s the boss before getting that assumption thrown in his face. The situation might turn volatile, but there wasn¡¯t much to do other than put his head down and plow through. ¡°What about you? You gonna follow orders, Moony?¡±

    For a tense moment the room was silent, and Hoshi could faintly hear the sound of his girlfriend laughing from downstairs. Glad we¡¯re all having so much fucking fun. Then Moony blew air out through his nostrils, his posture relaxing.

    ¡°Yeah. On one condition:¡± Hoshi braced for some type of bullshit, but the request was surprisingly reasonable. ¡°You call me Kenny, yeah? I don¡¯t hate Moony, but it¡¯s not my name.¡±

    Hoshi felt his lips curl up in a half-affronted smile. ¡°So you can dish it out but not take it, huh?¡± His arms uncrossed to offer the muscular man his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll call you Kenny if you call me Hoshi, deal?¡±

    Moony- Kenny slid his palm in, and they shook on it. ¡°Deal ¨C though I think Suit¡¯s a way better name.¡± A pause. ¡°So¡¯d you just come here to swing your dick around, or did you wanna actually talk about the Gym thing?¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s smile widened, and he picked his suitcase back up.

    ¡°Casca got a copy of everything.¡± Apparently a chunk of it was from her, specifically, seducing a night guard before she met me. She¡¯s a fucking ¡®kazam when it comes to talking to people¡­ ¡°We¡¯ve got floor plans, employee schedules, the works. Even guesstimations on where the security cameras are, though obviously we can¡¯t rely on that.¡± The juiced man¡¯s desk looked to be just large enough to spread everything out. ¡°Move that shit to the side and I¡¯ll show you ¨C oh, and where are you at with your Pok¨¦mon? I want to get as many of us as possible together next Saturday, after Rocket shit. See if we can get some group training done¡­¡±

    <hr>

    After M- Kenny came Nerine, who was almost painfully simple. The rainy trip over was more fraught than actually talking to the teenager in her run-down, one-person apartment; Hoshi walked into a smoky conjoined kitchen/living room/bedroom, told her he was in charge, and she said ¡°Okay.¡±

    He asked if she was free to train after ¡®lessons¡¯ on Saturday, she said ¡°Yeah.¡±

    He showed her the plans, she examined them intensely for a moment then said ¡°Cool. You wanna smoke?¡± The intense redness of her eyes ¨C and the lingering smell ¨C told him she didn¡¯t mean tobacco, and he would have declined anyway.

    He was in and out inside of ten minutes.

    Now he was ahead of schedule, and hoping for a third success in a row. Smooth sailing so far¡­ maybe too smooth, actually. Nerine had actually been kind of frustrating with how nonchalant she was; the girl obviously didn¡¯t take being in Team Rocket seriously. Hopefully she gets more professional closer to actually doing the thing. He wouldn¡¯t bite her head off just yet, but he was prepared to turn into a miniature Everheart if he needed to.

    ¡°The place should be just up ahead. 14th and Caravan, number¡­¡± Casca put a finger to her lips. ¡°Seven seven twelve. That¡¯s what I said earlier, right?¡±

    Hoshi grunted, moving his umbrella as the wind changed direction. ¡°Sounds right to me.¡± A note with Puce Gracile¡¯s address was in his suitcase, but opening it to check now would be momentously stupid ¨C he would just have to trust his girl¡¯s memory. ¡°Six, eight¡­¡±

    ¡°Twelve, bingo! Let¡¯s go up and knock.¡±

    Puce ¨C assuming they had the right house ¨C lived in a medium-sized place way out in the southeast. Like Hoshi, she was right up against the water, though there was no gigantic Pok¨¦mon Gym blocking her view of the ocean. Nice area. The beach is her backyard ¨C It would have been dirt cheap back before the expansion, when this stretch of road was almost inside Route 11, but now its prime real estate.

    The path to the building cut through a well-maintained if somewhat boring lawn, and soon Hoshi was rapping on a solid wood door. Again, richer-looking than I¡¯d have expected ¨C the grass is professional. Why¡¯d she say she was in Rocket? It can¡¯t be the money, so¡­ The recollection was on the tip of his tongue, but before he could dig into that long day¡¯s minutia someone answered the door.

    ¡°Hello?¡± came a rich voice from beyond the entrance, and without waiting for an answer the soft fwip of a bolt being slid away sounded out, followed by the door itself opening.

    Hoshi looked up at what must be Puce¡¯s father, and his only thought was Arcus. I knew it must be genetic, but that¡¯s a bit much.

    The man wasn¡¯t quite as tall as Surge, but he was wide, and not with fat ¨C Hoshi couldn¡¯t help but compare the forty-something man with the machamp he had seen recently, and it was entirely possible that the human was the more muscular of the two. Next to this guy, Dad would look thin. Arcus fuck, he is built.

    The man had a cinder block of a head, nearly perfectly square, sporting a handlebar mustache accompanying extra perfectly average brown hair; if there was a specific name for the shade Hoshi didn¡¯t know, so the only label he could assign was hair-coloured hair.

    ¡°Hello!¡± he repeated, his voice matching his figure, again, perfectly; it reminded Hoshi of a cartoon tank engine from some old half-remembered propaganda cartoon. Sergeant¡­ Bill? Sergeant Shell? No, it¡¯s not important, let it go.

    ¡°Hello. Is this the Gracile residence?¡± Unlike the giant, Hoshi had to raise his voice to speak over the weather.

    ¡°It is! Mauve Gracile, at your service!¡± An appendage that Hoshi struggled not to label as a paw darted out to snatch up his hand, and he was subjected to a bone-threatening handshake. ¡°Are you here about the election? I¡¯m afraid my vote¡¯s already spoken for!¡±

    He boomed out a laugh, and Hoshi extricated his hand and upper arm from the man¡¯s fingers. Sausage-like would be entirely inappropriate; those are rebar-like. Solid steel. ¡°Uh, no. I¡¯m Hoshi. I¡¯m¡­ a friend of Puce¡¯s.¡± I¡¯d say I¡¯m a work friend, but I have no idea what she¡¯s said. For all I know she¡¯s told her family she¡¯s taking weekend classes, or something. ¡°Me and my girlfriend just wanted to make sure she¡¯s all right, with the typhoon and all.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Well, come in out of the rain!¡± The door opened wider as he stepped back, beckoning them. ¡°You¡¯ll be other students of the Electric Academy, then? Or did you meet somewhere else? That girl doesn¡¯t talk to her old man anymore!¡±

    Hoshi blinked at guessing so rightly in his head, before a poke in the side sent him forward. ¡°Yeah, we both take classes there ¨C well, Casca¡¯s graduated, but¡­¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°And then after instructor James, the persian introduces itself too, dressed up in its own little suit. It was the strangest thing I¡¯d ever seen.¡±

    Mauve¡¯s cannon-shot laugh was accompanied by his wife¡¯s ¨C Mint Gracile¡¯s ¨C more subdued one. It turned out that Puce was off ¡®on a little errand, but she should be back any minute,¡¯ but despite being delayed Hoshi was feeling at ease.

    The Gracile house was richly appointed, and more importantly air conditioned ¨C and her parents were disarmingly cordial, not balking in the slightest about entertaining a friend of their daughter. While she obviously took after her father physically, it seemed the woman she hadn¡¯t inherited a single shred of either¡¯s personality.

    Mauve was friendly in a very touchy-feely way, always reaching out to bop a shoulder or pat a back, and had physically dragged the two of them around on a tour of the house. Mint was much the same, but oriented around conversation; from the moment they met her, the stately woman had kept firm control of the room¡¯s mood, dictating the topic with an iron fist.

    It could easily have been overbearing or miserable, but the pair were so damn personable that it ended up not entirely different from the Rocket instructor¡¯s song and dance; just audacious enough to be entertaining rather than annoying. Less attractive than those two, though.

    ¡°My little girl never mentioned anything like that!¡± Mauve said, words coloured by the lingering aftershocks of his laughter.

    ¡°Yes, all she does is complain,¡± Mint slid in. ¡°We were hoping that she¡¯d do well, but the moment we ask about the school, it¡¯s like her lips are sewn shut! I¡¯m terrified it¡¯ll end up like her prior schooling¡­¡± She tutted with a slight shake of her head.

    ¡°She did poorly?¡± Casca asked.

    ¡°Oh, just dreadful. I swear she can be such a bright girl, she¡¯s just so distractible¡­¡± Mint fanned herself. ¡°But I¡¯ve heard amazing things about the Electric Academy, so hopefully they¡¯ll sort her out. She should be getting her licence any day now.¡±

    Hoshi made an agreeable sound, then helped himself to a pastry. I wouldn¡¯t have thought Puce a capable liar, but it doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s done half bad. ¡°I just started recently, but I have to agree. The academy is really something special ¨C I wouldn¡¯t worry about her.¡±

    <hr>

    Eventually Puce did come back, though they weren¡¯t able to get her alone ¨C Hoshi would just have to get her up to speed when they saw each other at ¡®school.¡¯

    Three out of five, plus arranging things with Danny. The junkyard owner had taken a look at the fridge¡¯s innards, and pronounced that dragging it all the way to his workspace was unnecessary; instead, he would just lug the parts in and fix it right there inside the apartment. Overall, not a bad day¡¯s work.

    He went to bed with his alarm set for the first time in a while, fretting just slightly about going back to work. But eventually the lullaby of the rain ¨C and his girlfriend¡¯s quiet breathing beside him ¨C forced his eyes to close. Not entirely sure what kind of timetable we¡¯ll settle on, but I can only hope that things¡®ll go smoothly.

 3.03 - Back to the Grind

    Hoshi had been afraid that his month off would make the return to work unbearable, but as each day bled into the next he found that those four weeks had, in fact, not been nearly as long as they had felt in the moment.

    Actually¡­ there was something almost soothing about it.

    ¡°Mutsu, no foot-dragging! This place is nice and air conditioned, so I don¡¯t wanna hear any complaints!¡±

    Hoshi hoisted the load of cement powder, feeling just the lightest twinge in his muscles. Huh. The Ditto¡¯s bellow may have made him pick up the pace, but it didn¡¯t leave a film of irritation over his vision. Knowing that I¡¯ve got bigger problems is¡­ freeing, I guess. The sack of dry powder went into the mixer, disappearing into the goop already churning inside, and he flexed his fingers before bending down for the next load. Everheart seems extra toothless ¨C he¡¯s basically just a big screaming baby.

    The indoor renovations went smoothly, and Hoshi started to feel that tiny spark of pride he sometimes got when the work wasn¡¯t entirely shit ¨C like he was, in his own half-assed way, following in his father¡¯s footsteps.

    Knocking down a few walls or replacing the floor of a basement isn¡¯t exactly high architecture, but it¡¯s not that different, right? It was a dumb thought; in reality he was only a half-step above the machop who carried bricks around all day. But still, that little red-hot spark sat, sizzling away in his core.

    ¡­Only to be unceremoniously doused as the easy work dried up, and M&S turned to a more pressing ¨C and miserable ¨C matter; repairing and replacing the numerous roofs that had been damaged by the worst storm since 1995.

    Damn, Hoshi thought, looking up at the swirling grey gradients above, then down to the slate blue shingles gradually replacing their older, duller relatives. I was hoping I¡¯d be able to ease my way back in, but it¡¯s only been five days and we¡¯re already out in the rain.

    And it was still fucking hot, too, more like a sauna than any rainstorm he¡¯d ever experienced before. The roof was slick under his feet ¨C smoothed by age, the grit washed away.

    The only saving grace was that the company had provided good quality rain-proof clothes. It could be¡­ worse, I guess. But still.

    He fished a couple of short roofing nails from a sealable pocket, slid a new shingle in place, and hammered it in with two quick blows. I could be using this time to train. Guts and Crow are still basically babies; they need toughening up before I take them to the Gym. Because while he didn¡¯t need to win for the mission, he sure as heck didn''t want to lose. An old shingle was popped out, and its replacement went in ¨C then the next, and the next, Hoshi¡¯s body moving on autopilot.

    It¡¯s¡­ my first badge challenge. Even if it isn¡¯t real, even if I can¡¯t actually go to a real tournament where they check shit seriously¡­ I want to win. It¡¯s- ah!

    His drifting thoughts cost him as he misjudged a swing, and sharp red pain shot up his arm as the hammer met his thumb, rather than a nail.

    ¡°Damnit! Son of a-!¡± Don¡¯t daydream while working, dumbass.

    He checked the damage ¨C the nail was cracked, a bead of blood attempting to form despite the roaring downpour. Red spilled out from the crack, and like it was the pain congealed into liquid under his skin, the sensation lessened to a dull throb as the rain washed the blood away. ¡°Stupid.¡±

    ¡°Hey Hoshi, you okay?¡± came a voice from over the zenith of the roof; Mikan, his partner in the day¡¯s repairs.

    He spend a moment berating himself, the rain, the fucking heat, and the shittiness of existence in general, before he lined up the next shingle. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Whacked my fucking thumb.¡±

    ¡°Trying to get back on paid leave? Leave some for the rest of us, ha!¡± His chuckle went silent, and Hoshi drove the next nail in ¨C carefully ¨C opting not to reply. But it seemed the man wasn¡¯t done. ¡°So how was it, anyway? Things going well with that girl of yours? I have to say, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be the relationship type!¡±

    Hoshi bit his tongue to cut off his instinctive ¡®fuck off¡¯ and forced himself to calm down. Mike isn¡¯t too much of an asshole ¨C he¡¯s actually making conversation, shit as he is at it. ¡°It was fine. Spent some money at the gym; I¡¯ve been thinking about trying for certification soon.¡±

    Again, Mikan¡¯s voice drifted up over the top of the roof. ¡°No shit? You know, I can see it¡­ You¡¯ve sort of got the look of a trainer. Gonna leave us high and dry?¡±

    His tone was amused, but despite snorting Hoshi replied seriously. ¡°You know it. Gonna do big things ¨C this time next year, you¡¯ll be seeing me on the news.¡±

    The man laughed. It was easy to picture his face; Mikan was someone who laughed easily, who liked to poke fun, and took retaliatory comments with grace. ¡°Ha! That¡¯ll be the day ¨C I¡¯ll be watching for it, man.¡± A pause. ¡°But seriously, your thumb good? I don¡¯t feel like getting this shit done on my own; it¡¯s like taking a hot shower out here.¡±

    ¡°I hear you ¨C it¡¯s fine, just broke a nail.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you think some idiot tried messing with the Moltres, and that¡¯s why the typhoon¡¯s this bad? That''s what my daughter says, but it feels like too neat of an explanation¡­¡±

    He continued to ramble on, while Hoshi replied with the occasional grunt. And though he tried to keep his head down on ground ¨C or at least roof ¨C level, he couldn¡¯t help but let his thought drift off towards the weekend.

    <hr>

    On Saturday, Hoshi woke early and well. He all but leapt out of bed, causing his girlfriend to emit a rodent-like squeak, and was dressed ¨C in his rain gear, no need to tempt Kenny into repeating a bad habit ¨C before she even managed to get out from the tangle of thin sheets.

    ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s gotten into you today?¡± she asked. ¡°We¡¯re not due to meet the instructors until noon.¡±

    ¡°I want to be there early. Guts and Crow need experience, which means battles ¨C and I bet there¡¯ll be a few bored grunts loitering around, ready to train.¡± I¡¯d challenge some randos out on Route 11, but I actually know a few people there; I don¡¯t want it to get back to Surge that I have Pok¨¦mon just yet.

    Casca finally rolled out of bed, just in time to receive a plate of toast. ¡°Hm,¡± she groaned. ¡°Maybe. But make sure to leave something in the tank; Ryan might get in your shit about the day-one promotion.¡±

    Today felt special, even more of a ¡®first day¡¯ than his actual first day had been. Might as well do a whole spread. Bacon, cheese omelette, the works. He had even bought a bottle of cheap wine. ¡°Oh, I hope he tries something. That little dragon is a powerhouse, but it hasn¡¯t got anything even close to a ranged attack; Crow¡¯ll solo it.¡± The thought made him smile. It¡¯ll be completely embarrassing for him ¨C if I had a dragon, and it got taken out by a zubat, I¡¯d fucking die.

    Casca raised a brow, watching his back as he cooked. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡±

    They ate, he helped Casca pick out an outfit ¨C a clingy, and surprisingly sturdy, blue dress that should handle the weather well enough ¨C and then they were off. The day was, in a continuing trend, both sweltering and wet; the dark cloud cover meant it didn¡¯t quite hit thirty above, but with the humidity it felt like it did. The streets were slightly more lively ¨C people are getting used to it¡­ or just running out of groceries ¨C but not nearly enough to delay them on their way to the Electric Academy.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    As Casca had predicted, Hoshi had a bit of trouble with a sceptical groundsman manning the front gate ¨C but the man with his scruffy uniform and contrastingly well-groomed hair let them through after scanning his fake ID, and they were through the doors well before the scheduled meeting.

    <hr>

    Man, I completely forgot how over-the-top this place is.

    While large sections of his first visit stood out bright and clear in his memories, other sections, like roaming the halls, were mostly a blur; at any other time, the extreme extravagance of the school would have been the highlight of the day, but the tournament and meetings had been¡­ a lot.

    ¡°Make a right just up here, and¡­ there we go!¡± Casca pulled on his sleeve. ¡°This should be a break room.¡±

    He turned an eye to the door, squinting. The room labeled ¡®Woodworking 401¡¯ is a break room? After a moment he shrugged, and reached for the handle. I don¡¯t get this place. Half of it seems married to the school masquerade, while the rest is barely trying. He still didn¡¯t even know if there were actual students; the way Puce¡¯s parents had talked seemed to indicate that there were, and that Puce herself had come for the lessons and gotten caught up in the Rocket stuff after, but the pieces weren¡¯t fitting together in Hoshi¡¯s head.

    Whatever. I¡¯ll just ask about it ¨C either her or the instructors.

    Woodworking 401 looked, at first glance, to be an actual woodworking shop-slash-classroom. There were tables arranged in front of a personal desk to the left of the door, while to the right stood a number of machines ¨C lathes, drills, saws, and a few that Hoshi couldn¡¯t recognise by sight alone.

    But there were no half-finished projects, no raw materials, and most crucially, no mess. The floor was spotless, not even a speck of sawdust marring the waxed hardwood.

    ¡­Also, and he probably should have noted this first, there was a group of four people in uniform, wearing the poofy hats that Hoshi couldn¡¯t help but still find ridiculous, even after staring at his bedecked reflection for an unreasonable amount of time. Black felt shifted as the four ¨C two men and two women ¨C turned, revealing the red Rs standing out on their chests.

    Uh¡­ ¡°Hey,¡± Hoshi started. ¡°Anybody want to hit the battle court? I¡¯m new, and my Pok¨¦mon are raw.¡±

    The quartet of grunts made various expressions, but the general air of the room could be described in one word: hostile.

    ¡°Fuck off.¡± said the man on the right. ¡°We¡¯re on break.¡±

    ¡°Dumb kids,¡± muttered the woman next to him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t they know we¡¯ve got better things to do with our time?¡± continued another.

    Hoshi¡¯s teeth and fists clenched. Oh? You think you¡¯re better than me? Well- A gentle hand on the small of his back, fingers on either side of his spine like they were holding a kitten. Well, fuck you right back. He turned, and let the door ease shut.

    ¡°Fucking- where do they get off?¡± he hissed, taking long steps towards nowhere in particular.

    Casca shook her head. ¡°Sorry ¨C most people around here this early are gonna be either higher ups¡­ or people doing the graveyard shift ¡®cause they¡¯re being punished. You wanna find another place?¡±

    Breathe in, breathe out. ¡°Yeah.¡± You fucking bet I do. After that, I¡¯m ready to smash someone¡¯s face in ¨C but I¡¯ll settle for wrecking their Pok¨¦mon.

    <hr>

    Hoshi found his morning training not with his fellow grunts, as he would have expected, but rather with a group of scientists. They encountered the day¡¯s second quartet in a cafeteria, and in contrast to the first, they eagerly agreed to a series of one-on-one, no-stakes battles.

    The school¡¯s battle court ¨C and contrary to the extravagance of the rest of the building, there was only the one ¨C was much more mundane than he had been expecting; a basic field of compressed dirt with a small pool to the side, a couple of stripped-down healing machines against one wall, and a line of benches.

    Guts took a loss to a magnemite, barely beat a drowzee that blatantly ignored its trainer¡¯s instructions, then ceded the field to Crow, who took a second loss to a grimer.

    Paradoxically, the poor showing actually served to calm the fuming Hoshi down. Ha. Stupid shit, thinking I¡¯d do any face smashing¡­ this isn''t a Little Cup, Guts and Crow are gonna be the weakest guys on the field.

    ¡°Guts, jump over! Quick Attack!¡±

    The fourth and final scientist, a weedy-looking man with uneven grey-purple hair, had sent out a bellsprout that seemed to know only one move ¨C but even so, Hoshi wasn¡¯t certain that Guts would win. She¡¯s faster, but the only advantage we have.

    The rattata leapt over the slashing vine, dodged a second, then darted in to land a quick nip with her teeth. The pitcher-plant Pok¨¦mon brought its head in, taking the hit on its durable lips rather than its vulnerable stalk, but it still bled.

    ¡°Circle around! Gimme another Quick Attack!¡±

    ¡°Blossom, evade! Dodge roll!¡±

    This plant is pretty well trained. In a move that seemed incongruous with its normally slow-moving gait, the bellsprout tucked and rolled ¨C almost like a tumbleweed. Guts tried to slip in, but when her opponent uncoiled it did so by unleashing yet another Vine Whip.

    She failed to dodge that one, and Hoshi cried out. ¡°Back up!¡± Right to the face. She¡¯s starting to slow down ¨C I think four battles in a row is pushing it.

    His rat retreated out of the bellsprout¡¯s range, and the two Pok¨¦mon stared each other down as their trainers thought. What can I do? Tail Whip isn¡¯t useful unless we get close, which is the problem. The moment he had the cash, he was getting Guts some sort of ranged attack disk; the number of strategies he could pull off with just Quick Attack was abysmal.

    Across the field he could see the researcher thinking the same thing, frustration in his eyes. They narrowed, and Hoshi felt the man decide to gamble.

    ¡°Growth!¡± he yelled, and Hoshi¡¯s teeth clenched ¨C half in frustration, and half in hope. More than one move, after all¡­

    If it bulks up, we¡¯ll lose ¨C but while it¡¯s mid-Growth, it won¡¯t dodge! ¡°Guts, forward! Full offense, tackle tackle tackle!¡±

    The lavender rat raced across the field, head down and sprinting, and smashed into the ambulatory plant with his entire body. The bellsprout wobbled, head bobbing, and reflexively hit back with yet more lashing vines ¨C but Guts powered through, toppling the top-heavy ¡®mon with another hit before going in with her teeth and claws.

    Suddenly the plant bulged, its thin roots and stem instantly doubling in size, but it was too late; Guts lay into the thing, and the Rocket Scientist recalled his Pok¨¦mon with a disappointed sound. ¡°Blah! Darn it, I thought Blossom had that one in the bag¡­¡±

    Hoshi spent a minute on some post-battle niceties, used the healing machine one last time, and then he and Casca left ¨C to the audible disappointment of the four labcoat-wearing men.

    He raised a brow at his girlfriend as they exited into the hallway. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m not the jealous type, you know.¡± All throughout the pitched and not-so-pitched battles, she had been relentlessly flirting with whoever was on the bench.

    ¡°Oh, you are the jealous type, honey.¡± She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, strutting. ¡°You also like to be teased. Besides, aren¡¯t those nerdy types adorable?¡± Her strawberry lips curved up as she looked back. ¡°Some of those lines ¨C it¡¯s like they¡¯ve never even seen a woman before.¡±

    Hoshi held his composure for a moment before a half-suppressed snicker forced its way through his lips. ¡°Yeah, okay, from that angle I could see how it¡¯s funny.¡± He followed, and the two walked a moment before he continued. ¡°So, nerdy types, huh? Should I be worried about you and Dabi?¡±

    Casca¡¯s face was worth the fake punch he received to the shoulder. ¡°Ew! You jerk!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± he replied, fawx-innocent. ¡°Oh, I get it. Hypno is more your speed, right?¡± A quick step took him out of range, and her retaliation missed. ¡°I bet if you asked, you could score a threesome with him and Kimmy- ow, okay, okay! I give!¡±

    She relented, pouting, but he could see the laughter in her eyes.

    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t even joke about that. I feel like I need to wash my brain with soap.¡± She stuck out her tongue, and Hoshi chuckled at the expression. He took her hand and they walked aimlessly, killing time before the scheduled meeting with Jessie and James.

    Got a few hours to go. Would any of the other rookies be here already? ¡°You want to hit up that cafeteria again?¡± he asked.

    ¡°No way. I ate, like, three breakfasts this morning, not including the wine. I¡¯ve gotta watch my figure¡­ Or did you just want to find more guys to fight?¡±

    Hoshi grunted. ¡°Naw. Guts needs rest, and I want Crow to be fresh if I need her later.¡±

    They say you learn more from losing, but I¡¯m not sure ¨C not at this level, at least. But still, it feels good to just do it. He was almost hoping Ryan would challenge him-

    Movement ahead. Ah, speak of Dexus, and he shall appear. Turning the corner was a bright head of platinum blond curls, shining above a suit of pale baby blue ¨C the man was, like Hoshi, not yet in uniform.

    Ryan¡¯s eyes flashed as they registered his target, and his gait widened. ¡°Mutsu!¡± he called across the length of the hall. ¡°I¡¯d like a word!¡±

 3.04 - Honour Among Thieves

    ¡°Mutsu!¡± Ryan cried, marching stiffly forwards in his business suit ¨C he was wearing a whole ensemble, complete with starched shirt and vibrant tie. Maybe Moony will start calling him Suit, hah. ¡°I¡¯d like a word!¡±

    Right on cue. I¡¯m going to enjoy this. Inside, Hoshi grinned ¨C but outwardly, he put on a frown. ¡°Ryan. What do you want?¡±

    The blond¡¯s expression was set ¨C not exactly a grimace, but he definitely wasn¡¯t happy. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten some startling news from my peers in Viridian. Tell me¡­¡± His dandelion eyes flashed, easily ten times as vibrant as his platinum curls. ¡°You haven¡¯t been promoted, have you? Surely not.¡±

    As he soaked in his underling¡¯s haughty tones, Hoshi did not reach for his Pok¨¦balls, though he was incredibly aware of them. Casca¡¯s hand gripped his own, firm and soft. Bastard. ¡®Surely not before me,¡¯ that¡¯s what you mean.

    ¡°I have. I¡¯m a Senior Grunt. I was since the first day.¡± He finally let his smile show. ¡°Which means I¡¯m your boss. You got a problem with that, Sapo?¡±

    The man¡¯s teeth grit further. ¡°Why?¡± he asked. ¡°What have you done to deserve such a swift rise?¡±

    Well shit, he¡¯s actually pissed. Hoshi had been expecting the man to come at him out of injured pride, but there was actual offense in his words. ¡°Eh,¡± he grunted. Might as well tell the truth; the instructors won¡¯t keep it to themselves if he goes crying to them. His smile gained a hint of cynicism. ¡°Political shit. I¡¯ve got a connection with Surge, and I¡¯m guessing that Jessie and James don¡¯t want someone they can¡¯t control in the driver¡¯s seat, either. Looks like those vaunted family connections ended up biting you in the ass.¡± His chin raised. ¡°Bad luck.¡±

    Ryan stood for a moment, fuming ¨C literally, fury almost visibly wafting from his pores. ¡°Hoshi Mutsu,¡± he said, cold tones contrasting the fire in his eyes. ¡°Though I acknowledge you have little to no hand in this, I cannot allow it to stand. My honour is at stake ¨C I will not be surpassed by a mere pawn.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s grin disappeared. Pawn, huh? And what do you think you are, the damn king? His hand left Casca¡¯s warmth to point a thumb over his shoulder. ¡°Battle court¡¯s that way. You wanna settle this right now?¡±

    Ryan continued to stand. He was shorter, and what hints Hoshi could see of his physique pointed towards an average, if not leisurely amount of muscle. His hands were smooth and unmarked, both the front and back, knuckles and palms without blemish; this man had never thrown a punch in his life.

    But nonetheless, he still felt dangerous.

    Is he planning to release his bagon right here, right now? Hoshi¡¯s other hand longed to drop his suitcase and drift towards his belt, where Guts and Crow were hanging, their balls expanded so that they could rest properly. In active mode, they should be able to hear what¡¯s happening and break out if they sense a fight. His own expression tightened as the silence stretched on. Will they? I¡¯ve been working with them after work, but is a week¡¯s worth of half-assed training enough for them to defend me unordered?

    ¡°No,¡± Ryan finally said. ¡°It would prove nothing. I need to be seen to beat you.¡± He turned, speaking over his shoulder, the blooming red colouring his skin transmuting back to superior haughtiness. ¡°We¡¯ll do this after the lesson. Meet me in front of the school, Mutsu, if you¡¯re a man.¡±

    He walked away, and Hoshi allowed him to go, his mouth a thin line. ¡°Prick,¡± he shot into the silence after the last hint of blue fabric had disappeared around the corner.

    ¡°Big time,¡± Casca agreed. ¡°¡®If you¡¯re a man¡¯? Dude thinks he¡¯s a samurai or something.¡±

    Hah. ¡°Well, he is from Viridian.¡± Slowly, Hoshi¡¯s expression smoothed back to neutral. ¡°Let¡¯s see how he deals with a ninja.¡±

    <hr>

    They ended up deciding to go to the cafeteria after all, if only for a drink ¨C though Hoshi added a slight detour; he felt increasingly awkward walking around in his raincoat, so the two of them stopped by the changing rooms so he could don his uniform.

    Unlike the first time he had stepped in, the room was occupied. A couple of older guys were grousing at each other, apparently not giving a single shit they were completely naked, while further in Hoshi could hear the showers being used.

    I guess some people decided to go for an early morning swim ¨C actually, that doesn¡¯t sound half bad. He wasn¡¯t much of a swimmer ¨C Vermilion Bay tended to be ice cold, too much to consider even in the summer heat, even assuming you were willing to brave the typhoon-level waves ¨C but lounging by the poolside sure beat the crap out of anything he could do at home. Yeah, that sounds nice. Does Casca own a bikini?

    He pulled off his waterproof gear, leaving himself in boxers and a thin wifebeater, before pulling out his Rocket clothes. Time hadn¡¯t decreased the gaudiness of the big red R, but it was almost starting to grow on him. I can kind of get it ¨C dressed like this, who¡¯s going to remember my face? It wasn¡¯t all that different from Fuchsia¡¯s traditional ninja dress; eye-catching, so that if you were seen, people would see the uniform, rather than you.

    Not that I actually know what I¡¯m talking about¡­ A few of Dad¡¯s old stories isn¡¯t nearly enough to consider myself a member of the clan.

    Not wanting to be in the presence of the naked old men any longer than necessary, he dressed himself swiftly. A momentary glance to check his appearance in the mirror, then he was out.

    To find that Casca was nowhere to be seen.

    Huh? He drowned the reflexive impulse to call for her; they weren¡¯t stuck in the woods, the hallway was plainly empty. I wasn¡¯t in there long at all, so she can¡¯t have gone far- shit, what if Ryan followed us? If his backing off had been a bluff-

    ¡°Yo, check it out,¡± came a voice from his side, and Hoshi felt instant relief. He turned, to see Casca emerging from the woman¡¯s changing room ¨C and indeed, she had changed.

    ¡°You have one of those too?¡±

    For some reason he had never considered it ¨C which was silly, in hindsight; she was a Rocket Grunt, so why wouldn¡¯t she have a uniform?

    ¡°Yup,¡± she replied. I have to admit, she pulls it off better than Puce or Nerine. Actually, her uniform was slightly different; rather than simple black, it was closer to green, and the thigh high boots clung to her legs more tightly. ¡°I usually just leave the thing here ¨C ninety-nine percent of the time I¡¯m undercover, so there¡¯s no point having it with me.¡± She spun in a circle, arms outstretched. ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°You fill it out way better than anyone else I¡¯ve seen,¡± he said with a grin, offering his arm. I wonder what she¡¯d look like in Jessie¡¯s little spandex number¡­ ¡°Shall we?¡±

    She took the offer with a grin of her own. ¡°Oh wow. Who¡¯s the samurai now, huh?¡±

    They started down the hall ¨C and to Hoshi¡¯s satisfaction, a passing janitor-or-whatever saw the stripes on his uniform and actually made way. That¡¯s¡­ more gratifying than I¡¯d want to admit out loud. He walked with his girl on his arm, and for the first time it didn¡¯t feel like he was just a kid playing dress-up.

    ¡°Hah. Turns out it¡¯s better to play both.¡±

    <hr>

    They were, somehow, the first people to show up ¨C a fact that made Hoshi wary. I thought Ryan would be here before us, brown-nosing. That begs the question¡­ if he isn¡¯t snuggling up with the instructors, who is he meeting with? The thought that he was simply off fuming somewhere wasn¡¯t worth thinking about; out of all the other grunts, Ryan seemed the only one with an actual work ethic.

    Save for Nerine¡­ maybe. She¡¯s a great trainer, but the drugs don¡¯t inspire confidence.

    ¡°You sure we have the right room?¡± he asked, receiving a nod.

    ¡°Yup. Just sit down; the instructors will show up when it¡¯s,¡± she gestured flamboyantly, ¡°dramatically appropriate.¡±

    He nodded back, and they took two seats in the front.

    Arcus, this really is just a classroom. A fancy classroom, but if you swapped the hardwood out for linoleum and downsized the desks, it would slot right into his memories of elementary school. ¡°So we just wait, then?¡± Maybe it would have been better to squeeze in a little more training, after all; we¡¯re a half-hour before the scheduled time.

    ¡°I guess? You know¡­¡± Her lips quirked. ¡°You look damn good in that uniform. We could always-¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s rising anticipation at where the conversation was headed took an immediate nosedive as the door slammed open, cracking against the wall hard enough it was miraculous it didn¡¯t leave a dent.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    A strong-jawed face poked in. ¡°Oops. I really need to stop doing that¡­¡±

    After having met her parents, Hoshi couldn¡¯t not see her father in Puce¡¯s body  ¨C and not just in physique, but in facial structure; she had the same squared-off, cinder block look, only slightly softened by her mother¡¯s rounder features. Or maybe it¡¯s all her dad, and she¡¯s just what he would look like as a woman. And twenty years younger. The only thing she definitely took from her mother was her green hair, which he had seen during the visit to her house, currently hidden beneath her cap.

    She shuffled into the room awkwardly and closed the door with careful motions, before turning to face them. ¡°Oh, hey Hoshi. And¡­ uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Casca, honey,¡± Casca reminded.

    ¡°Casca, thank you.¡± She dropped into a nearby seat, visibly relieved. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here. I wasn¡¯t expecting to find the right room this early ¨C usually, I¡¯m really late¡­¡±

    Hoshi shared a glance with his girlfriend. He leaned in and whispered, ¡°How many classrooms like this are there?¡±

    ¡°Probably a lot?¡± she replied. ¡°But I¡¯ve only ever used, like, two since I got here; this one for normal lessons, and another for the recruiter track. Not counting the gym or labs or stuff.¡±

    He straightened up. Well, that¡¯s¡­ unfortunate. The Electric Academy was built more like a hedge maze than a school, yeah, but to not be able to find the same room over and over again? He turned back to Puce.

    ¡°You know, they give out maps. I got one from-¡± what the fuck was his name? ¡°From Nak, in the room we all met originally.¡±

    She made a sad sound deep in her chest. ¡°I know. I¡¯ve got like twenty of them at home ¨C I just keep forgetting to bring one back, and¡­¡± Another guttural sound as she rubbed at her face. Arcus fuck. Note to self: never let her hold anything mission-critical, unless I want it left in her sock drawer or some shit.

    ¡°Hey girl,¡± Casca chimed in. ¡°You could always keep a spare one here in a locker. That¡¯s what I do.¡±

    Puce peeked out from between her fingers. ¡°Do people not steal things? The other girls were always taking my gym uniform and¡­ uh, that¡¯s not important.¡±

    Casca shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve never had trouble with it.¡± She flashed a half-smile. ¡°Honour among thieves, I guess.¡±

    The gleam in the huge woman¡¯s eyes was so hopeful, Hoshi had to turn away. Is she a fucking kid? I swear, everyone in this building ¨C except me and Casca ¨C is nuts. He spent a moment staring at the empty whiteboard before recollection struck.

    ¡°Oh hey, it¡¯s actually good you got here early,¡± he said. ¡°I wanted to talk to you the other day, but your parents stuck to us like glue.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she sighed. ¡°Mom and Dad are really clingy. What did you want to talk about?¡±

    ¡°One sec¡­¡± Hoshi hoisted his briefcase up onto his desk and unlatched it. ¡°Here we are. Look at these ¨C Casca got us the floorplans, schedules, lists of employees, everything we need.¡±

    He passed over the loose stack of eclectically-sized papers, watching as Puce went through them. ¡°¡­Wow, there¡¯s a lot here. So are we¡­¡± She looked uncomfortable. ¡°All set to go, then?¡±

    He waved her off. ¡°Not even close. I want us trained up ¨C I mean this in the least degrading way possible, but you and M- and Kenny sucked ass with your Pok¨¦mon. Plus, I want an actual strategy; we need to plan for if we get caught, if only the infiltrator gets caught, if plugging the thing in sets off some sort of alarm¡­ Basically, we need to work out a whole bunch of shit.¡±

    Puce¡¯s discomfort was growing by the second, so he softened his voice. ¡°But don¡¯t worry about it too much ¨C we¡¯ll meet up after, uh, school, and discuss things as a group. I need to get Ryan in line, first.¡±

    That only seemed to make her more confused. ¡°Mr. Sampo? Is there¡­ I mean, do you and him have some sort of problem?¡±

    He raised a brow, tracing a line down from his shoulder to stomach, following one of the yellow marks that his uniform had, and hers didn¡¯t.

    Silence. After an increasingly drawn-out moment, Casca helped her by just stating the answer outright. ¡°Hoshi is a Senior Grunt, honey. He¡¯s in charge. Ryan¡­ Well, he has a chip on his shoulder.¡± She smiled. ¡°But it¡¯ll all sort itself out once my man stomps him.¡±

    ¡°Stomping, you say?¡± sounded out a voice from the front of the room, and Hoshi jolted. Arcus¡¯s fucking balls-

    Standing in front of the whiteboard was James, his half-cape-thing immaculately white. There isn¡¯t- there isn¡¯t anywhere to hide! The desk is too small, and¡­ His eyes went up to the ceiling, but no conspicuously discoloured patch or seam stood out from the solid-looking construction. Maybe a trapdoor behind the desk? Or-

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so sooner?¡± continued a deeper, more feminine voice from right behind him. Despite half expecting it, Hoshi jolted a second time before turning to get an eyeful of Jessie¡¯s latex-covered bust as she leaned towards him, her hands resting on the back of his chair. The door didn¡¯t- I¡¯d have noticed it opening! How?! Are they ninjas? ¡°We love a good crushing, especially when it¡¯s an unruly underling!¡±

    ¡°A close second to annoying schoolkids, just edging out our lovely blue-clad ladies in law enforcement!¡± James picked back up.

    A polite cough from Casca signaled him to raise his eyes to his boss¡¯s face. ¡°Uh..!¡± Don¡¯t get scared by the fucking cat, Hoshi. At least salvage a scrap of dignity. ¡°That¡¯s- uh, feel free to watch?¡± Great comeback. Thank¡¯s, brain.

    ¡°A generous offer!¡± Jessie pushed off from his chair, spinning around in a pirouette to join hands with James, who continued the motion. The dance move continued towards the desk, where they slid themselves up in a move that had to be practised, ending up sitting half-across each side like they were posing for a photo shoot.

    ¡°But we have other work to do, so we¡¯ll have to get a rain check!¡± continued James, not missing a beat.

    Then a feline head poked up from behind the desk, perfectly framed by their casually resting limbs. ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡­Ah, I see that the persian has more than one hat. Of course it does. Today it was wearing a pitch black bowler, and as it and the instructors rearranged themselves, Hoshi saw it was wearing a different suit as well ¨C a loose yellow zoot, which seemed incongruous to his eyes. Doesn¡¯t the zoot usually go with a fedora? Maybe I¡¯m just caught up in movie stereotypes again¡­

    With Meowth the persian lounging on the desk, James seated behind it, and Jessie in front of the whiteboard, the Senior Executives continued.

    ¡°Since we¡¯ve been informed that Mr. Kaneth is going to be running late¡­¡± began Jessie.

    ¡°We¡¯ve decided to start the class early, seeing as you¡¯re all here!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    The room was silent for a moment, before Puce tentatively raised her hand. ¡°I think that maybe¡­ Mr. Sampo and Miss Rose aren¡¯t here yet..?¡±

    James gestured her way. ¡°An astute observation! However¡­¡±

    ¡°If you look behind you, you¡¯ll see we¡¯ve actually timed it perfectly!¡± Jessie made the same motion, the lines of their arms happening to intersect perfectly at the back of the room, right where the door was.

    Hoshi and his fellow grunts looked back at the door as another silence dragged on. Eventually Puce raised her hand again. ¡°Are-¡±

    The door opened, and it may as well have smashed as loudly as Puce¡¯s entrance had for how much of an impact it had on the ¡®class.¡¯ Ryan walked in, a beat passing before he noticed the strange air ¨C and the fact that everyone was staring at him.

    ¡°What? Do I have something on my face?¡± His suit had been replaced by the standard uniform, and Hoshi teasingly drew a finger down the yellow line a second time ¨C and unlike Puce, Ryan instantly understood the implication, his face colouring as Nerine came in behind him, raising her head for a second to take in the strange looks.

    Then she shrugged it off, stepping past the older man to find a seat.

    ¡°Oh my!¡± came James¡¯s voice, and Hoshi turned forward to see him scrutinising a stopwatch. ¡°Only four seconds off! Is that a new record?¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°Fiddlesticks.¡±

    <hr>

    While the classroom might have reminded him of an elementary school, the actual lesson was far from basic.

    Oh, it sounded basic ¨C when Jessie wrote TYPE INTERACTIONS - ATTACKING AND DEFENDING along the top of the whiteboard, Hoshi sighed internally. What kind of aspiring trainer didn¡¯t have the various types memorised before their age required a second digit? I mean, I¡¯d struggle to write it out, but give me a combo and I¡¯ll tell you what¡¯s good or bad against it in a second.

    But as the next hour unfolded, he realised that the duo wasn¡¯t giving some kiddy lesson about flying being immune to ground ¨C no, this was serious shit.

    Jessie drew an arrow across the elements of her diagram with a flourish. ¡°As you can see, missing a Fissure is far from the end of the move¡¯s use!¡±

    ¡°A well-placed Earthquake or Magnitude-¡±

    ¡°Or heck, another Fissure!¡±

    ¡°-Can cause it to widen, potentially trapping an enemy that evaded the first wave!¡±

    ¡°Or you can use a water move to create a moat¡­¡±

    ¡°And you wouldn¡¯t believe how many Pok¨¦mon will go the long way around water, no matter how shallow!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s pen moved furiously. Arcus¡¯s holy halo, this is good. This was the sort of lesson he¡¯d have to pay for, if he wanted it from anywhere else. And that was just the interactions a single ground type move had ¨C they had already gone over any number of strategies he¡¯d never seen before.

    I already knew you could bypass electric immunity by getting them wet, but I had no idea it also made them more vulnerable to poison. That had never come up in any of the matches in Surge¡¯s Gym. Is this common knowledge among trainers? I¡¯ve hardly heard any of this stuff before¡­

    And it was obvious they weren¡¯t just parroting data gathered by other Rockets ¨C they sprinkled in enough anecdotes and little stories that they had to have personal experience with most of it. How long have they been Rockets? Scratch that, how long have they been trainers? They don¡¯t even look forty¡­

    Is that another trick, or did they somehow pack ten pounds of Pok¨¦mon adventure into a five pound bag, so to speak?

    And it turned out that Hoshi¡¯s question would be answered ¨C all he had to do was ask. During a lull in the dialogue, his curiosity became overwhelming, and he raised his hand.

    Jessie immediately pointed. ¡°You there, in the front!¡±

    He cleared his throat. ¡°Sorry for interrupting, but¡­ You have so many stories, it¡¯s,¡± hard to believe, ¡°Amazing. Where did you learn all this?¡±

    The two shared a look. ¡°Well,¡± James started. ¡°We have been speaking for a while¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve been such good little students!¡±

    ¡°So I suppose we can take some time out of battle tactics and switch to history!¡±

 Interlude - The Joker of Crime

    ¡°Absolutely not!¡±

    James¡¯s voice hit the walls of the emptied-out Viridian Gym, bounced back, and washed over Meowth¡¯s ears a second time. Ariana, the Boss¡¯s secretary and second-in-command, did not reply. She only stood, as firmly rooted to the ground as an ancient oak ¨C or maybe a stop sign would be a more appropriate comparison, given her stiff posture and the thick red hair framing her head. The woman radiated a mix of emotions, despite her face being blank.

    Emotions that neither Jessie nor James seemed to be picking up on.  The latter pumped his fist. ¡°The Boss wouldn¡¯t give up! Not just from losing to that bothersome twerp!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! We lose to him all the time! It¡¯s barely a setback!¡±

    The Chief Executive finally moved, uncrossing her arms as her mouth opened just barely enough to speak. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m making it up? Look around ¨C the Gym is empty. Or better yet, turn on a radio and listen for once in your lives.¡± Her voice seemed calm, but Meowth could hear the tension and anger underneath. ¡°Giovanni made a public announcement. It¡¯s all over the news ¨C Team Rocket is disbanded.¡±

    Meowth shuddered at the aura she was giving off ¨C the woman was universally vicious, and seeing her do her best impression of a cliff face was creepy. Dat¡¯s right; da Boss¡¯s secretary weren¡¯t just his secretary, weren¡¯t she? The Pok¨¦mon had often smelled their scents on each other, but until now he hadn¡¯t really cared to dig into the implications of that. ¡°Guys,¡± he muttered. ¡°Maybe we oughta back off for a sec. Before dis turns inta-¡±

    But as usual, his good sense was ignored. Jessie ploughed ahead, getting right up in the older woman¡¯s face. ¡°Team Rocket can¡¯t be done! Everything was fine a week ago when we checked in!¡±

    ¡°Look, we even completed our mission!¡± James chimed in, brandishing a duffle bag. ¡°A dozen clefairy, fresh from Mount Moon! Oh, it was spectacular ¨C there must have been a hundred of them all dancing together! Then, like a silent noctowl swooping down in the calm night air..!¡±

    He made a dramatic motion, but the redheads completely ignored him. Meowth pressed on his leg, attempting to convey that now ain¡¯t da time for lightening da mood!

    Sometimes when it seemed that humans were failing to communicate with each other ¨C compared to Pok¨¦mon, they needed so many words, had so few instincts ¨C he¡¯d get surprised as a single sentence put a novel¡¯s worth of context into place. That was something he still struggled with, even after years of practice and experience speaking Kantonese.

    But it was obvious that wasn¡¯t happening here; no, his humans tended to just be just plain bad at reading the room. The tension held in Athena Ariana¡¯s frame erupted, and she grabbed Jessie by the collar.

    ¡°What do you know?!¡± she stated-slash-screamed ¨C her voice had one tone, calm and composed, and her eyes another, loud and hysteric. ¡°You weren¡¯t even here! You Agents are all the same ¨C thinking you¡¯re anything other than Grunts in a higher-class uniform!¡±

    Jessie struggled ¨C while trying to hide that she needed to struggle ¨C but though it was two arms against one, she failed to dislodge Ariana¡¯s grip. ¡°Let go of me, you-!¡±

    ¡°Hey now!¡± James said, moving forward. His arms were up, spread wide as he tried to defuse things. ¡°Let¡¯s not turn this into a catfight ¨C look, even if the Boss said Team Rocket was disbanded, it must be some plan!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Jessie continued, still trying vainly to recover the front of her top from the other woman¡¯s control. ¡°The Boss is always on top of things!¡±

    ¡°One step ahead!¡±

    ¡°Or two!¡±

    A beat of silence as they waited for him to add his own words, but Meowth didn¡¯t follow along. Instead, Ariana¡¯s too-calm voice filled the empty space.

    ¡°A plan?¡± Jessie choked as she was nearly lifted off her feet. Yeesh, dat broad¡¯s got a real arm on her! ¡°You think Giovanni is abandoning me, abandoning our son, just so he can put some plan into place?¡±

    ¡­Son? He hadn¡¯t been expecting to hear that, and a glance at the other two told him they hadn¡¯t, either.

    Again, James tried to play peacemaker. The bag of Pok¨¦balls dropped into Meowth¡¯s paws as the man let them go, freeing his hands to more effectively gesture in placation. ¡°You¡¯re obviously under a lot of stress right now, Miss Ariana. Let¡¯s just cool off a bit, talk this through. When did the Boss leave? Which way did he go?¡±

    Jessie slipped out of her white Agent top rather than continue to put up with the mild strangulation, leaving her in her black undershirt. ¡°Why are you even here anyway? If Rocket¡¯s disbanded, shouldn¡¯t you be getting back to your pet store, you- you old hag!¡± Her hand drifted towards Arbok¡¯s ball as her eyes burned, but after a moment¡¯s indignation she seemed to finally catch onto the other woman¡¯s mood. ¡°¡­Son?¡± she mouthed. ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Ariana¡¯s composure cracked, and she threw the loose shirt to the ground. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? Fine.¡± A kick sent the fabric into the air, and James leaned back to catch it as it fell. ¡°Fine. Do whatever you want ¨C you¡¯re right, I shouldn''t be here. Arcus forbid I try to catch a few remaining grunts before they walk right into-¡± She cut herself off, turning. ¡°Leave. I don¡¯t want to deal with you ¨C whether you get picked up by the Jennys or make some kind of life for yourselves, you are not my problem anymore.¡±

    Another beat of silence. James opened his mouth, but bit his tongue as the Chief Executive ¨C is she still dat? Is we still Agents? ¨C whirled.

    ¡°I said leave! Get out!¡± There was the anger and frustration, finally audible. Her hand passed over her side and in a flash of light an arbok, its hood patterned differently from the one he knew, reared up between them. ¡°Until they get around to stripping it away, this is my Gym. I don¡¯t want to see your faces in Viridian again.¡±

    Another flash, and now there were two arbok. ¡°You say Team Rocket is disbanded, but you still want to order us around?¡± James put up his hands again, but Jessie continued. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough! You¡¯re going to answer our questions!¡±

    A moment of hesitation, before James drew his own Pok¨¦ball. ¡°R-right! There¡¯s no need for this to get ugly, but if it does ¨C well, it¡¯s three-to-one odds! Don¡¯t think we¡¯ll lose!¡±

    <hr>

    They lost. It wasn¡¯t even close ¨C and with all the poison flying around from three different specialist teams, the humans hadn¡¯t fared much better than their Pok¨¦mon.

    Woise, as a matter of fact. Arbok and Weezing can handle a face full¡¯a dat stuff way better dan deir bosses ¨C and better ¡®n poor little normal type me!

    Jessie was sitting cross-legged, sulking, while James dabbed her face with a medicine-soaked cloth. Between the swelling, the discolouration, and the dappled light of Viridian Forest¡¯s outskirts, the three of them looked like they had fallen into a nest of beedrill.

    The woman¡¯s skin regained its health within seconds of the cloth passing over; James must have broken out the good stuff. There was a part of Meowth that wanted to point out that supplies probably wouldn¡¯t be coming in any time soon ¨C even if this was just some kind of plot on the Boss¡¯s part ¨C and that they should probably make due with the cheap herbs that could be scrounged up. But he had taken the edge of an Acid Spray, and really didn¡¯t want to jeopardize his own dose of antidote.

    ¡°Lousy, stinking¡­¡± Jessie muttered. ¡°It can¡¯t be true¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jessie.¡± James¡¯s voice was filled with concern. He was one of those humans whose words always matched their mood, which had been a big help when Meowth had been learning to talk, but sometimes it turned into an issue when they did undercover work. ¡°Even if the Boss really is gone¡­ we¡¯re still here!¡± His cloth found a tender spot and she flinched, but a firm grip on her chin kept the redhead still.

    James was rarely forceful, but when he did put his foot down he could be surprisingly strong. Jessie could only hiss as the medicine soaked through puffy, distended skin.

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s just the three of us,¡± he continued, ¡°We¡¯re still Rockets! We¡¯ll find him in no time, and get this all sorted out!¡±

    ¡°Da kid,¡± Meowth slid in, and the two humans turned at the sound of his voice. ¡°Ariana said dat Giovanni had a kid ¨C I ain¡¯t never heard ¡®a dat before.¡±

    ¡°She said ¡®our,¡¯¡± Jessie corrected. ¡°Implying she¡¯s his mother.¡± Her expression was strange, something unfamiliar to his eyes, but he could smell the mixture of her emotions more clearly through his nose; sour notes of frustration, sympathy, and annoyance under the medicinal fumes.

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s true?¡± James asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never gotten the feeling they were anything more than Boss and Chief Executive¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, da Boss would be cagey about dat sort ¡®a ting¡­¡± Giovanni had such a strong handle on his emotions, even a Pok¨¦mon couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking ¨C or at least he had never managed it; maybe the Rocket Boss¡¯s team saw a secret tender side.

    James made a considering sound as he pulled away from his partner. ¡°I guess there isn¡¯t any reason for her to lie ¨C and she seemed rather distraught near the end.¡± He beckoned, and Meowth walked over for his own turn with the antidote-soaked rag. ¡°I think¡­ we should probably believe it.¡± Yeowch, dat really stings! Human medicine always seemed to be painful ¨C but it was effective enough. ¡°Though I¡¯m curious why you¡¯d bring it up. Meowth?¡±

    His teeth bared in an instinctive snarl, but just like with Jessie the blue-haired man kept him restrained, apparently without any effort. ¡°If dare¡¯s anybody da Boss would tell before he left¡­¡±

    ¡°It would be his son!¡± Jessie finished. ¡°But that harpy refused to answer our perfectly reasonable questions¡­¡±

    ¡°Which means,¡¯ James took up, ¡°We¡¯ll have to find him and get the info right from the horse¡¯s mouth! Great thinking, Meowth!¡±

    The unyieldingly gentle fingers pulled away, and he grappled with the urge to claw for a moment ¨C but it passed just as quickly as it came. ¡°Of course. Problem is, how da we find da kid? We don¡¯t even got a name.¡±

    The two humans paused, wearing identical expressions of deep thought, before replying simultaneously. ¡°We¡¯ll follow Ariana!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll have to go home eventually!¡± James continued.

    ¡°She¡¯ll lead us right to him!¡±

    Meowth nodded. ¡°Dat¡¯s right! So let¡¯s get on it, instead ¡®a mopin¡¯ around in da woods!¡±

    They cheered, back in sync, before James toppled slowly backwards with a breathy moan.

    ¡°James! Darn it ¨C give me that cloth!¡±

    <hr>

    Six months. That was how long it took to track down Silver Capo, son of Giovanni Capo.

    Ironically, it had been the former Executive who found them; her son was missing, leaving only a note expressing his intent to find his father, and with the disbanding¡­ they were the only people she had available.

    Can¡¯t believe a kid made it all da way over da mountains by his lonesome. The Silver Range was brutal ¨C it had taken them months to make it across, and the trio had him, a professional cat burglar and natural predator, leading the pack!

    Maybe it¡¯s da name. Giovanni had named his son after the mountains ¨C maybe it was just fate that he¡¯d been able to cross without the help of a single Pok¨¦mon. Kid¡¯s tough, I¡¯ll give him dat.

    Across Route 28, snaking through the winding valleys between the mountains, then down into a long cave system coated top-to-bottom in frost ¨C Silver had led them on a not-so-merry chase, taxing his and Arbok¡¯s tracking abilities to the limit. And all dat wit¡¯out even knowing he was bein¡¯ followed. But now, here they were. End ¡®a da road, Capo. Meowth pressed his face to the glass, peering past the displays of food to the shadowy booths deeper in.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    There he was, sitting in Mahogany Town¡¯s sole restaurant, sipping a hot drink; scarlet hair with sun-lightened orange streaks hanging long and shaggy down his shoulders. The tattered clothes one would expect from half a year in the wilderness. But more than anything else¡­

    It was the face. Even if they didn¡¯t have a picture from his mother, Meowth still would have known ¨C he had the Boss¡¯s face, the same sharp nose, the same intensity in his dark eyes. The same expression the Boss had when they failed a mission, as if the world itself was a continual disappointment.

    ¡°Dat¡¯s him.¡±

    ¡°Finally.¡±

    ¡°He has his father¡¯s eyes¡­¡±

    The three looked at each other, and as one decided on a course of action.

    ¡°A bath first.¡±

    ¡°And disguises, obviously.¡±

    ¡°Right quick, dough. Gotta get back before he hits da road ¨C I ain¡¯t trackin¡¯ him down a second time!¡±

    Synchronised nods, before they crossed the street to Mahogany¡¯s sole hotel. They were still flush with cash from selling all those clefairy, and it had been burning a hole in their collective pockets for months.

    <hr>

    They caught him before he finished eating ¨C of course they did; he was just as desperate to enjoy civilisation as they were, savouring each bite of his savoury dish like¡­

    Heh. Like he¡¯s been eatin¡¯ berries and fish for so long as he can remember. Meowth knew the exact feeling.

    The three of them slid into the opposite side of the booth, and it was a full ten seconds before the kid snapped out of his pasta fugue ¨C but when he did, sharp eyes instantly set them on edge.

    ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡± he snapped. The kid didn¡¯t have any Pok¨¦mon, but his hand clenched around his fork ¨C and Meowth felt like maybe it hadn¡¯t just been fate keeping him alive.

    James answered. ¡°Associates of your father, young man.¡±

    ¡°Your mom¡¯s paying us to find you,¡± Jessie continued, her voice more sour than her partner¡¯s ¨C the woman hated camping. ¡°What were you thinking, going through Mount Silver? Do you have a death wish, twerp?¡±

    Silver looked at them silently, sizing them up before opening his mouth. ¡°If you worked for my dad¡­ you¡¯re Rockets.¡±

    James nodded, the grey curls of his wig bobbing.

    The kid¡¯s lips curled in distaste. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to say to Team Rocket. Go tell my mom I¡¯ll be home with Dad.¡±

    Jessie¡¯s own wig hugged the sides of her face as she leaned in. ¡°Now look here, twerp-¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the kid cut her off forcefully. ¡°Team Rocket¡¯s the reason my dad lost. The reason he left.¡±

    Subtly, Meowth surveyed the room ¨C despite the raised voices, they were fine; people were looking over, but the disguises did their jobs. The restaurant¡¯s staff only saw a kid, obviously of adventuring age, arguing with his grandparents as his little brother watched awkwardly.

    James shot back, offense overpowering his natural courtesy. ¡°You take that back!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t! He said it to me himself!¡± The fork came up, pointing with malice. ¡°You guys are the reason Dad left! I¡¯ve gotta find him, so¡­¡± he paused, searching his nine-year-old vocabulary. ¡°So piss off!¡±

    ¡°Language, young man!¡±

    Things devolved a bit from there, and they ended up kicked out of the place ¨C but later, as they kept following the kid around, their persistence was rewarded.

    <hr>

    The rock narrowly missed Meowth¡¯s ears, hitting the brim of his schoolboy cap and dislodging it. He fumbled with the thing for a moment, before remembering he had claws to grip with.

    ¡°Hey! Watch da hat! Dese costumes ain¡¯t cheap, ya know!¡±

    The small human scowled. ¡°Stop following me. And stop dressing up like old people! It¡¯s creepy!¡± In the light of the adult¡¯s headlamps he cast an eerie silhouette, the deep shadows creating an illusion of depth, like he was standing against an endless abyss. Meowth shuddered. I hate bein¡¯ underground.

    James tutted. ¡°Come now, Silver! We just want to keep you safe ¨C think about how your mother would feel, if something were to happen?¡± He was speaking in a certain tone ¨C one he often lapsed into when stressed. The language of his high-class boyhood.

    Another rock, this one aimed at James. Unfortunately, Mount Mortar had more than enough ammunition for the kid to keep pelting them, and eventually Jessie blew up.

    She threw her old lady¡¯s cane at the boy, who narrowly dodged. It made a soft sound as it hit the ground, much quieter than her stomping. ¡°James, Meowth! Let¡¯s just tie him up and cart the little monster back already!¡±

    ¡°But Jessie,¡± Meowth replied. ¡°We was gonna let him lead us ta da Boss, remember?¡±

    She fumed. ¡°He obviously doesn¡¯t know where he¡¯s going! First Mount Silver, now Mortar? Why would Giovanni come here?¡±

    A rock came out of nowhere, catching her on the temple and leaving a nasty mark. She screeched wordlessly, clenching her fists to resist the urge to draw a ball.

    ¡°Shows what you know,¡± Silver said, smug. Got a vicious streak a mile wide, this kid. Takes after his mother, I guess¡­ ¡°I¡¯m following Dad¡¯s rhydon ¨C that¡¯s how I tracked him through the mountains, and that¡¯s how I¡¯ll find him here, too.¡±

    Meowth blinked. ¡°Rhydon?¡± Even Jessie paused, her anger on hold.

    ¡°You mean¡­¡± James led in.

    ¡°All those tyranitar tracks we were terrified of¡­¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t tyranitar tracks at all?¡±

    The boy snorted, turning to leave them behind. ¡°Weird and stupid, too.¡± His voice dwindled as he hiked through the dark tunnel, and they scrambled to keep up. ¡°Obviously Dad would have his Pok¨¦mon out. Who mistakes a rhydon for a tyranitar? They¡¯re completely different! They don¡¯t even have the same number of toes!¡±

    They followed, huddled. ¡°How were we meant to know that?¡± James asked.

    ¡°Tyranitar are nearly legendary ¨C and I¡¯ve never seen a rhydon other than the Boss¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°Dat¡¯s right! Dey only live in da safari zone!¡±

    His human partners nodded. ¡°And certain caves, like Victory Road,¡± James added before they fell silent.

    Down and up and around, the endless tunnels went. Sometimes they opened up into caverns, other times into lakes or shallow rivers. But despite the terrain, somehow the human child always seemed to find the line of faint marks that led onwards.

    Meowth was begrudgingly impressed ¨C sure, if he had known they should be following rhydon tracks he¡¯d have been able to lead them across the Silver Range a lot faster, but he was a natural hunter. The kid was just a human, his nose dull, his eyes unable to cut through the gloom like Meowth¡¯s mirrored irises.

    Real impressive. He really is da Boss¡¯s son¡­

    Occasionally they encountered Pok¨¦mon, but wit or grit always saw them through. Weezing¡¯s superior poison gassed out nests of zubat, while Arbok intimidated raticate and marill into keeping their distance.

    And of course, he himself was instrumental in negotiating their way past the scores of machoke and graveler. It was a relief that there were at least a few Pok¨¦mon smart enough to talk their way around ¨C if they had to fight everything, there was no way their supplies would last.

    ¡°Silver,¡± James pleaded. ¡°Please, turn back. It¡¯s not safe to sleep down here ¨C we need to at least find a safe place to camp, before we all collapse.¡±

    The boy looked back, faint disgust on his features. ¡°No, I already told you. This is the furthest I¡¯ve ever gotten ¨C I¡¯m going to find him today.¡±

    Jessie clawed at the air. They had long abandoned their costumes as the temperature rose, and her ruby hair shone iridescent in the narrow but powerful beams of their lamps. ¡°You¡¯re only getting this far because we¡¯re here!¡±

    Her arbok hissed, mirroring her trainer¡¯s annoyance.

    ¡°Good point, dat,¡± Meowth added. ¡°Kid, yer dad¡¯ll still be dere tomorrow ¨C assumin¡¯ he is in dis stinkin¡¯ cave ¨C and we¡¯re dead tired. You too.¡± Can¡¯t hide it from my nose, kid.

    At the mention of his own fatigue, Silver¡¯s face became rancorous. ¡°If you wanna leave, then leave! I¡¯m not stopping you!¡± He forged ahead, and the quintet pushed their tired legs, tail, and gas bladder to the brink to keep up.

    The tunnel came out into yet another cavern, but unlike the dozen they had passed through already, this one was lit. A trail of Pok¨¦mon, their bodies like oozing magma, emerged from a narrow crack on one side of the room, before disappearing into a similar crack on the other.

    Silver groaned angrily at the line of slugma and magcargo blocking the path. ¡°Darn it! Move, you- you slugs!¡±

    A glowing, goopy head turned the human¡¯s way. ¡°Blorp,¡± it said, before turning back to ¨C very, very slowly ¨C follow its family. Meowth snickered. Oof, glad James weren¡¯t able to understand dat; right potty mout¡¯ on dat one.

    They slowed to a stop behind the Boss¡¯s son, Jessie and James catching their breath ¨C James even slid off his backpack and lowered himself to the ground.

    ¡°Well, dat¡¯s dat,¡± he said with a nod. ¡°Ain¡¯t gettin¡¯ past dese fellas ¨C wit¡¯ how fast dey¡¯re goin¡¯, it¡¯ll be hours before da way¡¯s clear.¡±

    Weezing exhaled haltingly in agreement.

    ¡°No!¡± Gettin¡¯ real tired a¡¯ that word, kid¡­ ¡°I am going to find my dad! He¡¯ll see how I crossed the mountains alone, how strong I am, and he¡¯ll come home!¡± He sidled from side to side, reaching forward before flinching back from the emissions of the literal magma-hot Pok¨¦mon.

    From his spot on the floor, James shot the kid a sad look. ¡°Silver¡­ Look, when I was your age-¡±

    He was cut off by a triumphant noise. ¡°Here! There¡¯s a gap!¡± He stepped forward, and Meowth, exhausted, missed the chance to pull him back.

    ¡°Kid! You dummy, youse gonna lose yer legs!¡±

    ¡°Silver!¡± ¡°You damn twerp! Get back here!¡±

    Their cries fell on deaf ears. Silver stepped into something way too small to label a gap ¨C wedged between three slugma, the heat must have been like being baked in an oven; Meowth could see his hair curling, the edges of shirt flash yellow as loose threads erupted into flame.

    ¡°Weezing!¡± James yelled, ¡°See if you can go in from above! Silver, you need to grab him!¡±

    A moment of hesitance crossed Silver¡¯s face as the poisonous gasbag hovered up, cringing at the fiery ambience. Then his face set. ¡°That¡¯s right, you have a flying Pok¨¦mon! We didn¡¯t need to stop at all ¨C don¡¯t pretend you want to help me!¡± He turned forward, and with a lunge cleared the crowd of slugma.

    He landed with a yell, one mirrored by the three rockets, tumbling across the hot stone, clutching his leg.

    But then he was up, the pain hidden under rage and determination as tears sparkled in the corners of his eyes. ¡°S-see? I didn¡¯t need your help!¡± He turned and stomped off, obviously making a show of not favouring his burnt leg, leaving them behind.

    ¡°Arbok, return!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Weezing! Looks like you¡¯ll be flying three passengers, rather than one!¡±

    <hr>

    They went further down, far enough that the tunnels turned from stone to volcanic glass. Arc, I figured it was called Mortar ¡®cause ¡®a da bowl-type shape of da mountain ¨C but now I feel like I¡¯ve been mortared!

    To their good fortune, the path didn¡¯t split or open up; there was only the steep, winding tunnel digging down into the crust. All they had to do was follow it, and with their cat-like agility ¨C or longer legs ¨C it was only a matter of time.

    A minute passed; sixty seconds of overpowering beams shining back at them from jagged crystalline surfaces, of sharp edges and uneven footing, of laboured heaving as their tired bodies worked overtime, before the tunnel bottomed out.

    They saw him before he saw them. ¡°Silver!¡± James called, and when the kid looked back it was with an expression Meowth hadn''t seen him wear before: genuine fear overpowering the thick mask of bravado. He was crouched down, cradled on one side by a knee-high boulder, and he put a finger to his mouth in the universal sign of shut up!

    Meowth tried to stop ¨C but the tunnel was too steep. The other two might have managed it, in their studded boots, if they hadn¡¯t grabbed him when he started to tumble. And so the three of them turned into a ball of limbs for the final fifteen feet of the tunnel, crashing down next to Silver as he looked on, horrified.

    The trio of Rockets let out various moans of pain and exhaustion as they disentangled.

    ¡°Finally! Don¡¯t run off on us, you little devil! Ugh, my poor back¡­¡± Jessie flopped over, James remaining face down.

    ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t want to be underground anymore¡­¡± he whimpered into the glassy floor.

    Meowth opened his mouth to complete the pattern ¨C but he was interrupted by a deep, resounding, nearby thump. In the darkness, something moved.

    ¡°You idiots,¡± Silver hissed. ¡°Run! Get out of here!¡±

    A spare helmet plinked along in their wake ¨C must ¡®a fallen out ¡®a someone¡¯s backpack, came the slow, discombobulated thought ¨C eventually spinning to a stop, its headlamp flickering on just in time to reveal the large, incredibly angry shape they had woken from its nap.

    ¡°W-who¡¯s dat Pok¨¦mon?¡±

    Jessie gulped. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ rhydon?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no rhydon! Go, Victreebel!¡± For the briefest of moments the entire cavern was illuminated by the flash as James released his fully evolved grass type, revealing the den of what was most certainly an apex predator, bones strewn about like straw bedding.

    It¡­ looked like a rhydon, but more. The broad features were the same; a large, bipedal Pok¨¦mon with stony plates covering tough skin, a prominent horn jutting from its snout. But where rhydon was a smooth grey, this super-rhydon was an earthy brown, its plate armour a lighter, almost orange shade.

    ¡°Woah woah woah!¡± Meowth yelled. ¡°Look, we ain¡¯t lookin¡¯ fer trouble! Now I knows we interrupted yer nap, but it was all a mistake, see?¡± A deep, angry rumble. ¡°Yer territory? We was jus¡¯ leavin¡¯! Cross my heart an-¡±

    It charged, and James called out an attack. ¡°Stun Spore!¡± The cave filled with a billowing yellow cloud ¨C only for a resounding crash to echo out as the ground heaved, cracking apart beneath their feet.

    Victreebel slumped out of the cloud, the bottom of its body leaking digestive fluid, and they gaped. ¡°O-one hit?! Return!¡±

    Jessie grit her teeth as she released her own Pok¨¦mon. ¡°That was a good move, James. It''ll be weakened. Arbok, stay close.¡±

    To their side, Silver stood slowly on his injured leg. ¡°W-we can¡¯t win. It¡¯s too strong ¨C you should run.¡±

    As the super-rhydon emerged from the spore cloud, spitting and bellowing its anger, Jessie looked to the side, flashing the child a half-grin as shaky as his legs. ¡°You¡¯ve been slandering Rocket since the moment we met, kid. Honestly, I kind of hate your guts ¨C you remind me of a certain other twerp who¡¯s given us a lot of trouble.¡±

    Weezing came out in a third flash of red. ¡°But you''re our Boss¡¯s son¡­ and it isn¡¯t like we could leave you alone even if you weren''t!¡± James flashed his own smile, manic and desperate and sincere. ¡°So now watch us prove you wrong ¨C Team Rocket isn¡¯t weak!¡±

    ¡°James, are you thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s really only the one option, isn¡¯t there?¡±

    They grinned at each other, then at Meowth, who smiled back with bared fangs as the massive Pok¨¦mon approached ¨C slowly, both by dint of its bulk, and Victreebel¡¯s spores. ¡°Dat¡¯s right! Da old Rocket special!¡±

    ¡°Thank your dad for this move, pint-size: Arbok, Earthquake!¡±

    ¡°Weezing, Self-Destruct!¡±

    Meowth grabbed the kid as the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s den filled with light and heat and noise, hoisting him up above his head and sprinting with all the strength that desperation could dredge up.

    He cried out, and to his relief two voices joined him in sync, just a half-step behind. ¡°Team Rocket¡¯s blasting off again!¡±

 3.05 - Longing to Fly

    Hoshi sat, his pen and notes forgotten, enraptured as the duo¡¯s story unfolded.

    Listening to them was oddly surreal; he had been born in Viridian, though he retained no memories of that place, and his mother¡¯s native city had always been an object of¡­ third-hand pride, so to speak. Sort of like how Uncle Bob keeps up with that one Orre city¡¯s baseball news religiously, despite not setting foot there since he was a little kid.

    Giovanni was an old figure, celebrated and reviled in equal measure, and one that he felt a very tenuous, ephemeral, but nonetheless real connection to ¨C and so hearing them recount their efforts to find the man after his disappearance, it was¡­

    Like watching some daytime TV show, but then suddenly someone I know shows up as a bit character. It makes reality seem less real.

    ¡°And that concludes the stunning finale of the Galarian section of our adventure¡­¡± James narrated.

    ¡°¡­But we wouldn¡¯t be moving south quite yet!¡± Jessie continued. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you know, to the east of Kalos is an untamed area, a bastion of nature untouched by human hands¡­¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± James gestured, sweeping his arm across his body, palm up, before curling his fingers as though grasping something in his mind¡¯s eye. ¡°Just teeming with rare Pok¨¦mon! And since our coffers were sadly empty from buying all those antique sets of armour-¡±

    The Senior Executive¡¯s voice was cut off by a soft sound, and some of the magic of the story broke as the both of them turned their attention to the entrance at the back of the room.

    Hoshi turned to see Moon- damn it, come on, we shook on it. To see Kenny standing awkwardly, his bald head shining in the bright classroom lights like the full moon, damn it, can you not make it easy for me?

    ¡°Uh, sorry I¡¯m late,¡± he growled, chastisement under his voice like painted-over graffiti. ¡°My Nana had a fall, and-¡±

    ¡°Perfectly fine!¡± Jessie interrupted him right back. ¡°The Electric Academy prides itself on covering for our students¡¯ mysterious disappearances!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll just have to snag some notes off a peer after the lesson. Take a seat, Mister Kaneth.¡±

    The large man did so, sheepish in a way Hoshi had never seen before, and the Rocket duo continued.

    <hr>

    ¡°¡­And that¡¯s all the time we have for today!¡± Jessie concluded, to the collective disappointment of the ¡®students,¡¯ Hoshi among them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± James assured them. ¡°We¡¯ll pick things back up in the next lesson!¡±

    ¡°Think of it as a ¡®next time on¡¯ soap opera ending!¡±

    ¡°Meow!¡±

    With a synchronised nod, the two Rockets and their Pok¨¦mon began gathering up their notes and cleaning the whiteboard. Kenny grunted in annoyance as his effort to copy the dense writing was thwarted, prompting Hoshi to roll his eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got everything down. We can go over it later.¡±

    The muscular man¡¯s face brightened. ¡°Yeah? Right, the plannin¡¯ thing ¨C we doin¡¯ that now?¡±

    Hoshi gave a half nod. ¡°In a bit.¡± After I show Ryan a strong Pok¨¦mon doesn¡¯t always mean a winning one. Raising his voice, he addressed the group. ¡°Why don¡¯t you all go get your rain stuff on, and we¡¯ll meet in front of the school? Me and Ryan are gonna have a little showdown, then we can get some serious training done, if you¡¯re up for it.¡±

    It was surprisingly easy to pitch his voice authoritatively ¨C he had never really been in a situation like this, the leader of a group, but it turned out that anticipating this moment over and over in his head had done something useful along with stressing him out.

    The collection of Rocket Grunts stood ¨C except for one. Puce raised her hand, speaking to the crimson crescent of Jessie¡¯s turned back. ¡°P-pardon, instructors, but¡­ Is today meant to be a half day? It¡¯s only two in the afternoon¡­¡±

    Hoshi blinked. Is it? I was so caught up in their ¡®history lesson¡¯ I wasn¡¯t really keeping track¡­

    Jessie and James turned. ¡°Excellent question!¡± the woman announced.

    ¡°We were going to use the second half of the lesson to go over some details on your ongoing mission¡­¡± her partner continued.

    ¡°But your project leader managed to get ahead of us!¡± Jessie¡¯s ruby-painted lips turned up as she shot Hoshi a look that caused a dusting of pink to appear on his cheeks. ¡°So we thought, ¡®if he¡¯s going to do our work for us¡­¡¯¡±

    ¡°¡®Why stop him?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Ee-ow,¡± said Meowth, his mouth obstructed by a large pen. Wait, is he writing..? No, don¡¯t get distracted.

    ¡°Exactly!¡±

    James shot his own smile Hoshi¡¯s way, and the blush went from pink to red. ¡°You¡¯re exceeding our expectations, Senior Grunt ¨C no one else thought to come to us for additional details.¡±

    ¡°Or coordinate with the others in their own time.¡±

    ¡°Or bother to plan contingencies for failure.¡± The man¡¯s green eyes flashed. ¡°Very neat handwriting, by the way.¡±

    Hoshi awkwardly shuffled. ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± Okay, there¡¯s definitely a trap door in the ceiling somewhere ¨C that¡¯s the only place they¡¯d be able to peek at my notes.

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Puce said after a moment of silence, finally standing. ¡°Thank you for clearing that up.¡±

    Jessie nodded. ¡°Honestly, even if we had decided to promote someone else, Mister Mutsu¡¯s attitude would have us questioning that decision.¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s really been on top of things!¡±

    ¡°Mao.¡±

    Out the corner of his eye Hoshi saw Ryan¡¯s face twist, and his blush receded a hair¡¯s breadth. Right¡­ they aren¡¯t just praising me, they¡¯re putting him down. I was just speculating when I said they didn¡¯t want someone from a different¡­ cell, let¡¯s say, in charge, but this makes it pretty explicit.

    The Rocket Executives went back to cleaning the room, and the students packed up their own notes and left.

    <hr>

    ¡°You guys are fightin¡¯, right? Full-on Pok¨¦mon battle?¡±

    Kenny¡¯s voice had lost the thin dregs of submission from earlier; he didn¡¯t even attempt to modulate his volume, his words loud and eager.

    The man¡¯s sparkling black eyes showcased just how much he was looking forward to the coming violence.

    ¡°We will be battling, yes,¡± Ryan answered, still gritting his teeth from their bosses¡¯ dressing-down. ¡°Assuming that Mutsu is willing, that is.¡±

    Hah, can¡¯t even manage to imply I¡¯m a coward properly. ¡°I said we¡¯d meet in front of the school, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    The moment they had left the room, Nerine had pulled a bag of chips from her overstuffed backpack. Until that moment she¡¯d been trailing behind, paying more attention to her snack than the conversation, but as things got heated she pulled back to the group. ¡°You get that winning won¡¯t get you his stripes, right?¡± she sent Ryan¡¯s way.

    He snorted. ¡°This is about honour, not just the rank. And besides¡­¡± His sour look diminished. ¡°Won¡¯t it? The uniform is ceremonial ¨C the authority comes from being obeyed. Wouldn¡¯t you prefer to take your cues from the stronger trainer?¡±

    ¡°Eh,¡± Nerine replied. ¡°Not really? In a ¡®go fight this guy¡¯ mission yeah, but this isn¡¯t that. I¡¯m cool with letting whoever¡¯s willing to call the shots call the shots.¡±

    She started to drop back, completely losing interest now that her piece was said, and Puce slid in to fill the gap in conversation.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you worked together?¡± Work together? Fuck that, not until he pulls the stick out of his ass! The woman shrivelled under his and Ryan¡¯s gazes, but for the first time Hoshi saw her grow a spine and defend herself. ¡°I¡¯m serious! This is silly ¨C the instructors gave Mister Mutsu a promotion fair and square. There isn¡¯t any reason for you two to fight.¡±

    Ryan¡¯s anger flared back up, but a moment later he managed to calm himself. ¡°Again, this isn¡¯t about Mutsu. This is about the blatant disrespect being shown to me, simply because I¡¯m Mister Archer¡¯s protege; I simply cannot stand such blatant nepotism.¡±

    The hall went dead silent. ¡­Oh, Arcus fuck, that¡¯s¡­ Ryan¡¯s brows came together in confusion at the five incredulous looks sent his way ¨C not even Casca, who Hoshi had assumed to have a disarming comment for every situation, could open her mouth in front of that statement.

    Then, a soft choking noise, slowly growing in volume¡­ until great, heaving guffaws erupted from Kenny¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°HAH-!¡± he gasped. ¡°AH, he said, HAHAH-!¡±

    He couldn¡¯t even form a sentence, and then Nerine began to snicker as well. Hoshi joined in, and soon it was only Ryan and Puce walking silently, both red-faced ¨C one from embarrassment, and the other from trying to hold in her own burgeoning laughter.

    ¡°I mean it,¡± Ryan choked out, which only made Kenny laugh harder. A head poked out from a doorway as they passed, no doubt wondering what the commotion was, and Hoshi had to stop and catch his breath lest he actually throw up.

    He could hear the blond grinding his teeth ¨C until he finally seemed to give up, quickening his pace and marching ahead.

    ¡°Ah, wait..!¡± Puce attempted, but he disappeared around the corner without looking back. ¡°Oh¡­ Guys, that felt kind of mean.¡±

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Casca wiped a tear from her eyes. ¡°Fuck ¡®im. If he wants to be a prick, he can take the consequences.¡±

    Fucking right. Hoshi bumped her shoulder in thanks, but inside a seed of hesitation formed. On the one hand, he was grateful to the instructors; their half-veiled mockery had set the mood against the Viridian, making it easy to get everyone on his side ¨C it was easy to picture a version of that conversation where Ryan was more composed, making a better argument and winning one or two people over.

    But on the other, he was going to have to work with this guy for at least the one job ¨C and if he hated Hoshi too much, that could very easily fuck them over. I doubt he¡¯d go all the way and sabotage the mission, but I¡¯m not exactly a mind reader¡­ And his pride is obviously a weak point. Just picking the wrong time to disobey an order out of spite might send the house of cards tumbling.

    So¡­ Against the flow of his emotions, Hoshi forced himself to take a breath and kill the lingering snickers that wanted to form. ¡°Well, maybe that was a bit much. We probably shouldn¡¯t dogpile the guy ¨C beating him in a battle¡¯s enough for me.¡±

    <hr>

    Hoshi emerged from the school, wearing his rain gear over his uniform. By some quirk of fate he was the last to arrive; a dramatically appropriate turn of events. Actually, it¡¯s probably a quirk of fashion ¨C the others are wearing slip-on raincoats; I¡¯m the only one with professional, fitted waterproof clothes that take time to put on.

    ¡°Took ya long enough,¡± Kenny spoke from the shadow of the building¡¯s roof, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. At his feet Nerine was sitting, click-clacking away at a handheld game console in the thin slice of dryness between solid stone and nearly-solid water.

    Hoshi grunted in reply, casting his eyes out towards the gloom of the stormy afternoon. Is it coming down harder? Arcus, Fuchsia and Pallet must be completely flooded by this point. While the bay¡¯s waters were crashing against the docks like giant¡¯s fists, he could only imagine how bad it was for the cities bordering the open ocean, without any barriers between them and the typhoon. Not to mention Cinnabar and the other islands¡­

    He shook off the speculation, returning to the present. A dark shape approached, resolving into Ryan in a trench coat, Puce trailing him with an oversized umbrella ¨C she was the only one of them not wearing a coat, and Hoshi wondered if she forgot it inside, forgot it at home, or had come in something that didn¡¯t fit over her grunt uniform.

    A hint of drifting smoke found his nose through the downpour, and he decided that Ryan could simmer a minute more. He made his way to Casca, a point of orange light illuminating her face as she took shelter under a tree.

    ¡°Nervous?¡± he asked, and she plucked the cigarette from her lips to reply.

    ¡°It¡¯s stupid, isn¡¯t it? Obviously you¡¯re gonna win.¡±

    His dark purple eyes found her baby blue ones, reflected lights dancing in her pupils, and they shared a smile. ¡°Do you have to jinx me right before it starts?¡± Wet footsteps approached, and he drew in a breath. Time¡¯s up. Let¡¯s see if a bat can beat a dragon.

    <hr>

    Ryan Sampo understood that his words hadn¡¯t endeared him to anyone today.

    It was simply¡­ difficult, to adjust to the change in his situation. Back in Viridian City, he was well-liked. By his friends, his neighbours, his superiors¡­ Very nearly everyone he had ever met was either a peer who looked at him with respect, an authority figure who nodded at his competence, or a member of his own family, who obviously loved and cared for him.

    Now, here he was ¨C surrounded by unfamiliar people and a pair of Senior Executives who obviously disfavoured him without even gauging his talents first. Anyone would find such things grating, would they not?

    But even so, he was disappointed with himself; men of Sampo blood did not wallow, or allow themselves to be consumed by emotion. And so as he approached his rival he balled up the humiliation within, and swallowed it down.

    ¡°Hoshi Mutsu. Are you prepared?¡±

    The man turned, revealing his small, burning eyes. As always, there was the smallest seed of recognition ¨C the man had Viridian in him, somewhere. Whether that was a parent, grandparent, or even further up his family tree, Ryan did not know, but it was obvious when one knew what to look for as he did.

    The Senior Grunt bared his teeth. ¡°Since the moment you called me out, Sampo. But before anything else, let¡¯s make one thing clear:¡± His eyes slid across the front of the building, eyeing them all. ¡°This fight has our pride on the line, nothing else. Win or lose, I¡¯m still your boss.¡±

    Ryan sniffed. ¡°Obviously. If I did not respect the chain of command, this situation would not be nearly so grating.¡±

    Hoshi fixed him with a stare, no doubt searching for deception, and Ryan met his eyes solidly. ¡°¡­Right. I guess we¡¯d better lay some ground rules-¡±

    ¡°A full team-on-team fight, one Pok¨¦mon from each of us at a time, no switches, no use of items,¡± Ryan undercut. ¡°To knockout or surrender.¡±

    Silence, but for the blowing of the wind, and the equally hot air coming from that oaf of a Rocket Grunt. ¡°Damn, man,¡± Menard stated. ¡°You really gonna accept the two-on-one?¡±

    ¡°I shall. Jormungandr is more than enough.¡± And that is no mere boast; I¡¯ve been training at the highest intensity these past few days. If we were to face that Executive and his showpony again, there would be a different result, I¡¯d bet my very name on it.

    Hoshi¡¯s lips twisted. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡±

    Less than a minute later, the two stood across from each other. The line of trees to Ryan¡¯s left broke the wind slightly, but it was still intense enough that both men had to clutch their headwear lest they get facefuls of rain.

    Nerine stood between them to the side, playing the part of referee as he had asked her to. As the delinquent girl restated the rules of the engagement, Ryan raised his activated Pok¨¦ball to his lips and whispered.

    ¡°He¡¯ll begin with his zubat, I¡¯m sure of it. You know what to do.¡±

    Across the field his opponent was doing the same, and for a brief moment Ryan was struck by the symmetry. He had not spoken falsely, earlier; he had no personal quarrel with Hoshi Mutsu. The Executives had not been¡­ incorrect, to praise the man for his efforts. He was not a poor leader.

    But they had not known he would do that. Rise above their expectations. That was what galled him ¨C yes, the man had revealed himself to be competent, and yes, Ryan had hurried off back home to celebrate his second-place victory and train, rather than stay and perform his duties properly¡­

    He had been languid. That was a failure he would carry with him. It was also a failure that had occurred after his superiors had placed Mutsu above him, a man with exactly zero accolades to nis name ¨C disregarding a single famous relative.

    That was nepotism, bare and ugly. He, Ryan Sampo, had risen to become the Rocket Boss¡¯s favoured pick by effort, by deeds, by excellence in his studies and good judgment in battle.

    And though he took immense pride in his heritage, it was one¡¯s person that determined their skill in battle. Nerine finished, raising her hand, and his grip on Jormungandr¡¯s ball tightened.

    Her hand cut the rain in a downward slash. ¡°Begin!¡±

    He threw the ball hard, aiming for the other man¡¯s feet. As he predicted, Hoshi aimed for the same spot ¨C he wanted distance, the better to rise into the air, away from Jorm¡¯s strong jaws. You¡¯ll have to think more than one step ahead, Mutsu!

    Two flashes of red, a hint of panic breaking the Senior Grunt¡¯s composure as he yelled. ¡°Crow, fly!¡±

    Ryan bared his teeth in ecstasy; as the first move of the battle went to him, he couldn¡¯t resist a spot of banter.

    When Ryan had once again set foot in Viridian, the first thing he did ¨C after paying respects to his father and the Rocket Boss, of course ¨C had been to learn absolutely everything about his Pok¨¦mon. Its diet, its temperament, its pedigree¡­ and most importantly, the quirks of its species.

    And what he found was that his little bagon was perfect for him ¨C the species was one consumed by ambition; to ascend, and grow from tiny grounded child to mighty sovereign of the skies. They longed to fly so strongly, they would leap off of tall cliffs simply to feel the sensation for a single second¡­ An ambition that Ryan knew all too well.

    He, too, desired to ascend.

    ¡°You heard the man! Fly, Jormungandr!¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Crow, fly!¡±

    ¡°You heard the man! Fly, Jormungandr!¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s teeth clenched as the field flashed red. Stupid, why didn¡¯t I expect him to send his fucking dragon out on my side? It wasn¡¯t even a trick he was ignorant of ¨C he had experienced it during the tournament, from that guy with the spider.

    He could only hope that Crow could handle herself. ¡°Evade!¡±

    His bat came out three feet above ground and immediately spotted her opponent, the tiny dragon within lunging distance ¨C she flapped for her life, fighting the rain as much as gravity, and Hoshi¡¯s heart thundered in his chest.

    Fucking- am I going to lose in the first second? From one mistake? His fingerbones ached from how hard his fists were clenched, but the pain was distant, unimportant. ¡°Come on!¡± The dragon leapt, its stubby legs propelling it further than Hoshi would have thought possible, firelight from its gaping maw scintillating off the raindrops as time slowed. ¡°Dodge!¡± Fucking Arcus-damned typhoon-! I should¡¯ve made this happen inside!

    Then the bagon¡¯s teeth caught the edge of Crow¡¯s wing and time resumed. She fell ¨C or rather was pulled down, a long rent in the paper-thin membrane, and liquid black despair filled his chest. Hoshi¡¯s heart froze solid as his chances of winning died.

    No, some part of him said. It¡¯s only a wing, she¡¯s still conscious. We aren¡¯t out yet! ¡°LEECH LIFE!¡± he roared, stomping the muddy, dying grass. ¡°Go for the eyes!¡±

    Crow flopped in the bagon¡¯s grip, her wing smoking. In the background Hoshi saw Ryan¡¯s eyes widening, his mouth opening to call out an order, but before he could speak a second, higher-pitched roar sounded out.

    The bagon flung its head to the side, dashing Crow against the ground with her fur smouldering, its Fire Fang having done its job. ¡°Zubat is unable to battle!¡± Nerine cried across the field. ¡°Trainer Hoshi, return your Pok¨¦mon!¡±

    Damnit, damnit, damn it all! The return laser of his ball flashed out, and finally the pain in his digits and jaw asserted itself. Is that it..? No. He eyed the dragon more closely as it keened, its anger now directed Hoshi¡¯s way. Its eye is closed, leaking blood. Is that- maybe that¡¯s enough? Maybe Guts can pull through?

    ¡°Hey,¡± Nerine continued. ¡°Hey, no trainers on the-¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s eyes turned from the bagon just in time to receive Ryan¡¯s right hook to the jaw. ¡°You bastard! If you¡¯ve blinded my Pok¨¦mon-!¡±

    He went down, taking another slug to the face as Ryan kneeled on top of him ¨C but Hoshi must have been in a hundred stupid drunken bar fights, and the blond grunt hit light. He retaliated, splitting Ryan¡¯s lip, and they rolled in the mud.

    Then a yipping growl way too close, and some of the anger broke into panic. The dragon! Where¡¯s the-?! As they tumbled he managed to catch glimpses of it, blue scales and fangs and a single sharp, enraged eye. It¡¯s fucking happening again. And there was no way he could stomp out this ¡®mon, steel-toed boots or not. He heaved, throwing the sopping wet asshole off and half-rising to meet the charging dragon.

    ¡°Water Gun!¡± came a voice from outside his tunneling vision, and the bagon was blown back a few steps. He tried to move, instinctively trying to take advantage of its weakness, but thickly muscled arms wrapped around under his armpits. Hoshi found himself being half-lifted, half-dragged away.

    ¡°Arc, boss!¡± Kenny exclaimed, laughing. ¡°You sure know how to put on a show!¡±

    <hr>

    In a blurry mess that Hoshi only mostly understood, the fight ended in a tie. Puce held Ryan up over her head until he calmed down, and he recalled his Pok¨¦mon. Casca put away her staryu. Nerine shrugged and said that as referee, she was calling it ¨C that if they continued, someone was probably going to die.

    ¡°Boys,¡± she scoffed, turning away. ¡°They¡¯ve gotta learn to take a chill pill and not stress the small stuff.¡±

    While all that happened, Hoshi sat, attempting to get a handle on his own emotions. He wasn¡¯t very successful ¨C minutes passed as he breathed heavily, his teeth clenched, Casca hovering protectively just out of sight. Enough time for Ryan to approach, his face bearing a mix of lingering anger and growing contrition.

    ¡°I,¡± he began, before taking a moment and restarting. ¡°I apologise. I should not have assaulted you. That was a gross overreaction.¡±

    Hoshi continued to focus on his breath for a handful of seconds. Then with heavy, deliberate movements he stood. Guess I¡¯m not the only one who flies off the handle, sometimes. ¡°Yeah. Yeah, fine, I get it.¡± Today was a fucking shitshow¡­ or at least this part of today. Both of them were covered in mud, sporting bruises and scrapes ¨C though he felt a spark of satisfaction as he noted that Ryan was definitely worse off.

    His hand came up. ¡°Next time, then.¡±

    A small pause where Hoshi thought the man might refuse, before he accepted the handshake. His palm was wet and slick. ¡°Next time. I didn¡¯t even get to showcase Jormungandr¡¯s new move¡­¡±

 3.06 - A Real Trainer

    Modern medicine sure was something ¨C at least as far as Pok¨¦mon were concerned.

    After a round in the knock-off healing machine, Crow was back to full health ¨C Ryan¡¯s dragon too, for that matter. Giant fucking baby. What, did he think Crow¡¯s tiny fangs could put out a whole eye?

    He grimaced as he thought it through. ¡­Actually, if we didn¡¯t have access to these machines, it might¡¯ve lost that eye. His zubat was far from a powerhouse, but the bagon wasn¡¯t exactly fully grown either.

    Hoshi gave the tangle of pipes and electronics an appreciative look, though the puffiness of his black eye must have made said look lop-sided. Good thing we do have them, then. Too bad they don¡¯t work on people¡­

    The thought came and went easily ¨C by now it had repeated itself too many times to count, completely losing its impact. I wonder where Rocket got these things ¨C were they built in-house? They certainly looked like it; unlike the Pok¨¦centre machines he had seen numerous times on TV, these ones were much more compact, only able to treat a single Pok¨¦mon at a time. Plus they lacked an outer casing; their innards were on full display.

    Or maybe they stole them one part at a time ¨C that would explain why they¡¯re so minimalistic, at least.

    After one last lingering look, he turned back to see the group paired off as he had left them. Ryan and his¡­ ugh, Jormungandr, paired with Kenny and Bubbles the sandshrew, while Nerine and Tomato the ekans stood against Puce and the koffing she had somehow managed to also name Tomato ¨C the two would have to settle that between them, otherwise it would get confusing. And then there was Casca, patiently waiting for him to finish, her brow quirked.

    ¡°Just about done, stud?¡±

    His smile was pained. ¡°Yeah. So, how do you feel about training?¡±

    Her own expression, in turn, was sympathetic ¨C both for him, and herself. ¡°Eh. I mean, pretty good?¡± Up came her Pok¨¦ball, and unlike Hoshi and the other grunt¡¯s hers was uncovered. The purple Rocket Ball gleamed iridescent with its eye-shaped lens and weird bumps. ¡°Candy is kind of out of shape¡­ I¡¯m not much of a battler.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll start things off slow.¡± It wasn¡¯t just his emotions that had urged him to keep his girlfriend to himself ¨C though that was a nice side consideration ¨C no, he had put a bit of thought into who would be paired with who.

    Kenny and Puce were frankly abysmal; yeah, Kenny had won a single match, but from his description it had been a basic slugfest against a similarly untrained meowth, and Puce hadn¡¯t even gotten that far. They needed the most help, so he put them with the two better trainers.

    He and Casca were probably closer to the middle of the pack; his Pok¨¦mon were relatively untrained, while she did almost exclusively undercover work where battling wasn¡¯t necessary ¨C though if he was being honest, it would probably be more accurate to say that her lazy streak extended past housework and into training.

    That Water Gun was pretty alright, though. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s start with some tag.¡± He released Guts, and a moment later she did the same with her golden orange-brown starfish. Staryu wasn¡¯t a Pok¨¦mon he was very familiar with; unlike a lot of other oceanic creatures, they tended not to venture into the bay, preferring to stay on the seafloor. The ¡®mon stood on two of its semi-rigid legs, seemingly unconcerned about being up on land. Kind of creepy how it stands upright ¨C feels like a fish shouldn¡¯t be able to do that. I wonder¡­ do they walk like that underwater, or did it learn bipedalism from being around humans?

    The two Pok¨¦mon sized each other up ¨C or at least that was how Hoshi decided to interpret the staryu¡¯s angled, faceless body. ¡°Guts, we¡¯re going to be playing a game; I want you to tackle Candy over there, but lightly. Once you get a hit, back off and try to dodge its attacks. You understand?¡±

    The rat¡¯s whiskers vibrated as it sniffed, giving him a blank look. Well, she¡¯ll get it once I start giving orders.

    Casca¡¯s Pok¨¦mon, in contrast, responded by pumping its nubby limbs in an unsettlingly humanoid motion. She reached down to pat its¡­ head? Top arm? ¡°Ready for some exercise?¡± Her smile got a touch more playful. ¡°Let¡¯s start first! Candy, Tackle!¡±

    <hr>

    Kenny frowned. ¡°And yer sure this¡¯ll help him with his moves?¡±

    Running laps wasn¡¯t exactly how he¡¯d been picturing this training session in his head. Though it was kind of funny seeing the little guy waddle after Ryan¡¯s own Pok¨¦mon, the dragon goading him on with taunting yips.

    ¡°I¡¯m absolutely certain,¡± Ryan answered. ¡°Your sandshrew has a good temperament, but you need to look further ahead; instead of focusing on Sand Attack, something that will work itself out in a battle or two, you should be training with an eye towards Rollout. That will be its primary attack and mobility tool for a long while, and the move requires a physicality that your Pok¨¦mon is¡­ currently lacking.¡±

    Kenny grunted thoughtfully. ¡°I guess. But I¡¯d still like to get Sand Attack down proper.¡±

    The man turned. He had changed out of his muddy grunt uniform and into a light blue suit, and it was a little hard to take him seriously while he was all dolled up ¨C but he had nearly won the tournament, so Kenny would have to be pretty stupid to ignore his advice. ¡°Of course. We can do some light battling once¡­ Bubbles, was it? Yes, once Bubbles runs out of steam. That will help with stamina as much as the running; sandslash is a fairly balanced Pok¨¦mon, with both offense and defence, so staying power is key.¡±

    Another grunt. Makes sense¡­ But it kinda feels like I can do this any time. I wanna do training that needs a partner while I can! But as much as the words wanted to burst out, he held them in. Got all day for it¡­ rushing¡¯ll be bad.

    Just gotta be patient. Put our heads down and do the work, same as anything.

    But speaking of that¡­ ¡°Yo, Suit.¡± The man took a moment to register the nickname, looking over with faint confusion. ¡°You punch like a fuckin¡¯ girl man. That was disgraceful.¡±

    The man¡¯s white-blond curls bounced like he was the star of a shampoo commercial. ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±

    ¡°You heard me. You said Bubbles wasn¡¯t cuttin¡¯ it physically ¨C well, neither ¡®r you.¡± Kenny turned to face the ponce, letting the angry stare wash over him without flinching. ¡°While our Pok¨¦mon train, why don¡¯t I show you some moves? I used to wrestle, y¡¯know.¡±

    ¡°I hardly think I need to-¡±

    ¡°Come on, man. We ain¡¯t goin¡¯ for the Indigo Cup, here ¨C this is dirty work. Gotta be ready to go in, right?¡± He raised his fists, and sent out a few jabs.

    Ryan¡¯s nose remained scrunched in distaste, but after a second he broke eye contact. ¡°That is¡­ not the worst use of our time, I suppose.¡±

    <hr>

    Puce stared at the younger girl, and against her will started to fidget. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m not sure?¡±

    ¡°Guess,¡± came Miss Rose¡¯s flat reply, her arms crossed sternly. In the background her ekans and Toma- and Potato traded clouds of Smog and Poison Sting needles.

    ¡°¡­G-ground?¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    Puce racked her brain. She was bad at this, knew she was bad at this, and that knowledge seemed to block up all the pathways of her thoughts, clogging them with sludge. ¡°I¡­¡± Somehow the tiny girl in front of her was twelve feet tall, looming, her displeasure a solid wall. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    It hurt to admit, the same as it always did. Just like everything else in her entire life, the strengths and weaknesses of each type of Pok¨¦mon fell right out of her head the moment she needed it.

    Miss Rose sighed. ¡°Psychic. The other one is psychic.¡± A pause, then she slipped another sentence out in a lower voice. ¡°And bug, sometimes. It depends on the species and what they¡¯ve been eating¡­ But ground and psychic are the big ones.¡±

    Puce hung her head, nodding tepidly as all the energy went out of her. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll try to remember that, Miss Rose.¡±

    The teenager continued to stare at her, eyes narrowed under thin glass. Her face screwed up for a fraction of a second in emotion, but before Puce could identify what it was, it was gone.

    ¡°Look, Puce, this is¡­ This isn¡¯t going to work. I get not knowing the chart top-to-bottom, but can you not do one type?¡±

    She opened her mouth, then thought better and settled on a sad shake of the head instead. I try, I really do try, I promise¡­

    And like a mirror, the younger girl did the same ¨C opening her mouth, then closing it. Instead of speaking, she turned and went to sit against her backpack. She took off her hat, letting the green waterfall of her hair tumble out.

    Puce shamefully looked away from yet another teacher who she had forced to give up. On the field their two Pok¨¦mon continued to refine their aim; the ekans actually seemed to be losing, since her koffing¡¯s attacks covered a wider area. Ha¡­ My Pok¨¦mon is actually better without me¡­

    ¡°Why Tomato?¡±

    She startled. ¡°Huh?¡±

    Miss Rose raised her head. ¡°Why¡¯d you name your koffing that? I named mine that ¡®cause they¡¯re my favourite food. I didn¡¯t want to go with Noodle or something lame like that, but a different food name seemed¡­ funny, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Um, I just thought she looked kind of like a big tomato?¡± And I couldn¡¯t think of anything better¡­ ¡°But Potato is good, too. I¡¯m not mad I had to change it, or anything.¡± It¡¯s actually kind of cool, isn¡¯t it? That we¡¯d give our Pok¨¦mon the same name.

    Another sigh. The girl reached back, digging in her bag for a second before drawing out a super-sized chocolate bar. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to imply you¡¯re stupid or anything. It¡¯s just, like, this is weird, you know? I expected being in a gang to be¡­ different.¡± She smiled thinly as the wrapper tore. ¡°Like, I¡¯m basically just at school. And it isn¡¯t¡­¡± She made a frustrated noise, biting into the thick chocolate and chewing without any decorum.

    There was a tiny voice in the back of her head that sounded like Mother, urging Puce to rebuke the teen for her sloppiness. But that voice had been steamed out by the pressure cooker of a public high school, and she ignored it with only a little effort. ¡°No, you were right. I¡¯m not¡­ good at this.¡±

    With hesitant steps she approached, and sat down heavily beside the girl. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve always wanted to be a Pok¨¦mon trainer, ever since I was old enough to want to be anything.¡± Like usual, her bulky body made things awkward; without even trying, she seemed to crowd the girl, making her scoot over. ¡°But¡­ maybe I should quit. I flunked out of school, and then the reform school¡­ I couldn¡¯t even get the tests done back when they were easy. My parents paid a lot to get me in here, and¡­ I don¡¯t want to be a burden on anyone¡­¡± This was the last shot. Rocket doesn''t care about exam scores or anything like that¡­ so if I¡¯m still failing, doesn¡¯t that mean it wasn¡¯t the tests that were the problem? That it¡¯s just big, stupid me?

    Miss Rose chewed on her candy for a minute, occasionally glancing Puce¡¯s way before hastily looking away.

    Eventually, she spoke. ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t know how to deal with this. Let¡¯s just¡­ pretend this whole conversation never happened, okay?¡± She balled up the now-empty wrapper, and shoved it back into her bag before standing. Reluctantly, Puce stood as well. ¡°Koffing is a better Pok¨¦mon than most people give it credit for. It¡¯s way more durable than it looks, and it learns a lot of strong moves naturally. Plus it explodes, which is super cool.¡±

    She scratched at her head before donning her cap, tucking her long dyed hair up into the oversized crown. ¡°On the other hand, it has poor endurance and can¡¯t float very fast at all. If you can¡¯t remember what your own Pok¨¦mon can do¡­¡±

    Puce tensed. Here came the rebuke, the urging to give up for her own good. This time¡­ I think I¡¯m finally ready to hear it. Nerine was good, a real trainer the way her old teachers hadn¡¯t been; if she said Puce was a lost cause¡­ well, who was she to argue?

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°¡­Then you need a strategy that works in every situation. Something rote, that you can follow by instinct.¡± Her eyes were cold, calculating, the way they¡¯d been during her fight with Ryan. Her foot tapped the ground, loose rubber squeaking, and something about the combo of sound and expression made Puce break out in gooseflesh.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she continued, seemingly speaking more for her own benefit than the older woman¡¯s. ¡°A rote strategy. Defence and poison¡­¡± Her mouth was a thin line as she turned back to Puce. ¡°I think you¡¯d make a decent defensive battler, Puce. Yeah¡­ just grinding forward. Poison¡¯s a type that a lot of people underestimate, but it can be pretty damn good if you use it right.¡±

    <hr>

    Arc, now I know why she was so adamant that a starmie could beat the Elite Four. It turned out that not only was Casca¡¯s starter Pok¨¦mon faster than both of his, its Water Gun hit like a fucking truck.

    ¡°I¡¯m impressed,¡± he said, watching the starfish nail Crow dead-on with an underpowered spurt. Waterlogged, the aggrieved zubat needed to flap twice as hard just to stay airborne. ¡°This guy¡¯s way stronger than the one I fought in the Little Cup.¡±

    Casca shot him a satisfied look, but was a touch more humble with her words. ¡°I¡¯ve been a Rocket for a while, Hoshi. I wouldn¡¯t call myself a great trainer, but Candy¡¯s fully grown; that¡¯s an advantage all on its own.¡±

    Still. I was expecting things to be a little more even. Like clockwork, the staryu jumped and spun like a massive shuriken, nailing Crow with a light Tackle ¨C light in comparison, he should say; given the sheer weight disparity the hit was still heavy enough to bruise. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough tag for now; I don¡¯t want my girls to get dispirited.¡±

    His girlfriend raised a brow at his choice of words, but let it slide. A minute later, and they were all healed up and ready for the next phase of training: actual battle.

    In his preliminary plans, Hoshi had been expecting to fight with just one of his Pok¨¦mon ¨C but since the strength disparity was larger than expected, he¡¯d switched things up and decided to use this as an opportunity to practise his Pok¨¦mon¡¯s teamwork. And my ability to command them at the same time, too.

    ¡°Ready when you are!¡± Casca yelled. Though the battle court was less richly appointed than the rest of the school, it was still large enough to accommodate a few small-scale battles, something he was thankful for. If we had to do this in the rain, we¡¯d be miserable, especially Ryan with his muddy jacket. Though speaking of him¡­

    Hoshi glanced at the two other pairs of grunts. Nerine and Puce seem good ¨C are they playing tag too? I guess it is a pretty good way to train. And Ryan and Kenny are-

    He blinked. The ex-wrestler had Ryan in a headlock, their Pok¨¦mon seemingly forgotten as the dragon and rodent chased each other in circles. With a sigh he adjusted his cap. Typical. I thought Menard might have some brains somewhere in that oversized skull, but I guess it¡¯s meathead all the way down. ¡°One sec, I need to nip this in the bud.¡± He stepped towards the two men. I suppose I should have expected this. Kenny likes to pick on Puce, so putting him next to Ryan, whose ass I just kicked, was bound to-

    ¡°Naw, don¡¯t worry. Big guy¡¯s just teaching him some hand-to-hand.¡±

    Casca¡¯s words made him stop in his tracks. ¡°Huh?¡±

    She shot him a look that was both smug and mildly rueful. ¡°Tag wasn¡¯t quite holding my attention, sooo¡­¡± she trailed off, drawing out the vowel. ¡°I started people-watching. Sorry, I know this is important.¡±

    Hoshi frowned. ¡°You heard them from all the way on the other side of the room?¡±

    In response, she put her hand next to her head and flapped the thumb against the rest of her fingers in a blah blah blah gesture. ¡°Lip reading.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± I didn¡¯t know you could do that. Hoshi¡¯s eyes went back to the men for a moment, before he turned back to his girlfriend ¨C and their Pok¨¦mon ¨C properly. I¡¯ll just take her word for it. Though Kenny had shown at least a puddle¡¯s worth of depth and Ryan hadn¡¯t been as big of an ass as he could have been today, he still didn¡¯t exactly like either of them. ¡°Well, alright then. I guess we¡¯re good to go.¡±

    <hr>

    Deep breaths, girl.

    Casca Kichi was good at her job. But unfortunately, Pok¨¦mon battling was¡­ outside of her core competencies, you could say.

    You could also say that she sucked major ass, if you wanted to speak Kantonese.

    She chuckled softly as she felt the weight of Candy¡¯s ball. The humour helped; some of her nervousness flew away, through the ceiling and into the clouds up above. Damn, I forgot how weird it is to hold these things.

    The Rocket Ball felt unsteady in her hand, like the captured Pok¨¦mon was moving around inside ¨C obviously that wasn¡¯t what was happening, but the image refused to leave her head every time she was forced to battle. Not that that¡¯s a large number¡­

    ¡°On three,¡± Hoshi called. Okay, game face. She raised the ball to her lips. ¡°One, two-¡±

    ¡°Use Water Gun right away,¡± she whispered, and wound up to throw.

    ¡°Three!¡±

    Both Candy and Hoshi¡¯s Rattata popped out in centre-field ¨C damn, I wanted more space; gotta work on my spin ¨C and a moment later his zubat joined in. But before either trainer could draw breath for an order, each Pok¨¦mon moved to attack; Candy bent her topmost leg down, firing a jet of water from the normally-invisible opening on the end. Guts leapt to the side and charged, the spray striking the ground behind her and splashing Hoshi with mud. Crow flew upwards, angling to fly a mildly curving path towards her opponent.

    ¡°Damnit!¡± her lover yelled, spitting, and she realised she had accidentally created a moment where the opposing trainer was effectively blind.

    Not that there are a whole lot of options. ¡°Follow the rattata! Keep up the pressure!¡± There¡¯s no reason to Harden before it gets close, same goes for Tackle.

    Hoshi rubbed the mud out of his eyes just in time to witness his rat get blasted. ¡°Guts!¡± The smaller Pok¨¦mon was light enough that it caught some impressive air, and Casca started to feel the contrary emotions of maybe I can win this hope and I feel bad about it hesitation. It felt kind of like cheating, using an innately stronger Pok¨¦mon to beat up something tiny and cute ¨C and not in a fun way like stacking the deck in poker.

    Then the zubat screeched, Candy¡¯s aim wobbling under the waves of disorienting sound. Hoshi is taking this seriously¡­ so I will, too! ¡°Reload, then another Water Gun! This time, hit the zubat!¡±

    Her boyfriend¡¯s eyes flashed with hope strong enough she could see it through both the sludge and bruises coating his face. ¡°Charge! Tail Whip into Quick Attack!¡±

    The little rat rolled onto its feet ¨C and put on a burst of speed faster than it had ever gone during tag. Holy-! ¡°Fighting retreat!¡±

    Candy followed the order, taking a leap backwards and spinning her body to catch the air in that uncanny way all staryu seemed to instinctively know how to do ¨C she almost flew back, swooping down as well as any bird, firing her Water Gun the moment she touched down.

    The force of the water jet propelled her even further, and Casca raised a leg to let her Pok¨¦mon slide past on her back. The attack missed wildly, but Hoshi still bared his teeth. ¡°Come on! If this were a real match, you¡¯d be out of the ring!¡±

    She very maturely stuck out her tongue. ¡°If you¡¯re gonna make up rules, do it before the match starts!¡±

    Her boyfriend growled as his Pok¨¦mon attempted, unsuccessfully, to make up the distance. ¡°First thing in the morning,¡± he muttered, inaudible, ¡°I¡¯m visiting Pok¨¦mart. This fucking melee-on-ranged shit is miserable.¡±

    <hr>

    Guts and Crow did, eventually, manage to catch up. Hoshi watched as Casca¡¯s staryu gradually ran out of steam ¨C or water, rather ¨C the ¡®reload time¡¯ between each Water Gun gradually increasing. In light of this, he had Guts stay back in a move that might have seemed suicidal from the outside.

    But it worked out; at range, Guts and Crow were able to dodge the increasingly flaccid jets of water, and once Hoshi judged their threat level to be low enough¡­ ¡°Guts, charge! Let¡¯s try this again!¡±

    Going easy with the day¡¯s prior training paid off; his girl still had enough in the tank for a solid sprint, and soon she was within biting distance, the starfish¡¯s leaps not enough to keep it away. Low stamina; that¡¯s its weak point! Casca panicked, screaming ¡°Harden!¡± a full second before it was necessary.

    Ha, same mistake as that grunt I fought in my initiation! ¡°Get behind and tip it over with Tail Whip!¡±

    However unlike that dumbass grunt, Casca ¨C whether she knew it or not ¨C made the right decision.

    ¡°T-tackle! Then Harden, then Tackle again!¡±

    Guts managed to at least get it off its ¡®feet,¡¯ but rather than fall gem-side-down in the muddy earth, the staryu caught itself with its three other arms and kicked. Guts took the hit to the teeth, squeaking and retreating.

    ¡°Keep it up! Its Tackle shouldn¡¯t hit as hard as your Quick Attack ¨C you¡¯ve got it on the ropes!¡±

    ¡°Come on, Candy! One last Water Gun, point blank!¡±

    ¡°Crow, get in there! Leech Life!¡±

    <hr>

    Meowth watched from a window as the fresh crop of Rocket Grunts stumbled back out into the rain. They looked drained ¨C which was good; that was how a trainer was meant to look at the end of the day. Good on dem. Makes me feel like a proud fadah watchin¡¯ ¡®is kittens.

    Two sets of footsteps, close enough in gait that only his sensitive whiskers could discern that there were two, pitter-pattered lightly into the room. Jessie and James came up behind him, watching silently until all six of their minions were past the gate and out of sight ¨C amusingly it was the younger girl who led the pack; apparently she could muster as much motivation as she needed to get away from their little academy.

    ¡°What¡¯s your read on them, Meowth?¡± James asked.

    He worked his jaw before answering. Sometimes he regretted evolving; his longer skull and differently-shaped mouth made most motions of human speech flatly impossible, seriously reducing his ability to communicate with anyone who hadn¡¯t spent years in his presence.

    But gettin¡¯ da moves back was worth it. So long as one counted that together with the longer limbs, stronger body, enhanced senses, and increased lifespan, at least. His tongue rasped against the roof of his mouth for a moment before he spoke ¨C in a mixed Old Galarian/Isle Verde Tongue trader''s pidgin.

    Not only was it slightly easier on his throat than straight Kantonese, but it also signaled to his partners that he had caught wind of one of Archer¡¯s annoyingly hard to catch spies.

    ¡°Good catch. Green, but good catch.¡± Without moving a hair, the two sharpened.

    ¡°Oh? Interesting.¡±

    ¡°Anyone we should be looking at more closely?¡± Jessie asked, resting her chin on one hand.

    ¡°Girl. Moves well. Big girl. Big.¡±

    James tittered. ¡°Well, anyone could see that.¡± His eyes moved, and Meowth twitched his whiskers when they got close. ¡°She could grab a man¡¯s torso between two fingers. What about the young prodigy, Archer¡¯s boy?¡±

    He snorted. ¡°Boring.¡±

    Jessie¡¯s aura took on a pleased air. ¡°Oh? Not planning anything¡­ disruptive?¡±

    He snorted again. Humans. Can¡¯t judge a character ¡®till it bites ¡®em in the behind. ¡°Boring.¡± The Sampo heir was almost painfully honest; the boy had none of his grandfather¡¯s guile.

    A passable battler and mildly charismatic, but they had enough Executives of that type to stack them to the ceiling and keep going. No, what the current Rocket had in short supply was¡­

    ¡°Thin man,¡± he said, then after a moment¡¯s consideration added ¡°On fire.¡±

    Jessie¡¯s arm moved in a blur, and Swoobat appeared and fired a blast of noise in a single moment.

    A reverberating thump that made Meowth¡¯s ears curl ¨C sometimes enhanced senses weren¡¯t an upside. James ambled over to a side-door and peered through.

    ¡°Aw, looks like they got away- ah, but what¡¯s this?¡± He returned to the group a moment later, a sliver-thin needle held delicately between his gloved fingers.

    Jessie clasped her hands excitedly. ¡°Is that what I think it is?!¡±

    A nod. ¡°Unless someone¡¯s taken a prank entirely too far ¨C but let¡¯s let the expert do his job. Meowth?¡±

    He sniffed ¨C it was. The scent was completely unmistakable. Huh, not one of Archer¡¯s afta all. And not a lick ''a body scent ¨C we''re dealin'' wit a professional. ¡°Ninjas,¡± he said, this time in the humans¡¯ native tongue.

    His two partners looked at each other, then back to him as Swoobat chittered.

    ¡°Doksu?¡±

    ¡°Or Ankoku?¡±

    ¡°Or, dare I say it, Mutsu?¡±

    ¡°Doksu.¡± The poison was, as he said, unmistakable.

    Jessie and James shared another look, then broke into squeals. ¡°Magnificent!¡± James announced. ¡°When was the last time we fought ninjas?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t even remember. More importantly, this means we¡¯re on the right track!¡±

    ¡°Yes, they wouldn¡¯t shell out for real assassins otherwise! Meowth, let¡¯s go!¡±

    They turned and pointed, and he sighed and abandoned his spot by the window. ¡°Meow,¡± he said, not bothering with words.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Jessie replied, returning Swoobat as the three of them marched out of the room. ¡°Maybe they and Archer¡¯s accursed spies will trip over each other, and save us a headache. Always look on the bright side!¡±

    They crossed three rooms before James turned to him, an inquisitive look on his face. ¡°Did you mean what you said? About the new Senior Grunt."

    Meowth tilted his head, considering. It had only been a signal, but when he thought about it¡­ ¡°On fire a little,¡± he croaked. ¡°Big spark.¡±

    Jessie clapped her hands, startling a labcoat-type peon that hadn¡¯t noticed their swift and cat-like passage. ¡°Ooh, I like that! Very poetic!¡±

 3.07 - Alignment of Fate

    Hoshi¡¯s life settled into a state of normalcy. Monday through Friday, he was a construction worker for Machamp & Sons LLC. Saturday, he was a Rocket Grunt. Sunday, he had to himself.

    ¡­Well, the lines weren¡¯t quite crystal clear; some days he would train with his fellow Rockets after work, and sometimes the company would offer overtime pay on the weekends ¨C the city was legitimately falling to pieces, and the demand for skilled hands vastly outstripped supply. With the effects of the typhoon approaching a solid month, even the sturdy, normally-weatherproof buildings were starting to come apart.

    And even ignoring the perfectly sound reasoning that Vermilion was his home, and he didn¡¯t want nine-tenths of it turned into a husk while the rest dropped into the ocean, Hoshi also wasn¡¯t in a place where he could refuse overtime. For the moment, his morals and wallet were in agreement.

    Something that couldn¡¯t be said about him and the rest of the team, sometimes.

    ¡°Man, ya said we was gonna train today!¡±

    Over the past couple weeks, Hoshi¡¯s opinions on Kenny had been refined, if not necessarily altered. He was definitely a dumbass, but what Hoshi had taken for a mean streak was mostly just a volatile disposition in general; the man¡¯s mood turned on a dime.

    ¡°I know I said that, but a big section of the pier is starting to collapse. If nothing¡¯s done, a chunk of the city might just slide right on into the ocean.¡±

    The man¡¯s face was sour, not helped at all by a fresh batch of acne gradually appearing like craters across its wide expanse. Might be the humidity¡­ or probably he¡¯s just juicing extra hard. ¡°Okay, but yesterday it was somethin¡¯, and the day before it was somethin¡¯, and now today it¡¯s the weekend, and it¡¯s still somethin¡¯ else! If you don¡¯t wanna train, just fuckin¡¯ say it!¡±

    Hoshi didn¡¯t imagine his own face was any more pleasant; trekking through the rain ¨C which was actually starting to thin out a little, thank Arcus ¨C on a Friday morning to get chewed out wasn¡¯t exactly a cup of fucking tea. ¡°What, you think I¡¯m making shit up? I¡¯m not afraid to voice my opinions, Kenny. My weekend is spoken for ¨C deal with it.¡±

    He turned, ignoring the man¡¯s low growling voice as he vented his spleen. Arc, I feel worn out ¨C and I haven¡¯t even started work.

    Thankfully for the illicit side of his career, the instructors were more accommodating than Kenny. Though I get the feeling that it¡¯s only because I¡¯m putting so many hours into the job on my ¡®off¡¯ days. If they were to order him to come in, he didn¡¯t know what he would do.

    His eyes swept over the familiar city streets, finding solace in the few people out and about. His heart lightened at the thought of his coming paycheck, then darkened again as the timetable for the Gym job crowded it out.

    Don¡¯t know what I¡¯m gonna do about Surge¡­ Unlike some asshat off the street, a Gym Leader is going to know I shouldn¡¯t have a licence. And postponing things ¡®till next spring when the real things were issued ¨C the only halfway-sensible thing he had come up with ¨C wasn¡¯t even close to being an option; even if the other grunts agreed ¨C and they wouldn¡¯t ¨C the instructors would definitely want results before mid-autumn. Maybe I just don¡¯t participate? No, I want to climb the ranks; I need to be there in person, inarguably part of the team¡¯s success. But¡­

    With a sigh, he tossed all his thoughts into the back of his head. He could brood later; for now, there was a gigantic chunk of wood and artificial stone that needed to be repaired or, Arcus forbid, replaced.

    <hr>

    ¡°Our hearts of course go out to the victims of the attack, but at the same time I can¡¯t help but sympathise ¨C just a touch, mind ¨C with the perpetrator.¡±

    Hoshi stared at the television, placing his entire focus onto the pair of green-suited anchors. The sound of muttering from the kitchen threatened to break through, but his will was adamant.

    Casca hated being interrupted while she cooked; despite being mediocre as best, she was an absolute diva in the kitchen. The moment she decided it was her turn to prepare dinner, he knew it was best to just keep himself occupied with something else.

    The second anchor frowned. ¡°Flam, we usually agree on these things, but I¡¯m not following. I can¡¯t see today¡¯s actions as anything other than the work of a rotten mind ¨C an old, hateful man dragging innocents into his deluded crusade.¡±

    The first gestured angrily, loose papers shifting on the desk. ¡°Come on, Abalone! We¡¯re seeing the exact same phenomena as when that Johtonian attacked the Moltres back in the eighties! You can¡¯t dispute that something is happening, and the government is covering it up!¡±

    Hoshi didn¡¯t know exactly how scripted this section of the news was, but if it had been cooked up by a backroom writer, both they and the anchors were really earning their paychecks. Abalone, the second anchor, was the perfect calm mirror for his partner¡¯s reactionary energy. ¡°I¡¯ll grant you that things haven¡¯t been handled well, but assaulting the City Hall with a firearm? That¡¯s two steps too far.¡±

    They continued arguing, and Hoshi tuned out the voices in favour of his own thoughts. You¡¯re damn right it¡¯s the Moltres. What else could it be? It was one thing for a typhoon to be unusually large, and an entirely different thing for it to hover, solid and immobile, off the coast of Fuchsia for a damn month.

    A high-pitched squeak from behind broke his concentration, and against his better judgment Hoshi opened his mouth. ¡°Need a hand in there, honey?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m good!¡± came Casca¡¯s reply. ¡°How do you feel about tacos?¡±

    ¡°Tacos sound great.¡±

    A moment where the sizzle of oil and the blare of the TV¡¯s ancient speakers fought for his attention, before his girlfriend threw in an aside. ¡°And honey gets an eh. I¡¯ll keep saying it, you aren¡¯t gonna beat babe, babe.¡±

    He¡¯d been trying to figure out a good pet name over the past week, but it wasn¡¯t going great ¨C not that he was going to give up; babe was just so¡­ pedestrian. Hoshi exhaled a quarter-laugh, and wrestled his attention back from the sounds of what were probably going to be some stunningly average tacos being built.

    He hadn¡¯t missed much; the anchors were still debating the shooting. It was a total non-story, in his opinion; some grey-haired veteran had grabbed his old equipment and fired on Cinnabar''s tiny excuse for a government building, ranting about conspiracies. He hadn¡¯t even killed anyone before the police arcanine tackled him to the ground.

    Obviously there¡¯s a conspiracy, but shooting up the Mayor¡¯s office isn¡¯t going to do anything. Sympathetic or not, the guy was a dumbass. You¡¯ve gotta go for the top ¨C cut off the snake¡¯s head.

    The news rolled into a depressing weather report ¨C rain as far as the eye could see ¨C before something that really caught his attention came on.

    ¡°And now let¡¯s hand it over to Chantelle with some news from the League,¡± the off-screen anchor announced. ¡°Chantelle?¡±

    The weatherman¡¯s inoffensive grey suit was replaced by a more lively brown, worn by a large-boned Pewter woman. ¡°Exciting things are happening ¨C not to slight Tenki''s weather forecast, that sure as heck isn''t dry." Quit with the fucking jokes and tell me the fucking news, in Arcus''s name. "According to an announcement passed down from the office of the Prime Minister himself, the Kanto branch of Ministration will be taking drastic action to aid in the ongoing crisis. It seems the League will be issuing Trainer Licences a second time this year, to select individuals who show exceptional help to their community ¨C and without the usual academic test, or hard cutoff as far as numbers go.¡±

    Back to Flam and Abalone. ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s a balm to a lot of people. With the recent unrest-¡±

    Hoshi didn¡¯t bother listening any further; he was already halfway across the room, fumbling with his boots.

    ¡°Hoshi?¡± came his girlfriend¡¯s puzzled voice. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear?!¡± he exclaimed.

    Casca glanced at the television. ¡°Huh? No, I¡¯m in the middle of- where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a sec!¡± He was too excited to bother with the full outfit; the boots and an umbrella would have to do. ¡°I need to talk to the others. It¡¯s like fate ¨C the perfect excuse for having a licence!¡±

    His girlfriend stepped forward. ¡°Wait! Hoshi, it¡¯s the middle of-¡±

    The door slammed behind him. He felt energized, the biggest problem in his life suddenly dissolving into smoke. I¡¯ll be able to use my Pok¨¦mon in public- fuck, I¡¯ll be able to battle whenever I want! It doesn¡¯t even matter if I qualify; as long as it looks like I did, I¡¯m home free!

    You better watch out Surge, that badge is mine!

    <hr>

    Sometimes, lately, in the early hours of the morning, Dedwin thought the whine of his air conditioning would actually drill right through his skull and into his brain.

    Today was one of those times. It¡¯s always a bad sign when I start getting used to this glorified cupboard.

    A Jobsite Supervisor¡¯s office wasn¡¯t a place they were meant to be; it was a check-box on a form, a place the company could point to and say ¡®this is the space we provide for paperwork to get done.¡¯ People in his position were meant to be out of doors ¨C on the jobsite, as the name implied. He usually only came in to write his name on the payroll at the end of the week.

    But the damages from the damn storm were so extensive, everything was starting to trickle down. Junior Managers were filling in for Senior Managers, interns were being tapped to do finances, and it was getting to the point where they didn¡¯t even have enough machop to move material; they were needing to hire people, with salaries, just to get bricks from A to B.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Madness. The city¡¯s turned into a damn sauna. He almost wished that Indigo named their storms, the way Unovan¡¯s did, just so he¡¯d have a simple way to cuss the thing out. Wonder if you can curse a storm ¨C probably not, or those kooks over in Lavender would¡¯ve solved this weeks ago.

    A bead of sweat steadily journeyed down from his forehead to chin as time passed, and as it soaked into his collar he was just about ready to do anything other than sign requisition forms, payment forms, emergency ordinance forms, building permission-

    Wait. He backtracked, pawing through the too-tall out stack until he found the crisp stapled sheets bearing the equally crisp red logo of the Vermillion City Hall. Emergency ordinance? Oh, he thought as he re-read the legalese, paying attention this time. Fuck me. This is going to double everything.

    Which probably meant that his workload would triple, because Arcus forbid that his bosses lose a single wink of sleep while the city and ocean gradually conjoined. He growled as one sheet in particular stood out.

    The Office of Mayor will offer special monetary dispensation to all construction, demolition, and landscaping companies currently on file, based on the following criteria:

    A long, bulletpoint list followed, one that was half requirements, and half payment information ¨C it was sloppy, in a way that made Dedwin think it had been typed up by an overworked secretary in the dead of night. He nearly moaned at the future headaches waiting to happen, his head filling up as the ramifications unfolded like paper cranes.

    They¡¯re tripling our profit margins ¨C heck, quadrupling in some places. We¡¯ll have to grab up every Tom-Dick-and-Harry that comes in with a resume, it¡¯d be stupid not to.

    Which meant his workers were about to get a lot greener, which meant they were going to fuck up. And he would have to do all the damn paperwork. In his mind¡¯s eye a picture formed, clear as the open blue sky he hadn¡¯t seen in far too long, of some scruffy teenager getting the bright idea to cut his work in half by handing a machop a sledgehammer.

    Oh, Arc. He felt the phantom weight settle on his desk, forms and forms and fucking forms. It isn¡¯t too early to retire, is it? I¡¯m in my fucking fifties, I should be able to just stop, shouldn¡¯t I?

    The thought came and went. He wallowed for a second more, before pulling himself together and putting the ordinance back in the out stack.

    An hour passed before doldrums returned, and he was once again praying, ardently and sincerely, for anything, literally anything to do other than paperwork.

    Then, a knock on his door ¨C the sound was very nearly explosive in a world that had consisted only of the quiet machine whine, the scratch of pen on paper, and his own breathing, and he flinched.

    He glanced at his clock. Only nine? Arcus, I swear the days are getting longer¡­

    ¡°Enter!¡± he said with more energy than he felt. The door opened, and it took less than a second for him to recognise the man entering his office ¨C of the fifteen full-timers under him, there was only one purple-haired worker who habitually came in with black eyes. ¡°Hoshi Mutsu. What do you- huh?¡± He blinked. ¡°Who¡¯s all this?¡±

    Coming in behind his subordinate were a cluster of people ¨C two kids and two bodybuilders, all of them looking like they needed a cup of coffee. ¡°Everheart,¡± Hoshi started, completely ignoring his question. ¡°You must¡¯ve heard the news, right?¡±

    The supervisor¡¯s pen made hollow sounds where it tapped against his desk. ¡°The pay increase? Yeah, it¡¯s gonna be a shitshow. Now answer me: who told you you could let a gaggle of highschoolers and circus rejects into my office?¡±

    The man¡¯s narrow face tightened. ¡°Pay..? No, I meant the licences, sir.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that.¡± Figures. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to say about that. I¡¯m not a manager, Mutsu, as much as my desk looks like I am. Now-¡±

    ¡°Look,¡± he interrupted, and Dedwin felt his blood pressure rise. ¡°These are a few friends I met through a collage course. We all heard the news, and we figure¡­ why not try to all get in together? There¡¯s more than enough work to go around, right?¡±

    Try to..? For fuck¡¯s sake-! Building annoyance forced him to his feet. ¡°Mutsu, your damn friends can turn in their resumes at the front desk like anybody else. Why the fuck would you come to me, you-¡± He paused, took a breath, then continued. ¡°Look, for reasons you apparently haven¡¯t heard, we are hiring right now. But I have work to do. Get out and go bother the poor bastard manning the front.¡± Intern¡¯ll be buried before lunch, I¡¯ll bet. Poor sod. But any sympathy in his heart didn¡¯t stop him from pointing to the open door.

    Again, he was ignored. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m not just looking for jobs. I want hours, as many as you can get, on the dirtiest, hardest, most necessary jobs coming in.¡± Hoshi put his hands on Dedwin¡¯s desk, and the intensity of his words almost overpowered the supervisor¡¯s need to make him fuck off and unload whatever this was on someone else. ¡°Rebuilding the city should count as exceptional help to the community, right?¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± said the acne-ridden rando in the back. ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to- ow, hey!¡±

    ¡°Moony shut the fuck up.¡±

    Dedwin met his worker¡¯s eyes with a snarl. It¡¯s too fucking hot for this ¨C I¡¯m gonna have a heart attack at this rate. ¡°Mutsu, you aren¡¯t hearing me. I don¡¯t control who gets hired,¡± he lied; technically he could offer temporary employment on contracts he was in charge of ¨C which was a lot more than normal ¨C but there was no reason for Hoshi to know that. ¡°So turn around, walk down the stairs, and get out of my fucking ass. I¡¯ve got.¡± he gestured to his obscenely full in pile, ¡°All this to take care of.¡±

    Hoshi had a bad reputation, but he¡¯d never done anything worse than mouth off where Dedwin could see, so he wasn¡¯t exactly intimidated as the man¡¯s fists curled. ¡°Come on, Everheart, don¡¯t dick me on this,¡± he spoke through his teeth.

    ¡°Dick you?¡± Dedwin snorted. Okay, time to play hardball. ¡°Mutsu, I am your supervisor, not a damn nanny. That girl over there couldn¡¯t lift a jackhammer with both hands. The answer¡¯s no. Get out or you can kiss all your overtime ¨C mwah! ¨C goodbye.¡±

    He sat back down, watching the man grit his teeth in silence ¨C until eventually the worker shot back. ¡°We¡¯ll do it for cheap. The normal pay, not whatever new price you mentioned earlier.¡±

    <hr>

    Hoshi exited the building feeling pretty good. He¡¯d gotten what he had wanted, even if it¡¯d taken a little haggling to get there. I was right to go to Everheart; the man has all the guile of an overcooked roast. Someone else might¡¯ve noticed that the other four suck shit at acting.

    But apparently certain members of his team disagreed with his success. ¡°Man, this sucks,¡± Kenny groused. ¡°Why¡¯d you have to say the shit jobs, be all specific? Don¡¯t even get fuckin¡¯ paid good¡­¡±

    Oh, bitch some more why don¡¯t you? ¡°You joined Rocket for the money, right? Think of it like getting paid twice.¡± I¡¯ve been doing it ¡®for cheap¡¯ for three fucking years. Suck it up.

    But it wasn¡¯t just Kenny. ¡°I still fail to see how this is necessary. You are the only person the Gym Leader would be suspicious of.¡± Ryan adjusted his hood ¨C made from a much thicker material than when he and Hoshi had fought, the latter noted. ¡°The rest of us are complete unknowns; for all they know, we¡¯d have gotten our licences at the proper time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shitty plan,¡± Hoshi replied without hesitating. And not just because it¡¯s bad for me, either. ¡°You might be new in town, but the other three live here; people know them. Neighbours, former coworkers or old friends, whoever the fuck. I want there to be as few threads to pull as possible.¡±

    Nerine was next to voice her opinion. ¡°Seems a bit excessive, y¡¯know?¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°Who even knows shit like when the League hands out certification?¡± Hoshi opened his mouth, but she preempted him. ¡°That was rhetorical. Arc, you¡¯re high strung.¡±

    And I¡¯m convinced you¡¯re high nine-tenths of the time we spend together. ¡°But you¡¯re in?¡±

    As if to prove his thoughts right, the teenager drew a hand-wrapped smoke and lighter from her pocket. ¡°I guess? I mean I¡¯ll show up, but don¡¯t expect me to actually lay bricks and shit.¡± She lit up, and Hoshi did his best to hide his grimace.

    Magnificent. ¡®I guess,¡¯ what a great fucking endorsement. He felt like he was trying to catch diglett with a net; his subordinates were mostly obedient while they were training their Pok¨¦mon, but the moment things moved an inch outside those lines, they dove underground and slipped his leash. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a bad idea, is it? Having an alibi for our licences?

    Thankfully, at least one person seemed to have his back. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea!¡± Puce chirped, and Hoshi was momentarily taken aback by her tone ¨C he almost never heard the woman express herself so boisterously. ¡°We¡¯re helping the city, right? And getting the instructor¡¯s job done at the same time.¡±

    She was almost skipping, and despite the others¡¯ sour moods Hoshi smiled. ¡°Thank you, Puce. It¡¯s good to hear something that isn¡¯t just bitching about having to get your hands a little dirty.¡±

    <hr>

    It turned out that all of them were terrible; four distinct flavours of shitty to work with.

    Puce had the right attitude, but was more clumsy than a tranquilized mankey. Kenny was physically coordinated, but moaned like a baby literally every single day. And Ryan and Nerine were just plain unmotivated ¨C it was obvious the former had never worked a real job in his life, while the latter was the very picture of a lazy teenager.

    If Hoshi¡¯s primary goal had actually been to get a licence for helping the city, he would have ditched his fellow grunts day one. Well, maybe not Ryan; he actually seems to be trying, as ineffective as he is.

    But four pairs of hands were marginally better than one, and they did manage to get some work done. Moreover, the plan worked; Hoshi got a letter from the League in the first week of September.

    It was a rote letter with another, empty envelope. Greeting citizen shit, obviously not hand-written, but he read it with a metaphorical magnifying glass stuck to his eye nonetheless. Yes! Fucking yes! ¡®You¡¯ve been noted as an exemplary individual, willing and able to deal with crisis. Should you desire to apply for an Indigo League Pok¨¦mon Training Licence, please fill out the attached form and place it in the enclosed envelope¡­¡¯

    He sent it out, then learned that the others had gotten letters of their own. September rolled on, the rain continuing to thin out without disappearing, and on Monday the twentieth he received a second letter.

    ¡®Our condolences,¡¯ it began, and for a moment Hoshi¡¯s heart sank. Son of a bitch¡­

    Then he rallied. Doesn¡¯t matter. Rocket should be able to forge a letter easily. The important part was that people knew he and his ¡®academy friends¡¯ had been trying.

    ¡°Hey,¡± his girlfriend spoke over his shoulder. ¡°Is that the thing? Lemme see!¡±

    He passed it over, no longer even slightly upset that his weeks of labour were overlooked by the shitty, Johto-controlled government. ¡°It totally is the thing. And training has been going well, so¡­¡±

    His smile was wide. ¡°Next weekend, we¡¯re challenging the Gym.¡±

 3.08 - Inside Job

    Vermilion Gym ¨C the building itself ¨C hadn¡¯t changed at all from the last time Hoshi had seen it. A Pok¨¦mon Gym wasn¡¯t just a place for teenagers to fight for a shiny badge, it was a military installation, made to withstand attack by hostile Pok¨¦mon; even if the actual body of the typhoon had slid into the bay to smash the city directly, the red-roofed building would have stood, solid as a mountain.

    But the same couldn¡¯t be said for the atmosphere. His eyes widened as he took in a solid two-dozen people braving the elements to make use of the Battlegrounds, the varied terrains built into the gym¡¯s courtyard.

    Arcus, I wouldn¡¯t have thought seeing a few people using the fields would hit me like this¡­ The high-tech construction had sat completely empty for months ¨C it almost felt like he had stepped back in time. With a grin, he went forward and made his way past the trainers. These must be new trainers, who just got their licences yesterday. They looked green, their Pok¨¦mon only barely understanding their owner¡¯s eclectic mixes of wordless shouts and too-complex orders. Ha, like I¡¯m much better. I wish I¡¯d taken the day off work, come earlier and got some battles in¡­ Maybe tomorrow.

    Leeching a sympathetic rush off the battling pairs, Hoshi walked into the Gym proper.

    <hr>

    Surge watched his godson pass under his office window, the tide of giddiness that had been steadily going out as the day progressed suddenly rushing back all at once. He had been hoping to see him today¡­ though not really expecting it; the League had only given cards out to a lucky handful of hundreds, a drop in the ocean.

    But still. Don¡¯t know why I doubted. Of course the Champ¡¯s son would pull through! The shine of his teeth nearly obscured the Battlegrounds as he shook his head.

    Beyond his reflection a pair of similarly-dressed fishermen dueled, their shellder zipping surprisingly fast through the water section; an old man¡¯s meowth set upon a young girl¡¯s oddish, taking a splash of acid in exchange for landing a brutal Scratch attack; two young men, their hair stuck up in mohawks, sent out a pidgey and spearow to face a tubby man with a toddler riding his back''s snubbull and psyduck. The little kid was in a pikachu onesie, and though allowing them to call out attacks for their father''s Pok¨¦mon was technically illegal, Surge didn''t give a single flying fuck.

    Ya stack guys together, they count as one; dugtrio and magneton prove that. The thought was accompanied by a sage nod. Yeah. Things are gonna be alright. He didn¡¯t always agree with the League ¨C especially in the last couple years ¨C but when times were tough, they pulled through. With more trainers, we¡¯ll be able to shore things up a bit.

    He was drawn from the window by an electronic beep ¨C Kiki paging him for a guest, no doubt.

    ¡°Ha!¡± he exclaimed, taking two large steps back to his desk. ¡°Damn kid always comes in during office hours! Would it kill him to visit me after work?¡±

    <hr>

    Despite everything, all the preparations, Hoshi was nervous. That¡¯s pretty normal, I guess. Actually with all the time I¡¯ve put in, it would be weird not to feel some¡­ tension.

    For a long time, he¡¯d had a dream: to save up enough money to buy a shitty prefab house, and stick it on the plot of land he had inherited on the outskirts of Viridian City. A nice, normal dream; not too ambitious, but enough to get him out of bed in the morning.

    But that dream was a compromise. Before he had grown up, before his father¡¯s decline and everything else, Hoshi had dreamed of something¡­ simpler. More pure. Was it hearing about Red, that did it? Or did it start even earlier than that? He didn¡¯t remember exactly when, but since he had been a little kid¡­ Hoshi Mutsu had wanted to be a Pok¨¦mon trainer.

    ¡°Hoshi!¡± Uncle Bob exclaimed as he came through the door. ¡°Been a hot minute since I¡¯ve seen you! Don¡¯t tell me you think you¡¯ve learned all you¡¯re gonna get, huh, you little punk?¡±

    The Gym Leader¡¯s smile was sharp enough to cut, and for a moment the elation in Hoshi¡¯s gut turned to slimy green dread as he prepared to lie to someone he cared about ¨C but it passed in the next instant. He¡¯d understand, if I could tell him. Hoshi shot back with his own grin, only slightly forced; despite the circumstances, he was still pumped.

    ¡°¡®Course not. But I managed an upgrade; you ever heard of the Electric Academy?¡±

    Surge leaned back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head, gigantic boots resting up on the lip of the desk. His expression drew inwards for a second before returning to his natural, feral look. ¡°So, you''ve really been going for it? That place is damn expensive; you¡¯d better be serious if you¡¯re dropping real cash!¡±

    Hah, of course he¡¯d know about where I¡¯ve been. Not that I expected differently¡­ ¡°Going for it? Bob, I¡¯m there.¡± From out of his pocket came his official-looking licence, completely identical ¨C physically, anyway ¨C to the real thing. ¡°Turns out keeping this waterlogged shithole stapled together is worth something.¡±

    Surge breathed in, abandoning his laid-back position to lean forward. He took the offered slip of plastic, expression once again tightening. ¡°Damn,¡± he said, enough emotion expressed in the one word to fill the whole bay. Yeah, I know the feeling. There was silence for a lingering moment, save for the ticking of his uncle¡¯s wall-mounted clock.

    Then he handed the licence back. ¡°Hot damn!¡± he continued, louder. ¡°Always knew you had it in you, kid! This calls for a celebration!¡±

    He reached for the chunky office phone on the edge of his desk, but Hoshi stopped him. ¡°Wait a sec, Bob.¡± The man paused, his brows raised, and Hoshi¡¯s smile turned fully real. ¡°You think I¡¯m satisfied with just getting this thing? No. Let¡¯s save the celebration for my first badge, instead.¡±

    Surge¡¯s brows raised even further, then his face darkened in an expression that anyone who didn¡¯t know him would call murderous ¨C but of course, Hoshi recognised it as excitement.

    ¡­Well, there might be a little bit of murder. Bob¡¯s a pretty competitive guy ¨C he definitely isn¡¯t gonna take it easy on me.

    ¡°First badge?¡± His teeth glinted like polished knives as his back straightened ¨C and there was a disconcerting moment that happened every now and then, where Hoshi became keenly aware that his uncle was taller sitting down than most people were standing up. ¡°You really think you¡¯re ready for that?¡±

    ¡°You said it yourself, didn¡¯t you? Or did you misspeak?¡±

    A snort. ¡°You don¡¯t even have a Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    Hoshi took another pre-prepared lie off his mental shelf ¨C it was getting easier as he went. ¡°The Academy offers starters for graduates. Trained from birth, like lab Pok¨¦mon.¡± He stood up from his seat, coming closer to eye-level. ¡°Me and a few friends will be coming in Sunday ¨C you better be ready to get your ass beat, Gym Leader.¡±

    Bob met his challenging stare for a moment, before throwing his head up and letting out a bark of laughter. ¡°Ha! Kid, that¡¯s a pretty hot-blooded promise! Would you believe you¡¯re the first challenger I¡¯ve gotten all day?¡±

    Obviously; it¡¯s these people¡¯s first fucking day. ¡°Really? Bunch of chickenshits.¡±

    Surge stood as well, extending his hand. ¡°It¡¯s a fuckin¡¯ date, kid¡­ Actually no, you¡¯re a trainer now.¡± Hoshi clasped the Gym Leader¡¯s larger hand, meeting the crushing grip with his own. ¡°I better see you bright and early Sunday morning, Challenger Mutsu.¡±

    <hr>

    On Wednesday and Thursday, Hoshi went to work as normal. On Friday, he called in sick and trained the entire day with Casca, Kenny, and Nerine.

    On Saturday, he went to the Academy and reported his progress, receiving a round of praise from the instructors, then spent the evening going over the finer details of the plan.

    And then on Sunday, he leapt out of bed with fire in his veins.

    <hr>

    ¡°Wow. Cool building.¡±

    The six of them marched, respectably in-time if not quite to military standard, through the entrance pavilion and into the Battlegrounds.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never been here?¡± Casca asked, and Nerine shook her head.

    ¡°Nah. Didn¡¯t have a Pok¨¦mon, so what¡¯s the point?¡±

    Hoshi was in such high spirits, the comment degrading Vermilion¡¯s rich history bounced right off him. ¡°Well, you¡¯re in for a treat ¨C assuming you get things wrapped up in time.¡±

    ¡°This is gonna be great!¡± Kenny yelled. ¡°Ground beats electric, so I¡¯m gonna win for sure!¡±

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡­Don¡¯t say anything. Don¡¯t. Just let him have this one, and- ¡°The type chart isn¡¯t everything, you know,¡± Casca mumbled, drawing a smug look from the former wrestler.

    ¡°You wanna bet? Okay, if I win faster ¡®n you, then-¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not make a scene today, please,¡± Ryan urged. He fiddled with the collar of his suit, looking every inch the high society academy student that was his cover story.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Puce added. ¡°I already feel like I¡¯m gonna throw up¡­¡±

    ¡°Come on Puke, don¡¯t puke! We¡¯ve been training for weeks ¨C we¡¯re all gonna win!¡±

    Again, Hoshi managed to swallow his retort and keep it inside his head. Don¡¯t underestimate your first badge. There¡¯s a reason most trainers hit a wall early on.

    They walked along the winding path through the Battlegrounds, but the commentary wasn¡¯t done. ¡°Holy shit, is that dude on fire? That¡¯s hardcore.¡±

    Hoshi followed the teenager¡¯s eyes, finding¡­ ¡°Oh wow, he is.¡± Looks like the poor guy shelled out for a rapidash without learning to ride first ¨C ouch, that¡¯s gotta sting. ¡°Lot of trainers out here today. We might have to wait if there are any other challengers.¡±

    A scoff from Ryan. ¡°Nonsense. These are all chaff; I doubt a single one has the courage to face Vermilion¡¯s Lightning Lieutenant, let alone present such a challenge as to delay us.¡±

    Finally, Hoshi could hold himself back no more. ¡°No jinxing us at the last moment, please.¡±

    Ryan took the jibe well; presumably his own spirits were just as high.

    I¡¯ve got a good feeling. Even if the presence of other trainers is unexpected, we planned it all out until our ears and fingers bled; we¡¯ll all play our parts, even the dumbasses, and get paid for winning, and by Rocket.

    And who knows ¨C maybe I¡¯ll get a second surprise promotion. His hand found Casca¡¯s as they stepped into the reception area, the photos and plastic chairs dominated by the memorial to Champion Red Ketchum. It doesn¡¯t hurt to dream.

    They registered, one after the other, with the receptionist ¨C she looks familiar, have I met her somewhere? ¨C looking blandly surprised by such a large group.

    Most trainer teams capped out at four, so as to not fight over the limited number of Pok¨¦mon they¡¯d encounter as they travelled between cities. Maybe we should have split into two different- no, no second-guessing, not now that it¡¯s too late.

    ¡°And¡­¡± The punk-looking girl tapped away at her keyboard, hitting enter with a final clack. ¡°You¡¯re all set, Miss Rose. The six of you will have your matches in sequence; we don¡¯t have any reservations today.¡± Good, Ryan was right. ¡°If you could all wait here for a moment, the arena will be prepared shortly.¡±

    <hr>

    The wait between registering and being called to the arena felt like it lasted no time at all ¨C certainly not enough time for Nerine to calm her butterfly-filled stomach.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Moony yelled ¨C or maybe chanted was a better word, since he was keeping it close to his normal speaking volume ¨C seemingly to nobody. ¡°Yeah! Yeah! Gonna get it!¡± He punctuated each word by knocking his fists together, or sometimes to his chest, like he was a monkey working itself up.

    She could hear Hoshi grinding his teeth as the bald man continued the¡­ ritual? He was a wrestler, I guess it¡¯s a pre-fight thing¡­

    Other than the chanting and toothgrinding, the walk down the long hallway was silent. She wondered if, maybe, it was a psychological tactic ¨C something to throw off a challenger. Hoshi talked about the man like he was a big stuffed animal on the scant occasions where he answered her questions, but everyone else said he had the ruthless streak one expected from a decorated veteran.

    Whatever it¡¯s for, I¡¯m feeling psyched the fuck out.

    After the Battlegrounds, the arena looked startlingly mundane; just a field, rocky terrain on each side, with a water feature snaking down the left ¡®mountain,¡¯ under a grate spanning the centre, only to disappear under the right side of the field.

    A hand nudged her shoulder, and she realised she¡¯d been spacing out. She felt a faint blush rise as she nodded Casca¡¯s way, and followed the group to take their seats.

    It felt weird, sitting down; there were other people here, some she recognised as Gym employees, but the stands were built to seat at least a thousand people. There were only two dozen, including them.

    It unsettled her even more. I¡­ think I might be biting off more than I can chew.

    In her haze, she couldn¡¯t really put her full attention on the details. But they¡¯d worked out what they wanted to happen ahead of time ¨C and like Hoshi and Casca had predicted, the Gym Leader called them down in the same order they had signed up: Moony went first, losing swiftly to a few Sonic Booms from a magnemite, and then Hoshi took his place, slapping the dejected man on the back in an uncustomary show of comradery.

    And that¡¯s my cue to go. She stood, announcing that she had to use the bathroom for any eavesdroppers, and Puce followed her out of the stands, down the hall, and into the woman¡¯s bathrooms. The theory was that most of the employees would know Hoshi ¨C or at least know of him ¨C and would keep their eyes on the fight. They had Hoshi, Casca, and Ryan¡¯s fights to make it down to the basement, slap in the hacking bug, and get back.

    And if they were found¡­ Well, hopefully a delinquent dragging her shy friend into a misadventure wouldn¡¯t raise any serious alarm bells.

    She took a few breaths as the referee¡¯s starting yell passed through the intervening distance and walls, contemplating whether she needed to throw up.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Puce questioned, and Nerine stared at the muscular girl in her flower-patterned dress for a solid second before answering.

    Arc, this isn¡¯t what I expected for my first ever job. ¡°I¡¯m good. Are you good? We should get started already.¡±

    Puce stared right back. ¡°Uh, you look¡­¡± But then her concern hardened, a game face that had only come out once or twice in training sliding into place. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go.¡± The mask slipped, just the tiniest bit. ¡°Uh, you remember the way?¡±

    That fucking blueprint will be in my nightmares for months. ¡°Yeah, I remember. Just follow me.¡±

    They stepped out of the bathrooms, turned left, and with confident strides Nerine went off to commit her first act of treason.

    <hr>

    ¡°Argh!¡± came Kenny¡¯s frustrated cry. ¡°This¡®s bullshit! Why¡¯d you bring a flying Pok¨¦mon to a first badge challenge?!¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s uncle just laughed. ¡°Ha! Luck of the draw, big man! Could¡¯ve been anything; Springload just happened to catch my eye as a first pick! Give him another Sonic Boom, baby!¡±

    The magnet Pok¨¦mon twirled its loosely attached bits, obeying with an electric crackle. The sound of its attack almost seemed louder out here in the stands than he remembered from the challenger¡¯s area ¨C probably because there wasn¡¯t adrenaline pounding through his system.

    His minion¡¯s sandshrew dodged admirably, even attempting to fire back with something that wasn¡¯t quite good enough to call a Poison Sting, but it was pretty obvious that this was a losing matchup. Real glad I followed through on getting a move disk. A magnemite would still be a hard fight, but I think Guts has a pretty okay chance¡­ Unless he brings out something special for his ¡®favourite nephew.¡¯

    Kenny was a surprisingly good loser, walking with his head up and shaking Bob¡¯s hand without any macho bravado or infantile whining. They exchanged some words that were too far and low to hear, and then Kenny was trudging back to the stands.

    ¡°Trainer Hoshi Mutsu, please make your way to the challenger area!¡± the ref, a white-haired man with a surprising set of lungs, commanded. Hoshi stood, received a good luck punch on the shoulder from his girlfriend, and passed Kenny on his way to the arena.

    As he passed, he decided to pass it on, and gently popped the man on his upper arm. ¡°Not the worst fight I¡¯ve seen.¡±

    Kenny half-smiled. ¡°Fuck man, you¡¯re shitty at pep talks. Go win this one for me, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    And then before he knew it, he was across from his uncle. Okay. Remember your training ¨C just treat it like a normal fight. His heart pounded as his hand hovered over his side.

    ¡°Challenger! This will be a standard Gym Battle!¡± Should I start with Guts or Crow? Crow is basically guaranteed to get one-shot¡­ ¡°Up to two Pok¨¦mon will be allowed for each side! Switches are not allowed; withdrawn Pok¨¦mon may not re-enter the field!¡± ¡­But I get the feeling Surge is going to use a single Pok¨¦mon. Confusing it in the first second could just win me the match. ¡°Items are not allowed! Select your Pok¨¦mon, and release when I say ¡®begin¡¯!¡±

    The referee¡¯s arm went up. Fuck. Stop fucking overthinking it, just stick to the plan! ¡°Three, two, one!¡± His hand began to slash down, and Hoshi plucked and threw Guts¡¯s ball with a single practiced motion. ¡°Begin!¡±

    Hoshi didn¡¯t even see Surge¡¯s hand move, it was so fast. The Pok¨¦mon hit the field, both near the centre, and Hoshi laid eyes on his opponent ¨C it was actually similar to his rattata in a lot of ways. They had the same stance, were about the same size, and were both rodents.

    But where Guts was lavender with cream patches, the pikachu was bright yellow with brown accents. Fuck. This is actually not a great matchup. A voltorb would have been more predictable and a magnemite would have been slow; a pikachu, in contrast, would have a well-rounded moveset and was probably faster than his girl.

    No hesitation ¨C looks like we¡¯re breaking this out early. ¡°Guts, use Swift!¡±

    ¡°Junior, hit ¡®em with a quick Thunder Wave!¡±

    Bright white sparkles issued from his Pok¨¦mon¡¯s mouth as the pikachu tensed and squeaked in effort, a wave of faint electrical energy expanding in a wide net as sparks flew from its cheeks. The attacks passed through each other, barely interacting, and Hoshi saw that dodging was futile. ¡°Guts, get in there! Quick Attack into Bite!¡± Paralysed off the first fucking exchange ¨C hopefully the women are doing a better job.

    <hr>

    ¡°Son of an Arc-damned whore,¡± Nerine whispered, staring at the pocket mirror that reflected their target. ¡°Who the fuck is that?¡± None of the files mentioned a computer guy, and normal employees shouldn¡¯t have clearance to use this computer. He was sitting there, a mop of brown hair poking above the office chair, tapping away at the keyboard ¨C and she didn¡¯t get the feeling he would be leaving for a piss break any time soon.

    Puce answered with an anxious look, her body plastered against the wall to avoid bungling into any of the stacked-up boxes of paper records.

    It must be¡­ some kind of League official, maybe? Updating something? If he turned around she might be able to spot if he had a League patch on his coat ¨C but no, it didn¡¯t really matter. Fuck.

    There was a part of her, startlingly large, that wanted her to turn around and leave, shrug her shoulders and go eh, I tried. Turns out we came at the wrong time; that¡¯s life. But Puce was edging forwards, it was just one guy, and she really didn¡¯t want to get chewed out by Hoshi ¨C the guy was intense, he reminded her of some of her uncles.

    So she calmed down, remembered all the training that had gone into this exact situation, and backed away from the corner. Puce backed up herself to make room, and when they were far enough away that she felt confident their voices wouldn¡¯t carry, Nerine opened her mouth.

    ¡°There was somebody using the computer ¨C but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got a plan.¡±

 3.09 - Connection and Will

    Guts dashed ¨C as did the pikachu, Junior. But where the electric rodent sported only a few disheveled spots where the sparkling stars of Swift had landed, his own Pok¨¦mon was suffering from paralysis, her limbs jittering at random. She was moving, but every other second a spasm would force her to rearrange her legs lest she go tumbling.

    ¡°Thundershock!¡±

    The attack came out fast, the clap of thunder washing over Hoshi¡¯s face as Guts dodged ¨C but no, a streak of blackened, burnt fur revealed itself as she rolled to her feet. If the paralysis hits at the wrong moment and she fails to dodge completely¡­ She gained a few feet as the pikachu recharged, then promptly lost them as the faster rodent outpaced her.

    This isn¡¯t working, Hoshi accepted. I¡¯ve gotten used to being either faster or stronger than my opponent ¨C what the fuck am I supposed to do here? The moment they stopped chasing, the pikachu would be free to rain down Thundershocks, and turning it into a slugging match with Swift would do pretty much the same. She isn¡¯t familiar enough with the move to run and shoot at the same time. I should¡¯ve shelled out for fucking Dig instead¡­

    No, that would have just kicked the problem down the road. The truth was that Swift did fill a big hole in Guts¡¯s skillset, the pikachu just had his Pok¨¦mon beat at her own game. Faster, with a better ranged option ¨C and higher durability, if Surge had trained it right¡­ which he would¡¯ve, since he¡¯d been doing this since Hoshi had been in diapers.

    Another exchange, another injury, black streaks accumulating on the rattata¡¯s fur like she¡¯d been rooting around in a pile of charcoal. ¡°Swift, then charge!¡± he ordered. It was the only option he could think of; to use the unevolved electric type¡¯s refractory period against it. Fuck, if I¡¯d read the Thunder Wave and focused on dodging¡­

    A quick stream of three stars struck the yellow mouse in the back and hindquarters as it retreated, and for once some of the gained ground stayed gained. Yes! ¡°Again! Attack, then close in!¡±

    Surge laughed. ¡°Ha! You wanna play that way?¡± His sharp, malevolent face seemed to loom over the entire field. ¡°I¡¯m game! Junior, show us some real lightning!¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°And this¡­ won¡¯t hurt him?¡±

    Nerine and Puce huddled, obscured behind an incongruous middle-of-the-room filing cabinet, the older girl¡¯s koffing bobbing between them. Nerine sighed through her nose as she whispered, the stress of the situation compounding her exasperation. ¡°No, Puce, he¡¯ll be fine.¡± Unless your koffing misunderstands the order, or the guy has health problems, or¡­ ¡°Come on, we¡¯re burning time.¡±

    Puce wrung her hands for a moment more, before the steel returned to her eyes. ¡°Okay.¡± She turned to her Pok¨¦mon, cupping her hands over the purple, beachball-sized sack of poisonous gas¡¯s¡­ ear? And leaning in. I guess that¡¯s as good a word as any. ¡°Potato, I need you to listen really close, okay?¡±

    The koffing bobbed, its eyes on its trainer¡¯s face, and the absurdity of the situation almost made Nerine laugh out loud ¨C luckily for the mission, she was able to stifle it.

    ¡°I need you to float over, and hit that man over there with Smog ¨C but it needs to be a special Smog, okay?¡± Puce¡¯s eyes held more conviction than the teenager had ever seen, more than she thought the wallflower could ever possess. I¡­ underestimated her, I guess. ¡°It needs to be perfectly clear. See-through, without any smell or taste. You can take as long as you need to, but it needs to be a Clear Smog, do you understand?¡±

    As far as Pok¨¦mon intelligence went, koffing were far from topping the list. They were filter feeders, avoiding the label of sedentary only because of their airborne nature. They were basically plants.

    But sometimes, the bond between a human and Pok¨¦mon transcended language. Potato blinked, sighed out a soft sound that made Puce smile, then silently ascended to bump against the ceiling.

    <hr>

    ¡°Ha! Come on kid, show me what you¡¯ve learned at that pansy-ass rich-boy school of yours!¡±

    Surge¡¯s bellow was accompanied by a peel of thunder as Guts took yet another glancing blow. On one hand, Hoshi was frustrated and vaguely disgusted with himself; a better trainer would have either put together a half-decent strategy by now, or given up to preserve their Pok¨¦mon.

    But on the other hand, he was amazed at his girl¡¯s tenacity. There¡¯s still a chance. As long as we can move, as long as we can hit back, there¡¯s a chance! ¡°Keep it up, Guts! Swift!¡±

    Twinkling stars emerged from his rattata¡¯s mouth, pelting Junior in the face and bowling the pikachu over. Hoshi¡¯s heart was pounding, adrenaline thick in his veins to the point he felt like he could feel each capillary winding through his meat and bones. We¡¯re losing¡­ but it¡¯s still a fight! We¡¯re doing damage! With every attack, Guts took an attack in retaliation ¨C receiving more damage than her opponent, as was plainly obvious ¨C but she also inched closer to melee range.

    ¡°Wrong answer, kid!¡± Surge replied with a shake of his head. ¡°Junior, no slacking! You can take a bigger hit in your sleep ¨C so on your feet, soldier!¡±

    The pikachu sprung up, more angry than pained, and scuttled back while charging its next bolt. Hoshi¡¯s teeth were pressed together like a vice, but things weren¡¯t completely hopeless. Surge tends to end his fights quickly, win or lose. He hasn¡¯t realised it yet¡­

    This¡­ is a fight of endurance! If we can close into Bite range, we might be able to turn the tables!

    ¡°Charge in, then use Swift! Aim for the legs!¡±

    <hr>

    Puce had never really had friends before. Oh, sure, there were her schoolmates at Celadon Preparatory, but those bonds were thin and brittle things ¨C they had always broken the moment the social web had moved just a little wrong, a parent¡¯s business deal falling through or someone saying an inconvenient string of words more than enough for friend to turn into enemy. Puce hadn¡¯t been the only person to get hurt by those severed bonds, but she didn¡¯t have¡­ anything, really, to fall back on like her peers.

    She wasn¡¯t smart. She was bad at sports. Her body was¡­ unladylike, to say it kindly. As all her acquaintances grew up and got real jobs, or started relationships, or just¡­ lived their lives, she continued to sit in place, a stone that couldn¡¯t move under its own power.

    But now¡­

    She wasn¡¯t delusional. Really. She knew that this was wrong, that she shouldn¡¯t hurt people or help criminals or accept a fake trainer licence. But now¡­ This is better, isn¡¯t it? Even if Moony called her Puke, and Mister Sampo took every opportunity to ignore her, and Mister Mutsu yelled all the time¡­

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    It was still real. The bonds were real, tested over weeks of wet misery and hard work and training like their lives depended on it, and Puce found that as her mind pulled this way and that, they were also strong. Stronger than her morals, at least. So as Potato, her big, dumb, lovable Potato, floated up above the League computer with her eyes shut tight and her cheeks puffed out, she prayed.

    Please. I know I¡¯m a bad person for this¡­ but if there¡¯s something listening, please help us! They might be mean sometimes, but¡­ these are the only friends I have!

    And, as she and Nerine huddled in the shadow of a filing cabinet, she thought she could see it ¨C a distortion in the air, so faint it might just be a trick of the light, forming an expanding bubble as Potato strained. Dripping down, slowly, almost lazily in the still air of the basement, until it enveloped the man sitting in the office chair.

    <hr>

    Crack! went the pikachu¡¯s attack, missing by a hair¡¯s breadth as Guts closed in. ¡°Junior, Quick Attack!¡± came the order as Surge realised there was no escape, a wild grin still on his face ¨C and Hoshi¡¯s returning smile was bittersweet, because even now, after all this work, it was still entirely possible they would lose.

    Guts is on her last legs, while Junior is¡­ not fresh, not even close, but still a damn sight better. Swift was, on paper, a better move than Thundershock ¨C not only was it stronger, it homed in on the enemy automatically. But that was assuming equally strong Pok¨¦mon, fighting with equal amounts of skill; in reality, a single frenzied training session wasn¡¯t enough to equal a lifetime of coaching from the best electric type trainer on the continent. ¡°Get in there and Bite! We¡¯ve come too far to lose now!¡±

    The rodents leapt in ¨C and at the worst possible moment Guts spasmed, the lingering electrical damage of Thunder Wave getting one last laugh. ¡°Guts!¡± Hoshi screamed, his vision tunneling until it was just a lavender blob held in place as a yellow streak closed in. ¡°Push through! I know you have one attack left in you!¡±

    Junior¡¯s Quick Attack landed at the same time the Pok¨¦mon did, the mouse smoothly pivoting to deliver a roundhouse kick with all of its weight concentrated on the tip of a single paw, a picture-perfect move that must have been practiced for dozens of hours to be executed with such short limbs. Guts had her head knocked to the side-

    But she hung on, vindictiveness or determination or something allowing Hoshi¡¯s girl to withstand that last, final attack. With a savage squeal she bit, chomping down on the pikachu¡¯s leg and tugging with all her might, lifting the heavier rodent into the air and slamming it down.

    ¡°Junior!¡± Surge bellowed. ¡°You ain¡¯t out yet! Thunder-!¡±

    ¡°Quick Attack!¡± Hoshi commanded, his voice overpowering his uncle¡¯s, and a second slam sounded out with audible finality. For a moment Hoshi¡¯s heartbeat was all he could hear ¨C and then the crowd erupted.

    ¡°Junior is unable to battle! Lieutenant Surge is out of usable Pok¨¦mon!¡± the referee, who had completely disappeared from Hoshi¡¯s senses since¡­ he didn¡¯t know how far back, announced. ¡°Challenger Mutsu wins!¡±

    Dazed, his body coming down from the height of battle, Hoshi recalled his Pok¨¦mon on autopilot. He stared at the ball for a moment, nearly unconscious, before his adrenaline spiked again. ¡°I won?¡± he muttered to himself.

    ¡°You sure did, Hoshi! Come¡¯ere!¡± came a voice only a step away, directly in front of him, and then he was enveloped in a hug. ¡°Damn fine battle! When I saw that little rat I thought, ¡®Is that the best that damn rip-off school can get for my boy? He should¡¯a come to me and gotten something with a little kick!¡¯ But you sure proved me wrong! Ha!¡±

    Hoshi hugged the giant back, his weak arms rapidly regaining their strength. I fucking won! And even more ¨C this was the one-on-one win he¡¯d been looking for since the day he¡¯d received his Pok¨¦mon, an unambiguous sign that he was, in fact, not a shitty trainer. ¡°I fucking won!¡±

    His uncle laughed again. ¡°Feels good, don¡¯t it? Usually I¡¯d give you your badge now, but how about we wait until your whole group goes through? Make it a whole thing?¡±

    <hr>

    Nerine slipped back into her seat, feeling like she¡¯d just fought the worst battle of her life. Arc, this is worse than Uncle''s survival training¡­ and I still have the actual battle, too.

    Down below, Ryan¡¯s bagon tanked a crackling electrified punch from an elekid, the baby form of the more common electabuzz. Its expression was shocked as the dragon retaliated with a mouthful of fire, the attack doing substantially more damage ¨C assuming Nerine¡¯s eyes were reliable at the moment.

    An idle thought of oh, that¡¯s a rare Pok¨¦mon around here floated through her head, but she was too wiped to really pay attention to anything until a nudge to her shoulder brought her a little closer to reality.

    She looked Casca¡¯s way, blinking. ¡°So?¡± the woman mouthed. Nerine continued to blink owlishly for a moment, before her brain worked its way through the one-word question. She raised her chin in a subtle nod, mouthing her response back silently.

    ¡°Mission complete.¡±

    I¡¯ll let them know we have to book it in a second. Just as soon as she could catch her breath. Don¡¯t wanna be here when they find Mister Maybe-A-League-Official, after all.

    Jormungandr ended things decisively, and the crowd roared as the referee yelled, equally loud. ¡°Goldfinger is unable to battle! That¡¯s two for four for our challengers; so far they¡¯ve managed a fifty percent win rate, well above average!¡± Oh, someone else lost after Moony. Her bet was on Casca; despite her impressive Pok¨¦mon, she had a serious type disadvantage.

    As Ryan walked into the centre of the field to receive his accolades, Nerine¡¯s eyes started to droop. A hand on her shoulder forced her awake enough to turn to Puce and communicate something, but then reality frayed away at the edges, narrowing until it disappeared.

    <hr>

    Of the six of them, only two had received badges ¨C and not only had they needed to take a rain check on Puce and Nerine¡¯s challenges, they¡¯d also missed the afterparty Surge had promised.

    But as Puce explained what had happened ¨C while carrying the girl on her back ¨C Hoshi gradually came to see his youngest subordinate¡¯s sudden collapse as¡­ well, a good thing wasn¡¯t quite the turn of phrase he was looking for, but it certainly provided a good excuse to split before some janitor or whatever discovered a fucking body.

    ¡°And you¡¯re sure he wasn¡¯t dead?¡± he questioned, his tone drawing a cringe from the woman.

    ¡°No! He was- Nerine gave him some antidote, he was breathing fine when we left..!¡± She paused, apparently remembering they were in the open and moderating her voice. ¡°He was fine. Potato is still a baby anyway ¨C I don¡¯t think she could kill someone that fast even if I, uh, told her to.¡±

    Okay, but you left him in the fucking basement and- fuck! ¡°You¡¯re sure he didn¡¯t see you? And that the bug actually went in? I swear to Arcus, if you killed some guy and didn¡¯t even-¡±

    A hand on his shoulder stopped him. ¡°Hoshi,¡± Casca softly spoke. ¡°You¡¯re freaking out. It¡¯s fine. Nobody¡¯s dead, you and Ryan got your badges and prize money, and¡­¡± She smiled. ¡°We did it. Mission complete.¡±

    He breathed. ¡°Yeah. Okay.¡± Okay. ¡°Sorry for that. I¡¯m¡­¡± He didn¡¯t even know what to say, and so let the sentence trail off.

    ¡°Heh,¡± Ryan chuckled. ¡°I suppose I understand your feelings. These last two months have been¡­ let us say, an adventure.¡±

    Nerine woke up halfway to the hospital, and the group split up a few minutes after she adamantly refused to enter the building; Ryan and Puce took the struggling teenager inside, the larger woman easily carrying her as Ryan explained things to the nurse at the front desk, while Hoshi hovered in the waiting area, Kenny left to work off his frustration at losing in the parking lot, and Casca went to grab something to eat from a nearby restaurant.

    The diagnosis was revealed as simple exhaustion, and the group of six reconvened and decided to have their own little celebration ¨C in the morning, of course, since despite the mission only taking a few hours they were dead on their feet.

    <hr>

    On Monday, September 27th, 2010, Hoshi Mutsu woke up before his alarm, as he often did.

    He carefully extracted himself from under his sheets, and was halfway to the bathroom when he paused. Wait. Something¡¯s off. I¡¯m hearing..?

    He turned and padded across his apartment, throwing open the window and revealing the deep purple of a pre-dawn sky, not a cloud in sight.

 Interlude - Like a Mountain, Like a Dragon

    Silver knew this path. Rocky and sparsely forested, trees twisting up out of thin, dusty soil in shapes entirely different from the verdant green of Viridian. Sometimes, his dad would take him here ¨C to see the nidoran and other Pok¨¦mon, but mostly for the Eight Badge Gate, the beginning of Victory Road, which Dad said led all the way up to Indigo Plateau. It was a wild route, only barely a dirt trail, snaking up and down the rocky hills that got steeper as they went, melting into the actual mountains.

    Every time they came, they¡¯d gone a little further past the gate. To the first badge check, then the second¡­ Silver¡¯s father had said that when the time came, he would pass through the gate all on his own ¨C ¡°You will have the power to do it,¡± had been his exact words. ¡°But there¡¯s no harm in letting you see some of it early ¨C whetting your appetite for it, you could say.¡±

    He had been here¡­ four times, maybe, though the earliest visits were hazy, not even half-remembered. But he did remember the way, mostly, the vague path between Viridian City and the Eight Badge Gate. He could picture it in his head; a weird tree that was completely hollowed out but still alive, then a narrow yet deep creek, then a climb up a small cliff face. Dad always carried me up that bit¡­

    But today, Silver wasn¡¯t being escorted by his dad. No, today he was alone, and the mankey baying from the treetops were much, much more intimidating without the strongest man in the world¡¯s heavy, solid hand resting on his shoulder.

    He pushed on anyway, shivering at the wild keening, because this was the way. Dad didn¡¯t tell anyone where he was going, not even Mom¡­ But it¡¯s obvious if you aren¡¯t stupid.

    Up. He would go up, into the mountains. Towards¡­ that place. The Silver Range. The most dangerous place in Kanto; because where else could the strongest trainer go to train? Silver would find him, and bring him home, and everything would be fine again.

    So he climbed. Route 22 wasn¡¯t like Route 1 or 2, the other paths leading away from Viridian. Those were¡­ made for people, in a way this one wasn¡¯t. The Rangers worked every day to keep them clear of wild Pok¨¦mon, so that normal non-trainers could move between cities without needing Pok¨¦mon of their own. But the path to the west was overgrown, teeming with cranky mankey and pecking doduo, and as Silver went on it got worse. Soon, the thin trail disappeared completely; there were only rocky ridges studded with scraggly, sick-looking trees, hardy grasses, and thorns. It was like no human had ever set foot there.

    He huffed, pulling his caught backpack from a bush. Stupid. Obviously people come here ¨C this is how you get to the Elite Four. It¡¯s the Champion¡¯s Road. He found the hollowed-out tree, snuck past a herd of ponyta grazing nearby, and turned north. But then a nidorina guarding her eggs took offence at the human passing through her underbrush, and her warning shot sprayed low, hitting the ground all around Silver¡¯s feet ¨C his hiking boots were thick enough to take the Poison Sting, but his pant leg was not.

    But he¡¯d come prepared; he had a pair of pliers to help pull the thin needles from his calf, and an antidote to take care of the poison. The little holes didn¡¯t hurt too bad ¨C he could still walk, at least¡­

    Or at least until he got to the creek, that was. The water rushed merrily along the bottom of the ravine it had carved for itself through the route, the line of lively green and blue in the brown and tan landscape a solid three feet wide. Silver stopped at the edge, staring at the jump he could have easily made if his left ankle was healthy.

    There were magikarp and little darting shapes that might have been poliwag, swimming around in the creek, not paying the small human the least bit of attention, and¡­

    Don¡¯t cry, he told himself, keenly aware of not just his needle wound, but also the scrapes and bruises covering his body ¨C he¡¯d fallen more than once, and the route¡¯s mankey had pelted him with stones at points. You¡¯re strong. You¡¯ll find a way.

    Silver wiped the moisture from his eyes, and turned to begin following the ravine upstream. I know where the gate is. Even if I don¡¯t follow the path, I can still find it ¨C I just need to go west for a bit, then north again. Then he would go past the gate, towards Mount Silver.

    <hr>

    A fallen tree saw him across the water, and as the sun dipped low he found that the other side was actually slightly easier. The rocky scrub and prickly underbrush turned to grassland, and with the increased field of view he was able to avoid the wild Pok¨¦mon more easily ¨C all the way till sunset he hiked, not stumbling into danger a single time.

    But then the sun finally disappeared, and though he had thought to bring a flashlight, it wasn¡¯t the same at all. The hip-high grass went from comfortingly open to sinister, seeming to move and rustle constantly in the periphery of his vision.

    But still he continued, chewing through some granola bars in the dark. I¡¯m close. Actually, I think I must have passed the gate already ¨C the mountains look bigger than I remember. They, at least, were still visible, silhouetted against the sky. The thought added new life to his aching feet, a feeling that doubled a few minutes later as he spied something exciting: a point of light, distant and flickering.

    A campfire! The smile that sprung to his face was hard enough to hurt. I found him! He rushed forward, flying through the grass, and as he approached he called out. ¡°Dad! Dad, it¡¯s me, Silver! I came to-¡±

    But as the grass abruptly thinned and he came out into a cleared space, his heart dropped into his stomach and his cry died. That¡­ isn¡¯t a campfire.

    Instead of his father, Silver had found a massive rapidash. It blinked at him curiously, climbing to its hooves ¨C really climbing; it''s head reached over six feet above the ground as it stood straight. The movement made its fiery mane sway and spark, throwing wild shadows across the small clearing that his little flashlight couldn''t hope to match.

    Silver swallowed. ¡°¡­Sorry. I¡¯ll¡­¡± The massive horse lowered its head, looking him in the eye, and he was struck silent.

    Don¡¯t panic. It isn¡¯t angry ¨C just move away, slowly.

    But as he stepped backwards into the grass, he got another shock: a second flaming mane appeared, then a third, and within seconds Silver was surrounded by ponyta. Oh. An entire herd. That¡¯s¡­ bad.

    Because these Pok¨¦mon looked more scared than curious. They¡¯re weak, he realised as sparks from stamping hooves smouldered and caught aflame on the dead, dry grass of the clearing. The big one doesn¡¯t see me as a threat, but these ones do. His mind rushed as panic set in. ¡°Sorry,¡± repeated, his hands spread wide. ¡°Sorry.¡± Say something else, you stupid-

    A particularly angry ponyta charged, looking to tackle him to the ground, and Silver dived to the side. This set off another one, and flailing hooves caught him just under the ribs, the blow heavier than its three-foot height suggested. Silver was sent skidding through the grass with dull pain shooting deep into the core of his body, thin blades leaving papercuts across the back of his neck and hands.

    He dodged a second stomp as the pony¡¯s other belligerent sibling closed in ¨C and then something in him snapped. He rose to his feet, spitting in anger. ¡°RAH!¡± he roared, and the charging pony peeled off, coming to a stop a ways away, eyes wild with fear. ¡°Screw off! Leave me alone!¡± You¡¯re weak! That¡¯s why you attacked ¨C and that¡¯s why you¡¯ll run away! He swung his backpack in an arc, forcing the herd back. ¡°That¡¯s right! P-piss off!¡± All he had to do was keep them at bay for a few metres, until he was at the edge of the herd. They wouldn¡¯t leave their parent, not at night, so-

    And then another mass of fire emerged from the grass, a second rapidash standing up. It was smaller than the other, normal sized ¨C which meant it was still taller than Silver was. ¡°Oh, come on,¡± he muttered as the horned horse turned his way, huffing out steam. ¡°Come on.¡±

    What was probably the other parent threw its head, sparks flying as it charged, easily three times as fast as its offspring, and Silver held up his backpack as a shield. ¡°Hah-!¡± Supplies went everywhere as he tumbled, his backpack torn open and oh shit, I¡¯m on fire! He continued to roll, on purpose this time, smothering the flames in the dirt.

    As the embers died he looked up, into the eyes of the rapidash, and knew there was no way he could survive a second hit. It stalked, circling around with its head low, each footstep leaving fire in its wake ¨C even if by some miracle he continued to dodge, more and more of the herd¡¯s nesting spot was catching; his chances of survival were rapidly dwindling to zero.

    But still, he stood. He stared down the flame-wreathed Pok¨¦mon, and found that his panic and fear had drained away. ¡°I¡¯ll fight,¡± he said, and the rapidash¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than me, but I¡¯ll fight. I might hurt you pretty bad before I die. Is it worth it?¡±

    The horse stared at him, its eyes ¨C red as fire, naturally ¨C continuing to dance in the moving light of the burning clearing. It lowered its head ¨C but it wasn¡¯t bowing out, it was aiming its horn. It charged, and Silver reacted by springing forward himself, his broken flashlight raised like a sword, all the pain washed out by the need to fight, to reach for that continually shrinking chance of survival.

    He braced for pain ¨C but it never came.

    The wickedly sharp point came to a rest as the lopsided duel was interrupted by a red flash and the visceral whump of something heavy hitting the ground.

    A man in a long trench coat stepped past Silver, who had frozen in shock, and stopped behind the new and massive shape casting a shadow across the field, seemingly uncaring for the flames licking at his shoes.

    ¡°Khan, Earthquake.¡±

    <hr>

    This fire is¡­ different, from the rapidash.

    Silver stared, once more, into the dancing flames ¨C but this time, it really was just a campfire. Less¡­ alive. His father sat across from him, but he found it was completely impossible to meet his eyes.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Most of the time, his dad¡¯s face was hard. But sometimes it softened ¨C usually with him, but Silver had seen him look at Mom the same way. It completely transformed him, and Silver cherished those moments, when it was just him and Dad and sometimes Mom.

    Giovanni¡¯s face was not soft now, not at all. He was angry, and as the silence stretched on the anger only seemed to grow¡­ until eventually he spoke.

    ¡°Sliver,¡± he said, voice low and cold. ¡°What did you think would happen, coming after me by yourself?¡±

    The boy continued to stare into the dancing flames. ¡°I found you.¡±

    His father¡¯s facial muscles tightened as anger spiked ¨C but then, out of the corner of his eye, Silver saw as Giovanni¡¯s face did soften just a little, becoming merely stern rather than murderous. ¡°You did. I¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°I am proud of you, Silver. But you need to go home. In the morning, I will take you-¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Silver said, and Giovanni¡¯s expression froze. ¡°I¡­¡± The words seemed too big, refusing to pass through his throat, but he pushed. ¡°I¡¯ll go home, but only if you do, too.¡±

    The fire crackled. In the background Don moved, the large rhydon detecting the change in atmosphere as he kept watch over the little camp.

    ¡°Son,¡± Giovanni eventually said. ¡°Silver. There are¡­ Intricacies about the situation that make it better if I leave Kanto for a time. I will return, but it may take many-¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Silver repeated, and his father¡¯s face dropped back to rancour ¨C Giovanni was not a man accustomed to backtalk, but in that moment the boy did not care. ¡°Are you just gonna run away? Because you got beat? You¡¯re better than that!¡± The emotion came spewing out, impossible to stop. ¡°You said you¡¯re the strongest trainer in the world, so- so come home, and fight that guy again, and win this time!¡±

    Giovanni stood. He stepped around the fire, movements hard and angry, and for a moment Silver thought his father would hit him ¨C but the man only put his hands on his son¡¯s shoulders in a gesture that wasn¡¯t quite a hug.

    ¡°Silver,¡± he said ¨C no, he commanded, voice calm but unyielding. ¡°My son. I have¡­ made mistakes. Mistakes years in the making. Losing to that boy, over and over¡­ it was a sign. A sign that I have become sloppy, become complacent.¡±

    ¡°Dad..?¡±

    A sliver of tooth showed as he smiled, the expression not happy in the least. ¡°For a long time, I thought that political power was enough. I scraped and bowed, and there was a moment when I¡¯d believed that Kanto lay in the palm of my hand¡­ But the very instant those fools saw a path to so-called peace, all my plans and careful alliances were blown away. So I resolved to myself that I would never be weak again, never rely on another¡¯s strength, or the corrupting allure of¡­¡± He snarled. ¡°Soft power. I rebuilt my Team Rocket in an older image, savage and strong. But¡­ Despite all my self-assurances, it seems that I¡¯ve regressed. I have been soft¡­¡± The smile became, somehow, even sadder. ¡°And, in some cases, perhaps¡­ the opposite. Too harsh. The Team Rocket that I created failed me, and I it.¡±

    The warm, heavy hands drew away. ¡°I need to return to my roots, to the most basic of basics¡­ Just a man and his Pok¨¦mon, challenging the entire world.¡± He looked down ¨C and despite the emotions clouding his father¡¯s face, Silver saw the unbreakable conviction in Giovanni¡¯s dark eyes.

    ¡°Dad,¡± he tried. ¡°Take me with you. You, and me, and Mom, we can do it together. I¡¯m strong too!¡±

    A different smile. ¡°You are. But¡­ no, not yet.¡± He stepped back, back to his own side of the fire, and suddenly the flames seemed so much colder. ¡°I¡­ need to reinvent myself. Discover the strength I¡¯d buried¡­ And apologize to a certain¡­ associate. Before I can return, before Team Rocket can return¡­ I must become the strongest in truth. No, even more than the strongest trainer¡­¡± His eyes failed to reflect the flames, black irises seeming to capture the light and smother in a deep chasm. ¡°I must become the strongest version of myself.¡±

    <hr>

    Silver¡¯s eyes opened, the lingering half-nightmare fading in the dawn¡¯s scant candle-light. Ugh, came his first thought of the day, what in Dexus¡¯s name convinced me to live with a bunch of fake ascetics?

    The Dragon Shrine was, like the entire cave it existed inside, dimly lit. The only natural light came from the small holes in the cavern¡¯s roof, necessitating candles if you wanted to walk around without tripping over every rock. And there were rocks, even indoors, though the priests would probably whip him if they could hear what he thought of their precious ¡®statues.¡¯

    No beds allowed, but feel free to drink as much as you want¡­ His tongue felt like it had grown hair. Ugh, what a backwards place¡­

    He rolled out of his cot and dressed himself as he shook off the last bit of sleep, eyes peering through the gloom. ¡°Nobody here, huh?¡± The room was actually a lot less shrine-like than it usually was; some discarded plates and bottles were strewn about, incongruous with the sacred aura of the carved stone dragonair and old-fashioned furnishing.

    No answer; he was alone. Which means I''m expected to clean everything up, of course.

    With a sigh, the redheaded Gym Leader got to work. It was hard, sometimes, being the youngest Dragon Monk, but-

    A cry of challenge from outside the shrine caused Silver¡¯s head to raise, and with a savage smile his hand went to the line of Pok¨¦balls on his belt.

    But the training opportunities are worth it.

    Later, after Jaws had gotten his daily taste of dragon hide and the debris from yesterday¡¯s celebration were cleared away, Silver was joined by the rest of the monks, priests, and priestesses. They filed into the shrine in low spirits.

    ¡°Ha,¡± he laughed. Serves you right, you old nags. ¡°Still feeling it, Master?¡±

    The ancient man clutched his bald head. ¡°Don¡¯t be so quick to judge, Monk Capo. One day your healthy body will fail you, and you¡¯ll experience this pain as well.¡±

    Silver scoffed. ¡°I just won¡¯t drink so much, then.¡±

    Clair came up beside the Blackthorn Clan¡¯s elder, looking just as rough ¨C though in her case, she had a much better excuse; rather than hungover, she was still fatigued from battling a legendary Pok¨¦mon. ¡°No fighting in the shrine,¡± she barked, causing the youngest and oldest of the room¡¯s men to meet eyes. Rich, coming from her, the both of them communicated with a look.

    After the customary tradition blah blah nonsense, the shrine saw its second Blackthorn Clan Meeting in a row ¨C or perhaps he shouldn¡¯t even count the last one; yesterday had been almost entirely a party, the clan elders going off their collective rocker as Clair returned victorious from facing the Moltres.

    ¡°Now Clair,¡± the Master began things on the most urgent note. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely certain the Moltres is outside their control for now? Calmed?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s calm,¡± she replied, giving a one-armed shrug. ¡°But it¡¯s stopped circling over Fuchsia. Damn thing was heading south last I saw; probably going to an old nest in the islands. Will already has contacts scouting for it.¡±

    A murmur from around the table. ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± the previous Champion, Clair¡¯s older cousin Lance Blackthorn, spoke over the crowd. ¡°The Orange Archipelago will be difficult to access at the moment, with the storm barriers up. We-¡± he paused. ¡°You should have plenty of time to quell the unrest and clean house.¡±

    The current champion snorted. ¡°¡®Clean house,¡¯ he says. Like I can snap my fingers and cull half the ministers in Indigo¡­¡± She looked away.

    Lance¡¯s eyes, in contrast, drilled right into her. ¡°If that¡¯s what it takes, then do it. Another Indigo War would be disastrous; whatever amount of force you need to stop it is justified.¡± Clair looked back, her nostrils flared and brows raised, and Silver sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to just slaughter people! This isn¡¯t the bad old days when Pryce was at our throat, we¡¯re responsible for-¡±

    Oh, here we fucking go again. The two dragon specialists began to screech at each other, not unlike dragonite sizing each other up for a duel, and he squeezed the bridge of his nose between his fingers as he felt the lingering spectre of a hangover cackle, beginning to expand into a full-on headache. ¡°Can we go one meeting without you two having the exact same Arcus damned argument?¡±

    They didn¡¯t even hear him. For all that the two seemed physically distinct, him with his red-brown hair spiked up, her wearing her pale blue locks down past her shoulders, they were definitely cast from the same mould. Silver pushed himself off from his cushion.

    ¡°Monk Capo? Where are you going?¡± a priestess asked.

    ¡°I have Gym Leader business to attend to.¡± He glanced back. ¡°Not like I¡¯ll be missing anything.¡±

    The old woman frowned, but the man next to her chuckled. ¡°Oh, let him go. If he misses anything important, that¡¯s his own fault.¡±

    Silver raised his chin in thanks, and made for the door.

    <hr>

    ¡°Sir,¡± his most senior Gym Trainer greeted as he walked into his¡­ Den, I suppose, if we want to be thematic.

    Silver stalked forward, robes swishing against the pale brown stone, and his subordinate followed as he passed. ¡°Tetsuro. Any challenges today?¡±

    ¡°Just two so far, sir. Both for their eighth badge.¡±

    He smiled, and miraculously the building headache began to fade away. Amazing what health benefits not being trapped in a cave of bickering, dragon-worshipping grannies can have. While the stereotypes of dragon trainers could be overblown, Blackthorn prided itself on being as stereotypical as possible.

    ¡°Good, I need a battle to loosen up.¡± We¡¯ll probably see a few more stragglers as the day wears on; might get as many as four or five. ¡°How¡¯s the team?¡±

    The two men passed pits of open magma as they descended to the lower floor, moving further into the semi-dormant volcano that the city was built into. ¡°They should be waking up right about now, sir. Shall I collect them?¡±

    Silver chewed on the question for a moment as he pushed open the door to the Gym¡¯s back room, where everything from records to equipment to clothes were kept. ¡°No,¡± he concluded. ¡°I¡¯ll do that myself. You go hype up the other trainers; the season¡¯s almost over, so these last few challengers had better be up to snuff.¡± He turned to give his subordinate a nod. ¡°If they¡¯d just disappoint me, give them a harsh lesson.¡± If people want an easy battle, they need to start coming here for their first or second badge.

    Some Gym Leaders added little environmental challenges to their setup, making getting to the battle arena a test in itself. Silver could see the wisdom in it; being able to navigate the wilderness was a vital skill, and putting a bit of jungle or something weeded out people who had neglected the non-battling aspects of training. But he figured that getting to Blackthorn was test enough ¨C so he''d had Clair''s navigate-a-volcano thing replaced with a nice, straightforward gauntlet of the Gym''s best. Straightforward power, no gimmicks or ways to cheat. That''s what an eighth badge should test.

    The ace trainer¡¯s grin mirrored his leader¡¯s. ¡°Of course, sir. We¡¯ll be sure to weed out the chaff for you.¡±

    He left, and Silver got to work dressing a second time. And it was work; the Blackthorn City Pok¨¦mon Gym had a very bombastic dress code, mirroring the Blackthorn clan that had founded it, and while a formless monk robe that read as proper and humble was fine for the elders, his challengers deserved the entire song-and-dance. Red cape? No, I¡¯ll probably be using Lucky as my anchor; blue cape with the scales.

    He put on his uniform, making sure to shine the gyarados scales until they gleamed, then exited out the back to meet the Gym¡¯s ¨C and nominally his, though he sometimes had trouble thinking as such ¨C Pok¨¦mon

    Two dragonite, two dragonair, and four dratini. A kingdra and seadra. Two gyarados, a dozen magikarp, and a lapras.

    If one were to look at just the Pok¨¦mon the Gym Leader had in his professional stable, they might be confused about whether this was a dragon- or water-themed Gym. The sight always brought a slight chuckle to Silver¡¯s lips, and today was no different. ¡°Heh. Alright, naptime¡¯s over for you lot. Time to get to work.¡± A lazy throw, and Jaws the feraligatr joined the rest in the pool, splashing down with a pleased roar. The gator fit right in; lean and muscular with hard blue scales and shockingly red crests running down his spine, Silver¡¯s first Pok¨¦mon looked as draconic as anything. The other pure water types scattered, while the true dragons and fully-evolved Pok¨¦mon puffed themselves up in territorial pride.

    ¡°This late in the season, there¡¯s only two types of trainers: slackers, who won¡¯t make it to us, and aspiring elites! That means we need to match the Elite Four!¡± He swung his arm forward, cape billowing with the motion. ¡°And frankly, I¡¯m not sure you stand up!¡±

    Challenging roars and hisses answered, and Silver¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Oh? Feel like proving me wrong? Pair up then! You¡¯ll be warming up against Jaws until the first serious trainer shows their face!¡±

    More roars, with a few bleats thrown in as the seadra found their spines. Hah.

    Sometimes I wonder why I stick around this dump, but being a Gym Leader isn¡¯t half bad.

 4.01 - Beach Day

    Of Kanto¡¯s four coastal cities ¨C five, if you counted an island as being on a coast ¨C Hoshi could admit that Vermilion probably had the least appealing beaches.

    It was a question of priorities; Cerulean had been a tourist spot for decades, Pallet was only slightly less popular ¨C it was the birthplace of all three of Kanto¡¯s Champions, after all ¨C and Fuchsia was maniacal about its appearance. Vermillion, meanwhile, was a fishing village turned industrial powerhouse and trading hub.

    The city¡¯s waterfront was mostly taken up by the docks, with only small stretches of sand ¨C and given that they wanted their celebration to be at least theoretically private, that meant they had to choose a section of coast that wasn¡¯t popular. What they settled on wasn¡¯t exactly the pristine landscape you¡¯d see in a postcard; it was actually a bit dingy, with a texture that could be uncomfortably close to gravel and washed-up seaweed piled around, the mess being picked over by small krabby and spearow.

    And on an even more basic level¡­ the water around those cities is just plain warmer than Vermilion Bay. Even with the extended heatwave, which was at last starting to break, the water coming in past the Seafoam Islands was colder than a haunter¡¯s asscrack.

    ¡­All that being said, a beach was still a beach, and after the previous day ¨C no, the previous months ¨C Hoshi felt he¡¯d earned at least a little relaxation.

    Despite it being the end of September, right in the middle of that hazy boundary between summer and autumn, the sun was shining down like it was the middle of July. But a normal July, Hoshi clarified in his head. Not this year¡¯s freakshow. It felt good; between the heat of the air warming his body and the chill of the sea spray splashing against his legs, he was feeling remarkably even as far as temperature was concerned.

    ¡°You coming in, babe?¡± came a voice from below, and his eyes tilted down from the sky to the ocean.

    What he saw made the slightly sterile experience of Vermillion¡¯s beach scene completely outshine any other place in the world ¨C it turned out that Casca did, indeed, own a bikini.

    ¡°Fuck no, you people are crazy,¡± he replied, only half-joking, then hopped back a few steps to dodge his girlfriend¡¯s playful splashing.

    ¡°Come on,¡± she pouted, though the tone was ruined by a giggle a second later. ¡°After that miserable heat the water¡¯s perfect. Get in here!¡± She floated on her back, seemingly at home in the gently rolling ocean, and Hoshi shivered.

    ¡°No thanks. I¡¯ll stay up here with the sane people, thanks.¡±

    Casca raised a brow, tilting her head to gesture at the ¡®sane¡¯ people he was referring to ¨C and Hoshi could only laugh as he turned to follow her gaze.

    Ryan and Nerine were both sunbathing with their Pok¨¦mon, but they couldn¡¯t have been doing it any differently if they tried; Ryan was in a horrendously small pair of shorts, almost a speedo ¨C which, for the record, the man didn¡¯t fill out in the slightest ¨C while the teenager had combined her normal punk clothing with sunscreen and giant sunglasses to create a beach outfit that left zero skin exposed. She can¡¯t have been getting any sun at all, making the whole thing pointless, while Ryan was gradually turning the same shade of red as a well-done corphish.

    ¡°¡­I stand by my words,¡± he said in the flattest voice he could manage, his arms crossed and his chin high. That drew another round of giggles from the water, the sound receding as Casca paddled further out.

    ¡°Suit yourself, stud ¨C it¡¯s your party, after all.¡± Hoshi turned back to see her eyes flashing with amusement. ¡°You stay nice and dry, and I¡¯ll come out in a minute when the others get tired ¨C seriously, you Vermillions have no stamina in the water.¡±

    He rolled his eyes as he watched her paddle back to where Kenny and Puce were splashing around with their and Casca¡¯s Pok¨¦mon ¨C it turned out that sandshrew were actually damn good swimmers, something Hoshi would never have guessed. Says the Cerulean girl. I¡¯m surprised you people don¡¯t have webbed feet for how obsessed with water you are.

    The scene was picturesque, dark blues and skin tones and the bright white of the three¡¯s swimwear. Potato the koffing disappeared under the waves for a moment, only to erupt out of the water with Candy clinging to its ¨C her, I think? I¡¯m pretty sure Puce said it was female ¨C underside. The starfish Pok¨¦mon let out an excited ¡°Huh!¡± as they ascended, followed by a more disappointed exclamation when its ride bobbed gently back to the surface. The three humans laughed, and Hoshi found his smile stretching as well.

    Good to take a break ¨C a real break, not just a day off. He trotted away from the water, plopping down next to Ryan and his bagon.

    The blond was maximising his tan with a mirror, while his coldblooded Pok¨¦mon soaked up the heat from a platform of sand it had piled up.

    ¡°Yo, who¡¯s up for volleyball?¡±

    Nerine flashed him a look from behind her game console. ¡°Dude, my feet would die. This place is basically just a half-eroded cliff face.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Ryan hummed, considering it. ¡°Actually, that sounds grand! I¡¯ve been wanting to absorb more of the local culture ¨C you have a ball?¡±

    ¡°With my stuff, yeah. No net, though, so we¡¯ll just have to eyeball it.¡±

    <hr>

    The day went on. Guts didn¡¯t really understand volleyball, preferring to just bat the ball around, but Crow picked it up surprisingly quickly. The others came back from their swim and dragged Nerine in to make it six-on-six ¨C and unsurprisingly Hoshi¡¯s side won; Candy probably could have played on their own, that was how wide the gap was between it and the other Pok¨¦mon.

    Then Danny finally showed up with a pair of koffing dragging a beat-up old grill, and they ate lunch.

    ¡°¡­And you know this¡­¡± Ryan trailed off, sending a dubious look Danny¡¯s way. ¡°¡­Person?¡± was the word he finally decided on, after a full three seconds of silence.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hoshi replied, mouth half-full of burger. Fuck, it feels good to eat some red meat for once.

    Usually he wouldn¡¯t splurge like this, but the Gym win had paid out over a thousand pok¨¦dollars alone ¨C put that together with his share of the Rocket money, and Hoshi might just be in the black for all those lessons he¡¯d paid for. Plus there¡¯s all the overtime pay from when the city was falling apart¡­ Yeah, fuck it, I can afford to party a little here and there. The prime tauros beef was grilled to perfection; despite all his faults, Danny was actually a decent cook.

    Ryan continued to glance between Hoshi and his friend, his expression not changing.

    Okay, yeah, he looks like a weirdo, but¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s cool. He works for Rocket sometimes ¨C I wouldn¡¯t have invited him otherwise.¡±

    The Viridian man¡¯s face became a touch less doubtful, and after a moment¡¯s hesitation he bit into his own burger. ¡°¡­Very well,¡± he said after chewing and swallowing. ¡°But did he have to bring those wild Pok¨¦mon? They¡¯re spooking Puce¡¯s Potato.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t exactly wrong; the semi-wild koffing were butting against each other up above the grill ¨C competing for the lion¡¯s share of the smoke, Hoshi assumed ¨C and whenever the smaller, younger Potato came by they broke up to glare it away. Not sharing any food with the runt, huh?

    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna tell the guy what to do, Sampo. He¡¯s my friend.¡± Another bite of meat, bread, onions, and cheese punctuated the statement. ¡°Besides, I didn¡¯t see you complaining when your bagon was bowling people over earlier. Don¡¯t be a hypocrite.¡±

    Ryan sniffed. ¡°Bah, that was half the point of the game, wasn¡¯t it?¡± He turned away, though if he was conceding the point or merely tired of the argument Hoshi couldn¡¯t guess. He settled down beside his Pok¨¦mon, giving it a tiny bite of his meat when it begged.

    Still a bit of a prick, huh? Hoshi snorted lightly, making his way back to his own little huddle. Whatever. Even if we aren¡¯t friends, I can at least work with the guy ¨C I¡¯ve put up with assholes my whole life, this isn¡¯t any different.

    He settled down with Casca on a blanket, and polished off his food while he watched her polish her starfish with a cloth.

    ¡°Are you¡­ waxing it?¡±

    She nodded without looking away. ¡°Yup. Standard care ¨C staryu can dry out if they¡¯re out on dry land for too long.¡±

    He ignored the tautology. ¡°Okay, but wax?¡±

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    A shrug. ¡°That¡¯s what they told me to do. You like it, don¡¯t you honey?¡±

    The bipedal mollusc ¨C or whatever they were, he wasn¡¯t a biologist ¨C gave a short, affirmative ¡°Huh!¡± and Hoshi decided not to question it any further. You know, I¡¯ve never really thought about it, but staryu are weird. No eyes, no mouths¡­ ¡°Hey Casca, what does it eat?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Or¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Light, maybe? Actually, their evolution is psychic, so maybe they¡¯re like drowzee and hypno?¡±

    ¡°Eh.¡± If they ate dreams or other mind-shit they¡¯d probably live around people. Not a lot of intellectuals out in the middle of the ocean. ¡°Seems far fetched ¨C that second one, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Eh,¡± she grunted back. ¡°If I needed to feed her something they¡¯d have told me. Whatever it is, she gets it just fine on her own.

    <hr>

    Everyone ate, including the Pok¨¦mon. Guts got some lightly-cooked meat, while Crow took hers raw with a side of apple slices. The only one to abstain ¨C other than Candy ¨C was Nerine¡¯s ekans.

    She probably feeds it whole corpses, like it would get in the wild¡­ The thought was the slightest bit uncomfortable; he wasn¡¯t squeamish by any measure, but having a rattata of his own made the prospect of eating one¡­ not great.

    They played around a bit more, letting their Pok¨¦mon run around, and Danny even released his own ¨C not one of his junkyard strays, but a properly captured ¡®mon.

    The feline emerged from the worn Pok¨¦ball licking its paw. Its fur was a greying purple with a tan underside, angular rings of pale red dotted around its back and thighs. That crest around its eyes makes it look like it''s wearing a mask¡­ Hah, it looks like a cat burglar!

    ¡°Huh,¡± Hoshi remarked, hiding his amusement. ¡°Don¡¯t think I know the name of that one.¡±

    ¡°Her name¡¯s Slinky,¡± Danny replied, causing Hoshi to snort.

    ¡°The species, man.¡±

    ¡°Liepard,¡± Nerine answered before Danny could keep the banter going. ¡°Dark type. Native to¡­ Unova, I think? Either there or Galar.¡±

    The big cat ¨C which was about the same size as the Kantonian felines he was familiar with, though more slenderly built ¨C stretched out and yawned. It was obviously in its sunset years, even moreso than Meowth the persian; its fur was thin and wiry, its face squared off in a way that made its eyes look smaller than they were.

    ¡°Right on, sister,¡± Danny sent the teen¡¯s way. ¡°Had ¡®im since- ahh, a good long while now. No good for battling no more, but he can sniff out all kinds of stuff.¡±

    He gave the cat a stroke, while Nerine squinted ¨C she was probably trying to parse out the old man¡¯s hideous accent. Or maybe she¡¯s trying to work out what level of ironic his fashion sense is operating at. The man was, like her, making no concessions for the environment; his heavy leather jacket, multicoloured rainbow-puke cap, and general lack of hygiene was the gunge to her punk.

    And not necessarily the music genre, either.

    ¡°¡­I bet,¡± she eventually said, tone uncertain. ¡°Dark types are pretty cool. What other Pok¨¦mon do you have?¡±

    ¡°Oh, a whole bunch. Not like, in balls you understand, but they¡¯ll take orders well enough.¡± He gestured to the two koffing, who had abandoned the cold grill to poke around in the seaweed. ¡°Old school, you know? Lots¡¯a poison types hang around the dump.¡±

    She nodded, and for once Hoshi saw the girl actually start to look a bit interested. ¡°Anything good? I¡¯d like to get a second ¡®mon before I try the Gym.¡± She turned the Senior Grunt¡¯s way. ¡°Our challenges are still good even though I- even though me and Puce bailed, right?¡±

    ¡°Surge can be kind of a hardass about that sort of thing,¡± Hoshi started. ¡°¡­But if you show up tomorrow or Wednesday it should be mostly fine. If not, you can just reapply for a small fee.¡± Though¡­ ¡°But you know you don¡¯t actually need to, right? Not like any of us can actually go to the Nationals.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± Danny muttered under his breath. ¡°Not too real of a fake, huh?¡±

    Nerine shrugged. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s¡­ I mean, there¡¯s money for winning, and I think I can do it, so why not?¡±

    ¡°You know, that isn¡¯t a bad idea!¡± Ryan broke in, ambling over with Puce and Kenny in tow. ¡°We should take another day to go Pok¨¦mon hunting!¡±

    What, not satisfied with your dragon? ¡°I can¡¯t take too many days off work, Ryan.¡±

    The ass dismissed Hoshi¡¯s concern with a wave of his hand. ¡°So don¡¯t. The rest of us can make a day of it ¨C you already have two, anyway.¡±

    Kenny stepped nearer. ¡°C¡¯mon Boss, you¡¯ve got the afternoon off, right?¡± Boss? Huh? Where the fuck did that come from? ¡°We¡¯re gettin¡¯ paid, might as well spend a bit on balls so we can do the next job even better. Am I wrong?¡±

    Hoshi groaned, but he couldn¡¯t actually refute the meathead¡¯s argument. ¡°Fine. Somewhere around six, alright? We can meet up east of town, sweep the route and maybe Diglett¡¯s Cave.¡±

    Kenny pumped his fist, and Puce smiled. Damn, even on my day off I¡¯m having to plan for more work¡­ Not that catching Pok¨¦mon is work, but¡­

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry if you can¡¯t find anything,¡± Danny said, taking back his chunk of the conversation. ¡°I¡¯ve got plenty of Pok¨¦mon going for real cheap ¨C you ever seen an Alolan magneton?¡±

    The rest of the group looked at him blankly, and after a second the junkyard owner slinked off, muttering in disappointment as his cat followed on his heels.

    Hoshi chuckled. He thinks they all saw the grift, but¡­ ¡°None of you understood a word he just said, did you?¡±

    <hr>

    The next morning Hoshi had leftover burgers for breakfast. He fed Guts and Crow again ¨C he was keeping them out of storage for the most part, which was important to making sure they grew to full size ¨C kissed Casca goodbye, and headed to work.

    Which was actually pretty okay; there was still a rush of jobs left to do in the wake of the typhoon, and now that the rain was gone it wasn¡¯t nearly as stroke-inducingly humid. Everheart was in a better mood, the machop and machoke were enjoying the sun, and overall it was a better-than-average day of pouring concrete and cutting wood and a dozen other things.

    He caught sight of Dabi as the day went on ¨C and ignored him, because as hard as it was to take the warning seriously, he didn¡¯t think Casca would make that finger-breaking shit up. It¡¯s like he¡¯s an entirely different person; his body language isn¡¯t even slightly the same.

    Maybe he had some kind of multiple-personality thing going on? Hoshi pondered it through his lunch break, but eventually let the growing pile of questions go. Doesn¡¯t matter, he thought as he dug into his old standby of canned magikarp sandwiched between dollar-store bread.

    Dabi Mokusen¡¯s personality issues aren¡¯t my problem. I¡¯ll stay out of his way, and hopefully he¡¯ll stay out of mine. The burning curiosity might be annoying, but it was only that. We probably won¡¯t see each other much anyway ¨C he¡¯s a big-shot scientist and I¡¯m a one-step-from-the-bottom grunt. How often could those two groups possibly interact?

    He finished his sandwich, drank down a second can of Volt Switch, and got back to work just as Everheart opened his mouth to bitch about him taking his time.

    <hr>

    Pok¨¦balls might be hard to get, but for all that the supply had gone down the price of a standard Pok¨¦ Ball had actually decreased at about the same rate.

    Probably because Jet Balls have mostly replaced them, he mused as the Pok¨¦mart employee scanned his licence. The laser darted out, bright orange clearly visible even in the well-lit store.

    Just as when he¡¯d shelled out for the Swift disk, there was a moment where Hoshi was afraid, all the way to his bones, that the scanner would somehow know; that the beep would be accompanied by the red of fresh blood rather than fresh spring green.

    It didn¡¯t happen, because the fear was stupid, but acknowledging that did very little to dampen the relief when the cashier passed him the classic red-and-white balls.

    ¡°You want a bag for that, sir?¡± the teen ¨C who was actually well put-together, unlike the kid in that other mart Hoshi¡¯d visited those few months ago ¨C asked, and Hoshi shook his head.

    ¡°No thanks,¡± he said, the two Pok¨¦balls magnetising to his belt just as well as the disguised Rocket Balls. ¡°Got a thing for them.¡±

    He left the store, headed east, and in a quirk of good timing met up with Casca along the way.

    ¡°Babe,¡± she greeted. ¡°Only two?¡±

    His hand went down to his belt. ¡°Should only need two. Don¡¯t want to expand too quickly ¨C training a whole team¡¯ll be hard enough even with a grown-up Guts and Crow getting the rhythm down; having a bunch of green Pok¨¦mon all at once would take¡­¡± He grimaced. ¡°Way too much time to fix.¡± His eye drifted to Casca¡¯s own hip, but it was bare; she must be keeping Candy in her purse. ¡°So just one today. What about you? Gonna fill your whole roster?¡±

    ¡°Naw,¡± she answered as they continued east. ¡°Just one for me too. I already don¡¯t have a lot of time for training.¡±

    He grunted back, and they walked in silence for a bit. You know, the thought came as the peace drew out a touch of introspection. I¡¯ve been pretty focused on the Gym job, I don¡¯t actually know what Casca does during the day. Am I a shitty boyfriend?

    The thought was easily as terrifying as the dumb shock he got in the Pok¨¦mart, and after a moment¡¯s more thought he determined it was equally stupid. Fuck no. Not talking about work every hour of the day is fucking healthy, actually, and I should probably bring less of that shit home with me. But even having just said that¡­

    ¡°So how¡¯s the parts of the job I¡¯m not around for, huh?¡± Unlike his coworker''s weirdness, this was a mystery he could easily solve just by asking.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a lot less exciting than last night,¡± Casca answered easily. They passed another couple strolling through the afternoon air, the silence comfortable before she continued. ¡°There¡¯s another gang edging in ¨C you¡¯ve heard of the Night Folk?¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s brain turned over itself for a moment, before he burst out in a surprised laugh. ¡°Ha! Those guys? Danny runs rings around them, they¡¯re pathetic.¡±

    Casca smiled, a hint of exasperation flashing in her blue eyes ¨C not aimed at him, thankfully. ¡°Oh, I wish. We¡¯re not trying to outsell them, we¡¯re trying to run them off ¨C and that¡¯s a lot harder.¡± She skipped, turning to walk backwards as the wilderness ¨C if Route 11 could be called such ¨C approached. ¡°Oddish can grow basically anywhere, they¡¯re weeds. The moment we get enough force in place for a push, they split and put down roots somewhere else. It¡¯s like bailing water out of a sinking ship¡­ But at least it¡¯s not hard, they don¡¯t have access to stones so they top out at gloom and parasect.¡±

    Hoshi nodded distractedly, his eyes forward ¨C scanning for the rest of his grunts, who should be here already. If they made me come out then started without me¡­ ¡°Need help? I¡¯m sure if I ask, the instructors can put us together.¡±

    She made a negative sound. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. We have enough muscle, and it¡¯s a boring slog ninety percent of the time ¨C you¡¯re better off climbing the ranks with another big thing.¡±

    They bumped shoulders, stepping out of Vermilion City together.

 4.02 - To Catch Them is my Real Test

    Hoshi wasn¡¯t quite as familiar with the path heading east of the city as he had been when he was younger.

    After the incident with that stupid fucker of a kid, he¡¯d¡­ sort of just avoided it. Not on purpose, but it was like there was an invisible hand dragging his mind away from the place. He stopped gambling with the old men, let that section of his life turn into a faintly blood-stained memory.

    So he was actually slightly surprised by how well-kept the route was. ¡°Huh, they turned this place into a damn golf course.¡±

    He was exaggerating, but only a bit. The grass, which was long and unruly in his memories, was now cut short. Not in the same way as city grass ¨C it still came up past his shins ¨C but the difference was enough to be jarring. I didn¡¯t get that much taller in the last four years, did I?

    ¡°There¡¯ll still be Pok¨¦mon around,¡± Casca replied. ¡°Speaking of that, what should I go for? Candy¡¯s weak to grass and electric, sooo¡­¡±

    ¡°So a ground type would shore up one weakness but double down on the other.¡± He pondered it for a second. ¡°Grass is the logical choice. They¡¯re more common north of the city, but we should be able to find something.¡± Hoshi smiled, bumping his girlfriend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Maybe show those two-bit drug runners what a real oddish can do.¡±

    She bumped back. ¡°Eh, maybe? That¡¯s another stone evolution; I don¡¯t want too many of those. Rocket pays good, but not that good.¡±

    ¡°Just a thought. We¡¯ll see if anything jumps out.¡± Where the fuck are the others? They were a fair ways in already, passing by a few kids and old people casually battling ¨C old veterans showing the newest generation what was what. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want a specialist team, anyway? I remember you being into the idea before- before we got serious.¡±

    Casca tipped her head. ¡°It¡¯s a nice idea, but¡­ Like, I¡¯m never gonna be an elite agent, I know myself enough to tell I don¡¯t have that kinda drive.¡± Another shoulder-bump. ¡°Not like you, stud. Nah, I don¡¯t have the tactical chops to beat a type disadvantage ¨C your uncle proved that. Better to have a good spread, and just switch to what¡¯s strongest.¡±

    Hoshi grunted, then stopped in his tracks. His eyes drew over the late afternoon path, lingering on each figure. ¡°Okay, what¡¯s going on here? I told everybody to meet up at the start, and we¡¯re coming up on the half-way point. At least one of them should¡¯ve shown up, right?¡±

    <hr>

    They spent an hour fruitlessly combing Route 11, all the way up and back. Hoshi passed by a few magnemite that enticed him, but in the end he kept moving; if his pack of idiots were getting eaten by a band of wild arbok, better to find them right away. And if they just ditched me, I want enough time left before sunset to kill their collective ass.

    Casca battled a toddler for pocket money while he climbed a tree to get a bird¡¯s eye view over the route. He could admit it was stupid ¨C they¡¯d been from one side to the other and the land was too flat to obscure a group of four, especially Puce ¨C but he was annoyed enough to start doing stupid shit. ¡°Waste of my Tuesday afternoon. I could be fucking training right now ¨C or fucking fucking,¡± he muttered to himself.

    A pidgey hopped out of its nest to peck at his hair, and Hoshi sighed. Useless. He descended back to the ground just as Candy finished mopping the metaphorical floor with the kid¡¯s machop.

    He handed her what was probably a fiver. ¡°Thank you for the battle, ma¡¯am.¡± Glasses and sweater ¨C would have expected him to have a ¡®nerd¡¯ Pok¨¦mon like a venonat. I guess stereotypes only take you so far¡­

    ¡°Aww,¡± Casca cooed. ¡°You too, little guy. Make sure you give your buddy plenty of rest outside his ball, alright?¡±

    Hoshi came up beside her and the two watched the child ¨C he couldn¡¯t have been older than nine, younger than most trainers ¨C amble back towards the city.

    ¡°See anything?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Either they¡¯re invisible or they¡¯re not here.¡± The kid left their immediate sight, obscured by the remaining low shrubbery and ongoing battles. ¡°You think that was one of those super-geniuses that could get a license legit? I don¡¯t think they¡¯d give out an emergency one to a school kid.¡± Not before an honest working man, I hope to Arcus.

    ¡°Maybe? He was an okay battler.¡±

    Hoshi grunted, then sighed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m ready to call this thing a bust. Wanna go home?¡±

    ¡°Aww, c¡¯mon,¡± she cajoled. ¡°Let¡¯s at least throw a ball at something ¨C let me guess, you want a ground type, right?¡±

    He nodded, letting himself be moved. ¡°Yeah. Normal and poison-flying are both weak to rock and steel, and ground plugs that hole perfectly.¡±

    ¡°Sure, stud. And it¡¯s got nothing to do with watching geodude sweep the Gym your whole life, right?¡± She shot a cheeky grin his way, and Hoshi found some of the day¡¯s recent frustration lightening.

    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t say that. There can be more than one reason.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake, people!¡±

    One minute. That was how long it took between walking through the cave entrance, and bumping into his Arcus damned pack of fucking idiots. ¡°Why the fuck are you in here?! Do you know how long I looked for you?!¡±

    Kenny, Puce, and Ryan looked back with various levels of surprise and contriteness, the whites of their eyes poking out from the gloom of the badly-lit cavern like dim stars. ¡°Ah, Hoshi,¡± Ryan began, his dragon out and bouncing around its trainer. ¡°You¡¯re just in time. You see, we¡¯ve-¡±

    ¡°I saw a rare Pok¨¦mon,¡± Puce interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s my fault, I¡¯m sorry. Please don¡¯t yell at anyone else.¡±

    Hoshi bit his tongue to keep from cursing. ¡°And so you all piled into the cave, just like that?¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be like that.¡± Moony, I swear I¡¯ll kick your roided-up balls into your fucking mouth..! ¡°We left Nerd out at the entrance to wave you down. What, you didn¡¯t see her?¡±

    Again, Hoshi bit his tongue. Don¡¯t blow up. It¡¯s just one afternoon of your life ¨C and fuck, if there actually is a rare ¡®mon then that¡¯s a good thing. ¡°Fine, whatever,¡± he spat, grateful for Casca¡¯s light touch on the small of his back. ¡°What Pok¨¦mon are we looking for?¡±

    Kenny snorted. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re gonna love this¡­¡±

    ¡°I, uh,¡± Puce stammered. ¡°Don¡¯t remember the name? But it¡¯s a rare one, I know that.¡±

    Slowly, in his head, Hoshi counted down from ten. ¡°Yeah?¡± The flatness of his voice made the large woman flinch. ¡°Fancy that, you not remembering a thing.¡±

    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°But this is an opportunity, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ryan said, stepping in front of Puce. ¡°With a third strong companion, our collective star will shine even brighter. While it¡¯s unfortunate that you and Miss Rose missed each other-¡±

    ¡°Zip it,¡± Hoshi snapped, drawing a subdued grimace from the blond. ¡°You¡¯ve convinced me. Just-¡± I need to cool the fuck off. ¡°I¡¯ll go get Nerine, you three catch Casca up on what it is we¡¯re looking for.¡±

    Before anyone could say another word, he was off.

    <hr>

    Nerine was dreaming.

    It was easy to recognise, because she wasn¡¯t her. No, Nerine was just a little thornbush, one amongst many, brothers and sisters crowding around her to make a solid wall.

    One wall of a maze. One part of one wall of a maze, that was her.

    Sometimes, people would walk past ¨C and when their back was turned, instinct compelled her to move. She lifted up her roots, slithered across the cold ground, and moving as a single piece the wall came with her.

    The maze shifted, the answer changed while no one was looking, the puzzle became inescapable.

    It was¡­ good. It felt right, to be part of the wall. It was right that these people were here, wandering, kept inside forever. It was good that her siblings were around her, their branches tangled into each other so strongly that they moved as one.

    And then, something that didn¡¯t fit.

    A mop of unruly brown hair, hiding his eyes. The smallest hints of a potbelly stretching the bottom of his plain button-up shirt. A nametag, bearing a partial triangle in the corner.

    Something told her that this time, it was wrong. This man shouldn¡¯t be here, and it would be better for everyone if he escaped ¨C but the wall was moving. The thorns turned from purple to black and red, and she was moving whether she wanted to or not. He turned back for a moment as the path to freedom closed behind him, and-

    And something gently but persistently nudged Nerine awake. Her eyes opened to see the darkening sky, and two blurry shapes ¨C after a second¡¯s confusion she reached up to adjust her glasses, and they resolved into Hoshi Mutsu and the crown of the tree she was laying against.

    ¡°Wha..?¡±

    ¡°Decided to take a nap, huh?¡±

    His voice was unimpressed, and the tone cut through her sleepy brain to jolt her right awake. Oh, shit. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d- I didn¡¯t mean to actually fall asleep!

    She stood, motions a touch unsteady despite the hit of adrenaline. ¡°Sorry, I¡­ I haven¡¯t been sleeping great lately.¡±

    The Senior Grunt grunted. He gestured with his chin, not bothering to uncross his arms, and started walking. She hurried to catch up, a light blush rushing to her face. ¡°Seriously,¡± she continued. ¡°How long did you-¡± He¡¯s angry. More than usual. That¡¯s for a reason. And the sky was darker than she was expecting, too. ¡°¡­You already found the others.¡±

    ¡°After searching for a damn hour, yeah. Next time, don¡¯t take a nap in a flowerbed that looks exactly like your shirt.¡±

    His words made her look back ¨C and yeah, now that she was more lucid that was the worst possible spot she could¡¯ve picked. The entrance to the cave was a public park, and she¡¯d nodded off at the foot of a tree just off the path; with the shadows and the green-purple-pink flowers, she¡¯d have been the next best thing to invisible. It would almost be impressive if I¡¯d done it on purpose, came a rueful voice from her subconscious.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she repeated.

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Hoshi shot back, obviously still seething. ¡°Let¡¯s do what we came here to do. Puce said she saw a Pok¨¦mon?¡±

    The entrance to the cave was almost unadorned, with only a small plaque bearing the name of the tunnel marking it as a place humans had ever touched. ¡°Yeah. She didn¡¯t-¡±

    ¡°Remember the name, yeah. Go on.¡±

    ¡°¡­Right.¡± The interior of the cave was a bit less naturalistic; there was a single line of hanging bulbs strung up across the ceiling, providing just enough light to keep from bumping into the walls. ¡°She said it was pink? That¡¯s all I heard before volunteering for guard duty, anyway.¡±

    Another grunt as he forged ahead ¨C but a second later the man stopped and shook his head violently.

    His mouth moving like he was chewing raw onions, Hoshi choked out, ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m kind of¡­ not feeling great, right this moment.¡±

    She didn¡¯t know how to reply to that without just saying sorry again, so she stayed silent.

    ¡°It¡¯s stupid ¨C I know it¡¯s stupid, and that makes it even worse. Everything is going great, and then¡­ Some little thing, something that doesn¡¯t even matter, goes wrong¡­ and I blow up!¡± He mimed an explosion. ¡°Pow! Over nothing! It¡¯s- I already said it¡¯s stupid, but it really is. So, sorry. And¡­ apology accepted, for what it¡¯s worth.¡±

    He took a breath, audible in the tight confines of the cave, and then kept walking ¨C and Nerine felt some sort of thin, perverse amusement that he hadn¡¯t once turned to look at her while apologizing.

    What do I even say to that? Should I say something?

    Hoshi Mutsu was¡­ familiar to her. He had a certain aura, a wild energy that came out when he moved, and built when he stayed still. It was something that the best and worst people in Fuchsia had. All poisons are medicines, so said that old piece of folk wisdom. He¡¯s¡­ showing a bit of vulnerability. I should say something.

    She opened her mouth, hesitated, and then pushed through despite not being able to actually think of anything. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your parents,¡± said her mouth, and the rest of her face froze incredulously. Arc. I¡¯m really, really, really not getting enough sleep.

    Hoshi turned, mouth slightly open, his face slowly changing shape as if he wasn¡¯t sure yet if what he¡¯d heard was real.

    ¡­Fuck it. ¡°Casca mentioned it at the beach thing ¨C well, she said ¡®Don¡¯t ever talk to Hoshi about his parents,¡¯ which makes it obvious that something happened, and¡­ I guess¡­ I¡¯m doing the exact opposite of what she told me to do.¡±

    He blinked, face still slack.

    ¡°And I just thought¡­ My parents died when I was really young. I had to live with my uncle, like you did, and¡­ And I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m going with this. I just¡­¡± She put her hands up. ¡°You said something mushy and I had to say something back. This is weird. Sorry.¡±

    The Rocket kept his slack expression for a moment ¨C and then choked out a sound like a sad hypno, a long, half-stifled honk of laughter. A harder blush warmed her cheeks as he very nearly doubled over.

    ¡°You,¡± he got out between breaths, ¡°You really are a teenager.¡±

    Thankfully, it was probably too dark for him to see how embarrassed she was ¨C but even so, she couldn¡¯t look him in the eye. ¡°Really?¡± she said, injecting sarcasm to dampen the heat radiating from her cheeks. ¡°Never noticed¡­¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just- I¡¯ve been thinking about you lot like some problem I need to deal with, and that¡¯s¡­¡± The laughter died. ¡°That¡¯s a shitty thing for me to do. I am, as much as I hate thinking about it too hard, in charge of you. You¡¯re like, fourteen, I can¡¯t expect you to have your shit together.¡±

    ¡°Fuck off,¡± she mouthed, the sound not quite making it out of her head. I¡¯m fifteen.

    ¡°I guess we¡¯ve all got to like, work together and shit.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re already doing that,¡± Nerine again failed to say.

    ¡°Fuck.¡± He shook his head again. ¡°I needed that. Catharsis, you know? Puts shit in perspective.¡± Another of those deep breaths, in and out in a rush like he was trying to expel every bit of gas from his lungs. There was silence for a second, and then he kept walking.

    She followed, and as she did he moderated his speed so they were more or less side-by-side.

    ¡°Sorry about your parents, too. Was it the war?¡±

    ¡°The war ended before I was born,¡± she mumbled, dregs of embarrassment still clinging tight.

    Hoshi shook his head, and this time the motion was calm, measured, almost sad. ¡°No it didn¡¯t. War¡¯s been going on every damn day since nineteen eighty-eight.¡±

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Nerine didn¡¯t know what to say to that either, so she remained silent ¨C at least until an image came to mind, one that was burned so deeply into her brain it might as well be a cattle brand: that flimsy plastic nametag, Parnass Nishiki in black marker next to the official League symbol. ¡°¡­I want to say you¡¯re wrong, but you really aren¡¯t, are you?¡±

    <hr>

    When they found them, the group was arguing.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be a clefairy, that would be boring,¡± came Casca¡¯s voice from around the next bend. ¡°Come on, think of something with a little spice.¡±

    Hoshi and Nerine rounded the corner to see Kenny rolling his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s boring about that? It¡¯s a rare Pok¨¦mon, pretty strong, beats dragons to a pulp¡­¡±

    ¡°Kantonian clefairy are normal type,¡± the teen at his side called out. ¡°And I¡¯m surprised you¡¯d admit they¡¯re strong, Moony. You seem like the kind of guy who¡¯d throw up if they have to be around a girl¡¯s Pokemon¡­ no offense,¡± she tacked on at the end.

    ¡°Oi,¡± the man grunted. ¡°Uncalled for. I¡¯m all kinds of progressive, bitch. That old-fashioned shit¡¯s dumb.¡±

    Ryan cleared his throat as they joined up. ¡°As I said earlier, a clefairy would make the most sense. The other end of the cave comes out reasonably near Mount Moon, and if it was driven off from its natural habitat then it would try and find somewhere similar to its home ¨C hence, Diglett¡¯s Cave.¡± He nodded at his own logic, causing Casca to stick out her tongue.

    ¡°Boring. I¡¯m hoping it¡¯s a slowking. Does that sound right, Puce?¡±

    The woman was drawn in on herself. ¡°¡­Maybe? I didn¡¯t get the best look at it, but I think it was bipedal?¡±

    Hoshi sighed. ¡°That doesn¡¯t exactly narrow it down. I¡¯m assuming that none of you¡¯ve seen a glimpse of this thing since I left?¡± Four shaking heads. ¡°Fantastic.¡±

    His eyes went to the cave walls. They were soft dirt, unlike the solid stone of most of the country¡¯s caverns, and if he squinted he could just make out a dozen shadows that might have been side paths on this stretch alone.

    Mapping out Diglett¡¯s Cave was impossible; the Pok¨¦mon it was named for regularly reshaped the entire thing with their migrations. Only the large main path, the lit one they were on, was remotely consistent.

    Sigh. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to get our hands dirty then. Casca, you brought a flashlight?¡±

    ¡°Two of ¡®em,¡± she replied. ¡°Battery isn¡¯t great, though ¨C they aren¡¯t proper caving lights.¡±

    ¡°Should last for one trip ¨C and these tunnels were carved by living things, not water or whatever, so they should make some amount of sense.¡±

    His girlfriend dug in her bag, handing him a sturdy box-with-a-handle style flashlight a second later. ¡°Hmm, sounds like something you¡¯d hear in a horror movie, right before the horror bit happens. We¡¯re splitting up, then?¡±

    ¡°Unless you want to be here all night. One group of three can take all the left-side offshoots, while the other-¡±

    Before he could finish, Casca interrupted. ¡°Ooh, girl¡¯s night!¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Anything?¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s voice echoed slightly, despite the packed earth absorbing a lot more sound than stone walls would¡¯ve. Ahead of him, past Kenny¡¯s bulk, the light dipped around. Ryan swung it side to side, inspecting both the floor and ceiling before turning back.

    ¡°Dead end,¡± he reported, disappointed. ¡°No tracks I can see, either.¡±

    The next two minutes were spent extricating themselves from the narrow tunnel, and when he was finally back in the main path Hoshi took the opportunity to stretch. Damn thing is leading us around the place. Does it know it¡¯s being followed?

    Kenny squeezed his dirt-coated torso through the opening, and Jorm followed close behind with his bulbous snout nearly touching the ground. The bagon growled and began hunting for their prey¡¯s scent again as Ryan brought up the rear.

    ¡°Damn moles,¡± Kenny hissed. ¡°Why make so many little tunnels to nowhere? Ain¡¯t even a burrow at the end¡¯a most of ¡®em¡­¡± He brushed at his shirt, which was more mud than fabric.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be glum, Kaneth. This is good experience!¡±

    Of the three of them, Ryan was the only one happy about the situation. I can¡¯t believe he managed to train his dragon to track scents on top of battling ¨C he has to have a whole team of people helping him, the rich fuck. But as much as it annoyed him to admit, Ryan was right; the steady stream of diglett they were encountering were a boon for their Pok¨¦mon.

    Mostly where speed and precision were concerned; the tiny things were fast, diving down and repositioning in the time it took to blink. But crucially they weren¡¯t very strong, and so the Rocket¡¯s four Pok¨¦mon weren¡¯t in much trouble even when they ran into a group of five or six.

    He didn¡¯t want to dig out his Mini-Dex with his hands covered in muck, but Hoshi was pretty sure that if he did he¡¯d see Crow on the edge of learning Astonish; she¡¯d been diving down to squeak at her last few opponents before latching on, the sound oddly startling even when Hoshi was bracing himself.

    I should try and train her to do something like Jorm ¨C I bet I could get her to answer yes or no to ¡®Is there something down this tunnel?¡¯ pretty easily¡­

    Something to think about another day; the bagon jumped and yipped, drawing their attention to a different tunnel.

    ¡°Good man,¡± Ryan praised, while Kenny sighed in resignation.

    ¡°Was hopin¡¯ to get out and find somethin¡¯ else, but this¡¯s gonna take all night¡­¡±

    Hoshi patted the large man on the back as Ryan followed his Pok¨¦mon into what must be their thirtieth tunnel at least. ¡°Not planning to fight Ryan for whatever this thing is?¡±

    ¡°Naw. I¡¯m tired ¡®a losing so much.¡±

    Hoshi snorted. ¡°Hey, look on the bright side¡­¡±

    The beam of light turned back, and Ryan¡¯s voice echoed through the small ¨C but big enough, like the rest; we¡¯re dealing with something a lot bigger than a jigglypuff ¨C opening. ¡°What¡¯s the hold up back there? If we don¡¯t hurry, the other team might find the quarry before us!¡±

    ¡°¡­That little dragon of his is gonna take forever to evolve. Pretty soon we¡¯ll have a sandslash and a raticate, and it¡¯ll be him losing every match.¡±

    Kenny perked up. ¡°Hm. That sounds pretty good.¡±

    As the two of them slithered into the damp opening, Hoshi took a moment to look back and think of Ryan¡¯s comment. Wonder if the girls are having better luck than us¡­

    <hr>

    ¡°Water Gun!¡±

    ¡°Hu-huh!¡±

    Candy shot out a picture-perfect beam of water, not a drop of liquid spraying to the side ¨C but to Casca¡¯s immense frustration the trio of conjoined heads simply dove down below the soft earth, her staryu¡¯s attack carving a narrow trench and little else.

    ¡°You need a hand with that?¡± came a much-too-calm voice from behind her back.

    ¡°No, keep the little ones off!¡±

    She chanced a glance back and saw Nerine and Puce holding the line with their poison types. It was actually a surprise how well they were doing; the numerous diglett might have them outnumbered and at a type disadvantage, but they were scared of the ekans in a way that they just weren¡¯t of Casca¡¯s staryu.

    It was also nice that, being close to the ground, Potato could hit them with gas without knocking all the humans out. Thank fuck ground isn¡¯t outright immune, or this¡¯d by a different fight-

    A meaty smack drew her attention back to her own battle, and she turned to find Candy shaking mud off her gem.

    ¡°Rapid Spin! Keep a Water Gun primed, and shoot it when it next pops up!¡±

    For a moment Casca worried that she¡¯d given her Pok¨¦mon too confusing an order ¨C but then the staryu twirled in place, sending mud flying in all directions, and lowered her top arm down to scan across the chamber¡¯s floor.

    Tension, and as the seconds dragged on the urge to turn and help the others with what must be at least forty wild Pok¨¦mon almost overwhelmed her¡­

    But then the dugtrio reappeared, directly under Candy¡¯s feet. Casca¡¯s Pok¨¦mon was flung up into the air, and she clenched her jaw as she followed her with her flashlight, the wild tumbling sending shadows across the cave as Candy¡¯s gem reflected the beam. Damnit, it¡¯s not dumb enough to fall for- wait. The Water Gun hasn¡¯t gone off!

    ¡°Shoot down, Candy! Straight down!¡±

    The spinning star obeyed, stabilising herself until the primed arm was pointed in the right direction. The cave shook as the dugtrio turned Casca¡¯s way, obviously building up for a much stronger ground type move than it had shown so far ¨C only for the super-effective jet to strike its middle head right at its apex.

    The wild Pok¨¦mon bellowed, angry, and abandoned what it was doing to fling mud upwards. Candy was hit again, right in the gem, forcefully enough to send her into the nearest wall.

    ¡°Candy!¡± Don¡¯t faint! It¡¯s just a Mud-Slap, you can take it!

    ¡­Right?

    Unfortunately, her hopes weren¡¯t enough to change reality; Candy flopped down, lay still, and the dugtrio turned her way again.

    Casca panicked. Fuck, she thought as the ground shook under her feet. What do I do? Call for help? There was only a fraction of a second before the attack completed and broke her legs at the very least. Can I dodge? Attack it? I- I don¡¯t have any options! Throw my damn flashlight-

    Her breath stilled as the insight crashed through the panic like a thrown brick. Lightning fast ¨C thank you, long boring training sessions ¨C her hand closed around a round shape in her bag. She threw the concealed Rocket Ball she¡¯d bought with street cred, and prayed.

    Come on. It¡¯s damaged, and the instructors always talk these things up like they¡¯re Ultra Balls or something-

    A tremor took her off her feet, the impact like hitting the ground after a ten-foot drop. Pain shot up both her ankles, and there was a snap-

    But it wasn¡¯t the sound of her bones breaking; the ball had hit the wild ¡®mon right in its middle nose, and it let out one last stuttering cry as it transformed into red light. Casca watched the ball twitch for a pregnant second as she sprawled on the ground ¨C and then she snapped to attention.

    Don¡¯t lie there, dummy! Groping blindly, her fingers found a metal tube-shape as she pushed her sore ankles to their limit. As the ball shook a second time she crawled forward and knelt over Candy, spraying the Super Potion across her Pok¨¦mon¡¯s waxy skin.

    ¡°Wake up. Wakeupwakeupwakeup!¡± she hissed. I should¡¯ve shelled out for a Max Potion!

    And to her relief, the staryu¡¯s limbs began wriggling without coordination. Candy regained consciousness as Casca turned to see the ball vibrating violently, the trapped dugtrio straining to break free.

    ¡°Candy, prep water gun.¡±

    Another tense second passed ¨C and her order was rendered obsolete as the rocking ball calmed.  Whew¡­ I feel¡­ light-headed¡­

    Actually, that was probably the Clear Smog working itself into her lungs from being so far down. She stood, using her Pok¨¦mon as a brace, and retrieved her new team member. Oh, Hoshi¡¯s going to be so jealous.

    Then she turned to the ongoing battle with a shaky grin. The other girls were winning, she was pretty sure, but that wasn¡¯t a reason to slack off. She pointed at the nearest diglett, who was turning in confused circles searching for its disappeared leader. Its beady eyes were red and irritated from the wafting poison, but they still widened when it saw what was coming. ¡°Water Gun!¡±

    <hr>

    A dead end, a dead end, another dead end¡­

    It has to know it¡¯s being tailed. That¡¯s the only thing that makes sense.

    Hoshi bared his teeth as he pulled, and Kenny tumbled free as the walls lost enough of their integrity to allow him through. ¡°Gah-!¡± the muscular grunt exclaimed, toppling forward and sending them both down.

    Three splashes sounded out as the three men ate mud, then another smaller one as Jormungandr joined in on what was, for him, probably a very fun outing.

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Hoshi groaned. ¡°Get off me.¡±

    Ryan rolled off, then Kenny, and finally Hoshi pulled himself up. I¡¯m gonna kill this fucking thing, I don¡¯t care what it is. Damn it, there¡¯s mud in my backpack¡­

    The trio straightened out, and at this point even Ryan was looking haggard. But as his Pok¨¦mon hopped around his feet, and as he cleaned the muck off Casca¡¯s flashlight, the blond attempted a smile.

    ¡°We¡¯re very nearly at the end, aren¡¯t we? It can¡¯t be far.¡±

    ¡°Unless it¡¯s left the cave,¡± Hoshi pointed out, pausing to spit before continuing. ¡°Nobody said it had to stay here. And I don¡¯t feel like tromping through Pewter or Viridian Forest in the middle of the night.¡± It must be midnight by now. ¡°If we hit the end and don¡¯t find it, I say we leave.¡±

    ¡°Seconded,¡± Kenny added, and Ryan''s fake smile dimmed.

    ¡°¡­Fine. Shall we keep moving, or do you require a nap, Boss?¡±

    Hoshi spit again. ¡°Fuck off,¡± he said, but there was no emotion behind the curse; he was too tired to get his blood up. ¡°I¡¯m up. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The next tunnel was empty, and the one after that had three diglett. Guts, Bubbles, and Jormungandr took one each, but it was clear that the Pok¨¦mon ¨C the former two, at least ¨C were as out of steam as their trainers.

    ¡°I¡¯m outta Potion,¡± Kenny said as they rested against the burrow¡¯s wall.

    Ryan grunted and reached into the small pack on his belt, but after a moment¡¯s digging his expression turned to confusion. ¡°Hm? I could have sworn¡­¡± He dug further, removing several Antidotes and other medicines, but whatever he was looking for eluded him. ¡°Fiddlesticks, I could¡¯ve sworn I¡¯d packed a Full Restore, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Here,¡± Hoshi broke in, holding out one of his own potions. ¡°I¡¯ve only got two left, and the other one¡¯s mine; if you run out again, we¡¯re bugging out.¡± Neither of his subordinates complained as Kenny began spraying his sandshrew with the healing liquid. ¡°None of us were prepared to go this deep in.¡±

    Ryan stroked his dragon¡¯s snout. ¡°Agreed. But¡­¡± He perked up, seemingly regaining a touch of energy. ¡°This is what being a trainer is about, isn¡¯t it? Braving the wilds, facing danger with one¡¯s companions at their side¡­¡±

    Hoshi let out another groan, and Kenny joined in. ¡°Damn samurai spirit¡­¡± The comment drew a tired chuckle from Ryan, and they managed to stand up a minute later.

    The next tunnel was a thankfully-short dead-end¡­ and then they were looking at the last offshoot before they hit open air.

    ¡°Well, last chance¡­¡± As always Ryan took point, following his bagon¡¯s nose, and the three men ventured through the tunnel to find¡­ a dead end.

    ¡°Damnation,¡± Ryan cursed, but Hoshi found that he was almost feeling better than he had a moment before. Welp, it¡¯s done. We tried, but it gave us the slip ¨C unless Casca¡¯s group caught it. Not impossible, but unlikely; without Jorm¡¯s tracking ability the other three were probably still somewhere around the midsection of the cave.

    ¡°Damn,¡± Kenny agreed, his mood closer to Ryan¡¯s than Hoshi¡¯s. ¡°What a let-down. I wanted to know what it was!¡±

    ¡°Probably just a clefairy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but what if it wasn¡¯t? I¡¯m gonna be thinkin¡¯ about it all day tomorrow¡­¡±

    They made their way back to the main tunnel ¨C and Hoshi saw a sliver of light coming through the distant cave mouth, barely managing to overpower the dim electric lights. Wow, my sense of time was way off ¨C in hindsight there¡¯s no way we walked all the way to Route 2 in just a few hours¡­

    ¡°Back?¡±

    ¡°Back.¡± ¡°Back.¡±

    They trudged with heavy steps back towards the Vermilion end of the tunnel ¨C but Ryan paused. ¡°Mutsu¡­¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Hoshi answered before he even heard whatever the man had to say. ¡°We¡¯re done. Our Pok¨¦mon are done. I¡¯m gonna fucking die at work tomorrow¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, but look!¡± Ryan grabbed him by the arm, and Hoshi considered smacking the man off before concluding he didn¡¯t have the energy.

    ¡°Fucking- what?¡± He looked; Ryan was pointing at his bagon, the baby dragon hopping around flaunting its energy. ¡°What? He¡¯s just jumping around like he always does.¡±

    ¡°Not like this! Look ¨C he¡¯s so excited about that tunnel! The trail must be incredibly fresh! Come on-!¡± No, don¡¯t say it, I¡¯ll fucking hit you you- ¡°One more! Surely we can do one, last, final side path?¡±

    Hoshi looked at the man with all the disgust he could muster ¨C but as Jormungandr continued to try and get their attention, jumping around and running in circles around the entrance to the right-hand tunnel ¨C which was on their left, as they¡¯d turned around ¨C his heart started to beat faster.

    ¡°¡­One more. But if we run into more than a single diglett in there, I¡¯m kicking your ass.¡± Tomorrow, after I sleep for twelve hours.

    The man didn¡¯t answer, instead following his Pok¨¦mon into the narrow opening. Kenny made an exhausted noise, but followed Hoshi¡¯s lead when he went in himself.

    Don¡¯t know why I¡¯m getting my hopes up, this trip has been nothing but-

    The thought was cut off as, only a few feet in, a flash of pink was illuminated by the flashlight¡¯s beam. Oh, no fucking way. It stopped at literally the last tunnel on the girl''s side?

    Jormungandr sauntered forward, fangs bared, and Ryan fumbled for his Pok¨¦ball. ¡°No, it¡¯s obviously asleep- Jormungandr, return!¡±

    The dragon disappeared before its jaws could snap shut on the mystery Pok¨¦mon, and they breathed a sigh of relief. Hoshi poked Ryan in the side and whispered, ¡°Move it.¡±

    They entered the little room at the end of the short tunnel ¨C it was a proper burrow, their quarry must have chased the diglett out before falling asleep ¨C and quietly surrounded it.

    ¡°What the fuck is it?¡± Kenny asked.

    ¡°No idea,¡± Hoshi answered. It must have been rare indeed, because Hoshi didn¡¯t recognise the ¡®mon in the least.

    But apparently, Ryan did. ¡°Son of a whore,¡± he whisper-shouted. ¡°Of all the- we came all this way for a damned lickitung?¡± He sounded like the soft-looking pink blob was a pile of shit.

    ¡°Lickitung?¡± Kenny repeated. ¡°Is that a rare-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rare and it¡¯s useless.¡± Ryan hissed, forcing the flashlight into Hoshi¡¯s hands. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Of all the wastes of time- a lickitung, the Dexus take me but I''d have preferred nothing¡­¡±

    The two men watched him go, then looked at each other.

    ¡°Wow. And he was all gung-ho a second ago,¡± Kenny whispered.

    ¡°Right? Anyway, it¡¯s asleep; it shouldn¡¯t put up a fight. Let¡¯s catch it and go.¡±

    They turned to the lickitung ¨C but then back to each other. As the bubblegum-pink Pok¨¦mon snored softly, the two Rocket Grunts shared a thought. Okay, but there¡¯s two of us and one of it. Who gets it?

    Hoshi¡¯s hand reached for Crow¡¯s ball ¨C but he stopped himself. ¡°You catch it for now. If it¡¯s as rare as we think it is, we can sell it and split the money.¡±

    Kenny hesitated, searching Hoshi¡¯s face for deception, then gave a small nod. He plucked a Pok¨¦ball from his belt, and with a slow underhanded toss the thing disappeared.

    The ball didn¡¯t even wiggle.

    <hr>

    Hoshi couldn¡¯t muster the willpower to look at his watch, but given how high the sun was when they emerged from the cave¡­ Somewhere after six.

    He would have to call in sick ¨C heck, he wouldn¡¯t even be lying; he felt dead tired.

    The group said their goodbyes and split up, Puce heading south and Ryan north. Kenny and Nerine broke off a bit later, leaving Hoshi and Casca to walk the long path to the city¡¯s western edge alone.

    ¡°Casca¡­¡± he breathed.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°If I ever suggest going hunting after work, stop me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    They got home at around the time Hoshi would have been leaving, and he slumped in a chair in the kitchen while waiting for his girlfriend to finish her shower. His thoughts were a mire¡­ but one thing stood out.

    Lickitung¡­ Lickitung¡­ I¡¯m¡­ ten, twenty percent sure I¡¯ve heard that name before. Some foreign tournament winner¡­ But that didn¡¯t fit with Ryan¡¯s comment, or his own knowledge of strong Pok¨¦mon. The name¡­ Could I be wrong? I¡¯m almost asleep, here¡­

    In the morning, I¡¯ll look it up in the morning¡­

    Hoshi woke up four hours later, and had to drag an unconscious and pruney Casca from the still-running shower.

 4.03 - Purchasing Power

    Hoshi did, indeed, take the day off.

    After Casca left ¨C she couldn¡¯t exactly call in sick, not with the extended Night Folk business going on ¨C he spent Wednesday mostly unconscious. But after stuffing himself with the last of the beach leftovers and taking a brief second shower, he managed to drag himself out the door and into the nearest public library.

    Ah, thank Arcus for air conditioning, he thought as he crossed the threshold; while the heat was back to reasonable, it was still much hotter than it should have been a few days from October. Hoshi made his way to the dictionaries section, took a moment to think, and then began scanning for the O section.

    Lickitung, he repeated to himself as he browsed the shelves. Now that I¡¯ve slept on it, I remember. That''s not quite the name I heard before, so I''m guessing¡­

    Damn, is there really only one by the Professor? The copy of An In-Depth Guide to Indigo Wildlife by Samuel Oak sat alone, sandwiched between two copies of Observations on Bird Migrations by Bustard Otis.

    I¡¯d have expected more. He pulled it from the shelf and found the volume was worn, the pages dog-eared by the rough hands of some snot-nosed child ¨C but when he brought it to the nearest table and opened the cover, the words were more than legible enough.

    He flipped through, a note of triumph playing down his spine as the time-yellowed pages revealed the Pok¨¦mon he¡¯d seen the night before. He hadn¡¯t gotten the best look at it in the darkness, and the illustration lacked colour, but the shape and name were correct.

    ¡®Lickitung, the Licking Pok¨¦mon.

    Habitat: Freshwater Wetlands

    Adult Height: 1.2 metres (standing upright)

    Adult Weight: 65.5 kg

    Average Lifespan: Unknown

    Once abundant along the southeast of Kanto, this amphibious Pok¨¦mon has seen a sharp decline in numbers since its traditional habitat was largely drained during the end of the Shogunate to make way for farmland. Though this callous disregard for nature is tragic, there is a silver lining in that a Pok¨¦mon once considered a common pest has transformed into a symbol of Indigo¡¯s conservation efforts.

    Lickitung resides as one of the crowning jewels of Fuchsia City¡¯s Safari Zone, and is likely to maintain that honour for the foreseeable future. As for its use to Pok¨¦mon trainers, though it lacks the bombastic attacking power so many favour the humble lickitung can be a splendid anchor and travelling partner. Their saliva has paralysing properties, and makes a fine glue and reasonably safe anesthetic when boiled down. Though their skin is very sensitive to humidity they are otherwise extremely durable, and with their long lifespan ¨C no individual has yet to pass away in captivity at the time of this writing ¨C and reasonable intelligence, one will find this species to be a stalwart companion.¡¯

    Hoshi skimmed the rest of the page, searching through dietary habits and other facts, but he didn¡¯t find what he was looking for. The triumph petered out.

    What? But I¡¯m certain I¡¯ve heard about¡­

    In frustration he flipped back to the front of the book, and sighed when he saw the publication date. 1979? Damn, this is older than I thought¡­ I should''ve guessed from the language; nobody uses ''anchor'' like that these days. For a moment Hoshi sat unmoving ¨C and then he abruptly stood, taking the book up to the front desk.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± he signaled the librarian, an older, balding man who seemed to be trying to make up for it with a bright blue, exceedingly well-groomed mustache. ¡°Do you know if you carry a more modern printing of this book?¡±

    Hoshi handed the tattered thing over, and the moment the librarian caught sight of the title his eyes widened. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m afraid not. You see, we actually had the good fortune to have all of our works signed by the Professor when he went ¡®round after the war¡­ But after his passing that signature became a very hot collectors item, and, well¡­¡±

    People stole them all, Hoshi finished in his head.

    ¡°This is a recent donation. You could order an updated volume through us, if you¡¯d like? Just pay the printing cost and it''s yours to keep.¡±

    Hoshi considered it. ¡°¡­Maybe. I¡¯ll think about it.¡± That would take weeks to arrive by mail, and I don¡¯t think I can convince Kenny to wait that long on just a random hunch¡­

    But I do have another idea. A potentially stupid idea, but if I¡¯m right¡­

    The man nodded at his answer. ¡°Alright then. We do have some Pok¨¦mon encyclopedias by other authors, if you¡¯d like a recommendation?¡±

    Hoshi glanced back to what was, by a very large margin, the largest section of the library. ¡°Do you happen to know if any of them mention lickitung having an evolution?¡± There¡¯s a reason I went for the best first; the second-stringers would take me days to get through.

    The man¡¯s brows ¨C a slightly less vibrant shade of blue ¨C came together. ¡°Hmm¡­ Let me check the reference documents¡­¡± He kneeled behind the desk, and after a moment¡¯s rummaging produced a very dusty cardboard box ¨C and then another, and then a third. ¡°Oh dear, it has been a moment since I¡¯ve organised these¡­¡±

    Hoshi stifled a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll wait, then.¡± As the nearly-bald man began sorting for the information he was looking for, he went back to the shelves and entertained himself with a few historical novels.

    <hr>

    Hoshi returned home knowing two things:

    One, lickitung did have an evolution, a Pok¨¦mon named lickilicky. That was what he¡¯d remembered winning that random tournament.

    Two, the exact method to trigger that evolution was unknown ¨C or at least he couldn¡¯t discern the real method from the dozens of half-baked speculations that he¡¯d found.

    It left a bittersweet blue-and-yellow taste on the back of his tongue; he¡¯d been right, but he was also increasingly convinced he¡¯d have to do something potentially dangerous to solve the mystery. I happen to know someone who is very knowledgeable about secret evolutions¡­

    I wonder ¨C will Dabi get mad if I talk to him for a legitimate, Rocket-related reason?

    Plopping down on his bed, Hoshi¡¯s thoughts continued to churn. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s a complete psycho; the instructors seem to trust him, and they¡¯re only the weird kind of crazy. But he¡¯d also specifically singled Hoshi out and tried to intimidate him, so it was possible the midget had a chip on his shoulder. Is that just because I yelled at him in the Pok¨¦mart that one time, or is he like that with anybody who could possibly connect him to his civilian life?

    The empty apartment was silent as he lay still. But while he was still fatigued from last night¡¯s ¨C or more accurately that morning¡¯s ¨C misadventure, the afternoon sun streaming in was making it completely impossible to fall asleep. After a few minutes the buildup of back-and-forth thoughts became too much, and Hoshi decided to go back out.

    Whatever, I¡¯ll think about it some more and talk to Kenny before I do anything. If he actually wants to raise the thing, I¡¯ll just pass him all that shit the books said and he can decide if it¡¯s worth sticking his neck out. But speaking of raising Pok¨¦mon¡­

    I didn¡¯t actually get a Pok¨¦mon last night, and if I so much as look in Diglett Cave''s direction so soon I¡¯ll puke. I could probably bag a magnemite or something if I head back out east, or make some money battling, but¡­

    As he tied his boots his thoughts drifted to the conversation he¡¯d had with Nerine, and more specifically that moment when he¡¯d realised he was slowly morphing into a more handsome version of the Ditto ¨C a ball of sweat and anxiety whose first option was always to cuss out his underlings.

    That¡­ isn¡¯t who I want to be. I might not be the biggest team player in the world, but¡­ I should be able to at least be a respectable leader, right? That¡¯s something I can handle. And that starts with¡­ His face moved in an expression he was too preoccupied to name. With putting the other grunts on the same level I put myself. Or at least somewhere close.

    And I¡¯m pretty sure Nerine and Puce left empty-handed too ¨C so let¡¯s start with that.

    There was also Ryan¡­ But Hoshi

    <hr>

    ¡°So ¨C no accounting for rarity or price of any of that, what would you want for your team?¡±

    Route 6 was, he now knew, a lot wilder than the other path out of the city ¨C but even accounting for that, Hoshi found that going into its shallows with a group was a different beast than walking it alone a few days ago had been.

    Some of it¡¯s the water, I think. The land north of the city was wet, completely flooded from the long rainfall. It made things take twice as long, because while Hoshi¡¯s steel toes were waterproof enough to keep his socks dry so long as the water didn¡¯t go up past his ankles, Puce and Nerine had no such protection. Which meant they had to go the long way around the soggy terrain, which meant that Hoshi was seeing bits of the route that were extremely unfamiliar to both his eyes, and his feet. But there are the Pok¨¦mon, too.

    Lot of psyduck and poliwag out on the water. Battles in the undergrowth and treetops, too. A piercing cry punctuated his statement, some bird warning off an intruder further into the wilderness. Might actually use both my balls today¡­

    ¡°Well, yesterday I was hoping to bag a drowzee¡­¡± Nerine answered, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking, like, fantasy stuff. Literally any Pok¨¦mon, doesn¡¯t have to be local, doesn¡¯t have to make sense.¡±

    The teen made a low whine as she thought, so Hoshi turned to the other woman. ¡°What about you, Puce?¡±

    In direct contrast to the rest of them, Puce seemed to have more energy than usual; despite the implied sedentary lifestyle her home life had revealed, she was taking the short hike without the slightest trouble. ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t- I haven¡¯t really thought about it? I think I¡¯d be fine with any Pok¨¦mon, really¡­¡±

    ¡°Sure, but there has to be some you find cooler than others, right?¡±

    She dipped her head, avoiding a low-hanging tree branch. ¡°Hm¡­ I¡¯ve always thought hitmonchan were cute?¡±

    Hoshi grunted approvingly. I mean, I wouldn¡¯t use that specific word, but that¡¯s a pretty cool Pok¨¦mon.

    ¡°What about you, Mister Mutsu?¡± she questioned back.

    ¡°Tyranitar,¡± he answered instantly. ¡°Or a magnezone, those things are gnarly.¡±

    Nerine snorted. ¡°You think your junkyard guy¡¯s gonna have a larvitar lying around?¡±

    ¡°Hey, I specifically said fantasy.¡± The group dodged around a catfight between two meowth, and Hoshi¡¯s fingers twitched. Oh hey, those look kind of strong. Should I..? The two empty balls on his belt felt heavy, their gravity drawing his hand towards them without his conscious input ¨C but he snapped out of it. Probably not the best idea; I already have a normal type, and something tells me those wild cats wouldn¡¯t get along with her. Or Crow either, for that matter.

    ¡­And I should probably see what Danny has first. You know, do the thing I came here to do.

    A thin, rueful smile touched his lips as he continued. ¡°But if you want to know what I think is realistic¡­ Maybe a growlithe, or a mankey.¡±

    Nerine hummed. ¡°Fighting type to counter rock and steel, right?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    They passed the powerplant at a slightly different angle than Hoshi was used to, the building pumping a dozen streams of pure white vapour into the air. No electabuzz today. You know, I wonder if Surge ended up giving them that scrawny ¡®mon¡­ I half-expected to see it during our challenges, but it didn¡¯t show. Maybe it had been meant to fight one of the two girls he was hiking with.

    ¡°Still planning on challenging Surge, Nerine?¡± Hoshi questioned, breaking the silence that had formed.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she replied, and he had to catch his breath before continuing. Ugh, still feeling the spelunking from yesterday¡­ Damnit, how does Puce have so much energy?

    ¡°Why a drowzee, then?¡±

    ¡°Type advantage isn¡¯t everything,¡± she said, and Hoshi shot her a raised brow. ¡°No, really. I¡¯m not gonna build my team around whoever I¡¯m fighting next, that¡¯s dumb.¡± She returned his expression, raising her own brow. ¡°I¡¯ve got a few picked out already. Hypno, venomoth, a dark type if I can find one¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, we should ask about houndour,¡± Puce broke in. ¡°I remember my best friend in elementary school had one, and it was the most adorable thing.¡±

    ¡°Strong evolution, too,¡± Hoshi added.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Nerine grunted, the sound turning to disgust as she stepped in a puddle. Poliwag darted away as she lifted her now scum-covered shoe. ¡°Damn it. Hoshi, how much further do we have to go?¡±

    ¡°Not far,¡± he answered. ¡°Like five more minutes. You should be able to smell it any second now¡­¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Ladies!¡± Danny greeted as they came through the gate, slurring the word horribly as was his custom. He sprung up from his lawn chair, the edges of his sunglasses sparkling. ¡°I¡¯ve been expecting you! Come right this way, I¡¯ve prepared a selection for your browsing pleasure¨C¡±

    ¡°Real Pok¨¦mon only, Danny,¡± Hoshi flatly interjected.

    The man paused with his arms open in a welcoming gesture, but a moment later they dropped to his sides as he slumped. ¡°Whipped, kid. They¡¯ve got you whipped.¡±

    Nerine shook her head as her eyes trailed over the massive piles of garbage. ¡°Hoshi, are you sure this guy¡¯s legit? All I¡¯m seeing are grimer and koffing, and they¡¯re obviously wild.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s legit ¨C most of the time. And he isn¡¯t dumb enough to try and scam Team Rocket, right?¡± Hoshi sent an inquisitive look his friend¡¯s way, and received a frown in return.

    ¡°Fuck me for tryin¡¯ to make a little money, huh? Fine! But you just lost your best friend discount, Mister Rocket!¡±

    He stomped off into the detritus, and Hoshi followed with a smile. Hah, like he¡¯d ever give a discount in the first place. ¡°Come on you two, he really does sell the occasional good Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    The girls followed Hoshi who followed Danny, and a minute later they came to an obelisk of trash, the tower of hollowed-out car bodies and other discarded metal reaching for the sky in a precarious-looking jumble. Hoshi felt trepidation as he approached; the thing looked ready to topple if someone breathed a little too hard.

    But the junkyard¡¯s owner had no such fear. He walked up and grabbed a car door, opening it and gesturing them closer. ¡°Ladies first,¡± he said with a near-toothless grin.

    Puce and Nerine looked at each other, and the latter shrugged. ¡°If this is a weird sex-trafficing kind of thing, I¡¯ll have my ekans Poison Sting your balls.¡± Her piece said, the teen stepped forward.

    Her words bounced off Danny¡¯s smile. ¡°Kinky. And nah, that shit gets you shanked in an alley by an angry pops!¡± He laughed, and Hoshi rolled his eyes before stepping forward as well.

    ¡°Classy,¡± he muttered, climbing through the wreck.

    The other side was about what Hoshi had been expecting: a series of large welded-together cages, most of them occupied. The interior of the hollow pile was lit by a single hanging bulb, and he sent a disgusted look at the reminder of his muddy adventure.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Danny exclaimed, the word punctuated by a heavy slam as he closed the door behind himself. ¡°You¡¯re looking for battlers, yeah? Got a good selection here ¨C feel free to poke around, these guys are trained enough to not bite.¡±

    Nerine walked from one cage to the next, inspecting them with a dismissive eye, while Puce lingered at Hoshi''s side. ¡°Um¡­ Could you make a recommendation?¡± the huge woman asked, finally returning to her normal subdued demeanour. ¡°I don¡¯t know most of these Pok¨¦mon¡­¡±

    Hoshi pushed his irritation down. Respectable. Leader. ¡°Well, let¡¯s take a look.¡±

    The selection was actually better than he¡¯d been expecting. There were the common meowth, oddish, and mankey, but also a few rarer Pok¨¦mon ¨C just near the door he could see abra and jigglypuff. Damn, this is way better than the last time he showed me around ¨C I should¡¯ve guessed from how much bigger the camouflage pile is. The psychic types, in particular, stood out. ¡°Hey Danny,¡± he called. ¡°How do you keep these guys in their cages? Can¡¯t they teleport?¡±

    ¡°They can; the trick¡¯s to make ¡®em want to stay. Keep food inside, keep it warm and dark, they love that shit.¡± He rubbed his hands together. ¡°Five hundred for the little ones, six for the big guys.¡±

    Hoshi sniffed. ¡°We could catch one for free twenty paces from here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the thing, kid ¨C you won¡¯t.¡± The scrap seller¡¯s smile remained wide. ¡°They¡¯re too easy to spook. These ones are used to being around people ¡®cause I¡¯ve been feeding ¡®em, but the properly wild ones¡®ll just ¡®port away when you so much as rustle the grass. Trust me, the cost¡¯s worth the saved time.¡±

    Hoshi nodded, and mentally placed the smaller abra ¨C but not the big ones; paying a hundred pucks for a few weeks of growth was downright criminal ¨C in the maybe pile. ¡°Eh.¡± He turned to the next cage. ¡°We¡¯ll see; maybe if there¡¯s nothing better.¡± Kadabra are strong, but they also take a long time to evolve; by the time these guys reach that point, I¡¯m hoping to get high enough to just buy my way into some stronger Pok¨¦mon.

    A good chunk of the afternoon passed as the three inspected the poacher''s wares. Nerine finished first; she was by a wide margin the least impressed with the selection, passing up whole groups without a second glance.

    ¡°How much for the venonat?¡± she asked after making the rounds, wrinkling her nose at the huddle of fuzzy bugs.

    ¡°Five-¡±

    ¡°Right in the balls.¡±

    ¡°¡­Three-fifty, and not a cent less. I gotta go all the way to the east coast for those things; they don¡¯t like the cold air coming off the bay at night.¡±

    The girl¡¯s nose continued to wrinkle as she parsed through the man¡¯s words, but her eyes said she was considering it. ¡°Three hundred even, and I¡¯ll buy a couple speakers or something on the way out.¡±

    ¡°Deal!¡±

    As the two shook hands, Hoshi went back to inspecting a herd of three slowpoke. They lounged around a kiddie pool full of shellder, but something told him there wouldn¡¯t be any slowbro evolving any time soon. These guys, the mankey, and the ghost type are my top three picks.

    The mankey would fill the biggest hole in his team, while slowpoke was just a solid ¡®mon in general ¨C the evolved forms even more so. And low maintenance. They barely eat.

    The ghost was a wild card; Danny himself didn¡¯t know what it was ¨C it was just an oddly deep shadow on casual inspection ¨C but statistically speaking it was most likely a gastly. And yeah, that was the most common ghost type around, but it was still an incredible find. The problem is that it might not be a gastly; I don¡¯t know anything about rarer ghosts. I¡¯d be flying completely blind.

    In the end, he settled on the safe choice; he paid Danny a relatively cheap two hundred for a common mankey, and tossed one of his empty balls. The Pok¨¦mon actually jumped for it, eager to get out of its cage, and the ball gave a tepid half-wiggle before ringing out its capture tone.

    ¡°Cool,¡± he said as Danny sent another of his official Pok¨¦mon, a large muk, in to retrieve the ball from the squabbling gang of perpetually-angry monkeys. ¡°That¡¯s two of us done. You feeling any of these guys, Puce?¡±

    The woman looked over from the other side of the secret enclosure. ¡°Um,¡± she stuttered. ¡°Not- not really? I was hoping for something really simple like Potato, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Get a meowth, then. It''s a normal type so you only need to remember the one weakness, and it should be easy to raise.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ you think that¡¯s a good idea?¡±

    Hoshi nodded. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for simple, normal types are about as good as you¡¯ll get. Meowth aren¡¯t bad in battle, either.¡±

    ¡°Hold up,¡± Nerine called out. She walked away from where she¡¯d been idly watching a couple poliwag swim in another kiddie pool, her lips turning down. ¡°Puce and me have a plan, and persian doesn¡¯t fit.¡±

    He blinked. ¡°A plan?¡±

    ¡°I, um, I¡¯m not very good at battling,¡± Puce said, also walking over. ¡°So Miss Rose thinks I should only use defensive Pok¨¦mon. So that I can¡­¡±

    ¡°So that she can stick to a rote strategy no matter what she¡¯s fighting,¡± Nerine finished.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    Hoshi looked between the two of them. Huh. I mean, it¡¯s not a bad plan, but it¡­ seems kind of¡­ His brain fished for a way to word it inoffensively, before giving up. It seems like the kind of thing you¡¯d only do if you¡¯re an idiot who can¡¯t remember the type chart. He didn¡¯t say it aloud ¨C but his expression must have changed, because Nerine scowled and crossed her arms.

    ¡°Whatever you think, Puce thinks it¡¯s a good idea.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t say a word. But if the meowth are off the table¡­¡± He gestured with his chin. ¡°Slowpoke¡¯re right over there.¡± Remember: respectable. ¡°Not that you need to buy something now,¡± he amended. ¡°But this is the best selection we¡¯ll be able to get without travelling out to a different city ¨C or buying from the official League exchange.¡±

    Danny snorted from where he was leaning against the wall, smoking his shitty homemade oddish-leaf smokes. ¡°Sure, and pay out the ass.¡±

    Exactly. Taxes on taxes on taxes. He eyed the woman as Puce fidgeted with the sleeves of her blouse, but then her expression firmed. ¡°You¡¯re right ¨C if I want to keep up with the rest of you I need a second Pok¨¦mon.¡± She turned to Danny. ¡°How much for your strongest slowpoke?¡±

    Oof, this girl obviously doesn¡¯t know how to haggle¡­

    <hr>

    They left, various levels of pleased with their new team members ¨C and with her two packs of quasi-illicit drugs, in Nerine¡¯s case.

    Not the worst way to spend a sick day, Hoshi thought to himself. Though I¡¯m not looking forward to training this thing up. He¡¯d heard a few horror stories about mankey and their evolution, but they were common enough he was optimistic. Can¡¯t be too hard, or nobody¡¯d use them.

    They walked in silence most of the way, but as they came up on the city¡¯s outskirts Hoshi remembered himself. ¡°Hey Puce, Nerine,¡± he said. ¡°I never said good job for the Gym thing, so¡­ Good job.¡± Oh, fantastic. That didn¡¯t sound sarcastic at all.

    Puce immediately got a smile on her face, but Nerine narrowed her eyes.

    ¡°Thank You, Mister Mutsu! I¡¯ll tell Potato you said that!¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± The girl was silent for the rest of the walk into town, but when they neared her apartment she spoke again. ¡°Hey Hoshi, can you stick around for a sec? I wanna talk to you.¡±

    Hoshi blinked, and forced his face to remain even despite the suspicion attempting to form. ¡°Sure. Puce, you fine to walk home yourself?¡±

    ¡°Of course ¨C oh but actually, I won¡¯t be alone at all!¡± She drew the second Pok¨¦ball from her belt ¨C causing Hoshi to nod at her form; she¡¯d improved substantially from the clumsy movements she¡¯d started with ¨C and released her new slowpoke. ¡°Go, um¡­¡± The red light coalesced into a pink-furred mammal, its large but small-pupiled eyes and wide mouth giving the impression of a perpetual dopey grin.

    ¡°Um, uh¡­ Bear?¡± she finished, looking at her companions for support.

    Kind of boring, Hoshi thought, but he gave a thumbs-up anyway. Doesn¡¯t even look that much like a bear¡­ But whatever. I could think of a thousand worse names.

    ¡°Right, Bear! Do you want to walk home with me?¡± The large woman kneeled, causing her Pok¨¦mon to look up.

    ¡°Ohhh..?¡± it sighed¡­ and continued to sigh, drawing the sound out further than even its admittedly large body should have found comfortable.

    ¡°Sounds good!¡± Puce chirped. ¡°My house is this way!¡± She took a few steps, then waited for the slowpoke to follow ¨C which it did, at a pace befitting its name. Hoshi shook his head in exasperation.

    You know, I can¡¯t help but feel they¡¯re made for each other, somehow¡­

    ¡°Yo,¡± Nerine barked, drawing his attention back. She gestured with her chin, and the two made their way to her apartment without any further words.

    <hr>

    Man, this place is kind of depressing¡­

    The girl¡¯s living space wasn¡¯t dirty, exactly, but it was obvious she wasn¡¯t really putting any effort in. No furniture beyond the bare essentials, no decorations, nothing.

    ¡°You wanted to talk?¡± Hoshi opened as the door closed.

    Nerine turned. ¡°Yeah.¡± She crossed her arms and gave him another stare, her eyes narrowed and searching in a way that made his spine curl.

    ¡°What?¡± he asked, straining to keep the red thread of anger winding through his head from bleeding into his voice. ¡°I got something on my face?¡±

    ¡°That,¡± she answered. ¡°What¡¯s with that¡­ fake cheer shit you¡¯ve been doing today?¡±

    His nostrils flared. ¡°Hey it¡¯s not- I¡¯m not faking it, okay?¡± I suppose it¡¯s good she noticed; that means I¡¯m not just putting in the effort for nothing. But what¡¯s with the attitude?

    The searching expression failed to fade, and Hoshi''s teeth clenched. What? Is cheer a bad thing, now?

    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to be less of an ass, okay? What, do you like it when I jump off the fucking handle?¡± He stepped forward, and immediately the girl took a step back. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this about?¡±

    Then he stepped backwards, the pulse of rage countered by the image in his head: him, fat and unhealthy and going nowhere as the years went by, oblivious as his subordinates all called him the Mankey when his back was turned.

    Nerine¡¯s expression finally broke, her nose wrinkling as her head lowered a fraction of a degree. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I can tell you¡¯re putting it on, you know? Puce can¡¯t, but she¡¯s¡­¡± For a moment she chewed her tongue. ¡°¡­As clumsy emotionally as she is physically. I think if you tried this with Kenny or Ryan ¨C or your girlfriend ¨C you¡¯d get some funny looks.¡±

    Hoshi took a moment to breathe, moving his eyes from the teenaged girl to different objects around the cramped apartment, trying to convince his brain to move out of fight-or-fight-more mode. ¡°¡­Are you saying you prefer how I¡¯ve been these last few weeks? A total hardass?¡±

    She chewed on her tongue some more, and Hoshi¡¯s eye was drawn to the slight discolouration of sleep powder under her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not saying I like it,¡± she eventually answered. ¡°But this is weirding me out. Does that make sense?¡±

    ¡°¡­I guess?¡± he said, exasperated. ¡°I just¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the guy I¡¯ve been, lately. That¡¯s fine when I¡¯m just¡­ some guy, one of the assholes getting drunk after work. But this is more important than that, I¡¯m finally doing something.¡± Another breath, the red waning and waxing in the corners of his vision. Go away. Just fucking go away, this isn¡¯t useful. I¡¯m talking to a fucking kid, I shouldn¡¯t even be thinking of a fight. ¡°Senior Grunt ¨C that means something. It¡¯s something that needs respect, from me before anyone else.¡± Even if I¡¯m a criminal, I¡¯ll fucking die before I lose my self-respect ¨C that¡¯s what separates a man from an animal.

    Nerine¡¯s eyes were narrowed again, though the texture of the expression, the little micro-details Hoshi was too emotional to parse out properly, were different.

    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m shit at this,¡± she said. ¡°This emotional shit. I appreciate the effort, but it¡¯s¡­ Like, you¡¯re still stressing me out, even if it isn¡¯t on purpose. Go say what you just did to Casca.¡± She gestured with her shoulders, and some of the awkwardness bled away. ¡°This went in a weird direction, but¡­ thanks for today, I should say. I¡¯ve gotta¡­ sleep. Try and get my shit together before I try and go at Surge.¡±

    Then the awkwardness returned with twice the force as they stared at each other for a moment. ¡°¡­Yeah, okay,¡± Hoshi eventually said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you when I see you ¨C good luck with the new Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    He began to turn, and she gave a half-hearted wave. ¡°Same to you.¡±

    <hr>

    Hoshi returned home for the second time that day ¨C third, actually ¨C to find his girlfriend wrapped up in blankets like an oversized metapod.

    ¡°Casca?¡± he said, pitching his voice gently; if she was actually asleep, he didn¡¯t want to wake her.

    A bleary noise came from inside the fawx-cocoon, followed by something a little more coherent. ¡°Hoshiii,¡± she whined. ¡°Safeguard suuucks.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help a small snort escaping at her tone. ¡°Safeguard?¡±

    ¡°For the powders,¡± she elaborated, sticking her head outside. Oh, wow, if she feels as shitty as she looks that really does suck. ¡°With so many all over the place, medicine wouldn¡¯t be enough¡­ Uuugh I wanna sleep so bad but it won¡¯t let me!¡±

    Hoshi sat on the bed, placing a comforting hand on his girl¡¯s covered body. ¡°You need to go to the hospital?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she replied, the word quicker and clearer than the others she¡¯d said. ¡°I¡¯m not sick, it¡¯s, what¡¯s the word¡­ psychosomatic?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s quite now that word is meant to be used, but I get what you mean.¡± The poisons are there, but they can¡¯t actually hurt her. Just make her uncomfortable. ¡°What happened? No, before that, have you eaten?¡±

    She grumbled. ¡°I could eat.¡±

    Hoshi nodded, and made his way to the kitchen area. ¡°Soup?¡±

    ¡°Soup,¡± she echoed, and he got to work. Half a minute passed, and as he was putting the water on the stove another long groan sounded out.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t even loooose¡­¡± Casca crooned. ¡°Why does that make it feel worse?¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it.¡±

    ¡°Uuuh¡­ I got to the academy pretty late, and my bitch of a team leader chewed me out¡­¡±

 Interlude - Secret Agent

    It was a beautiful autumn day, and Casca was coming to realise that she hadn¡¯t felt quite this shitty in a while.

    It was hard to walk in a straight line ¨C okay, that was an exaggeration. But it felt like it should¡¯ve been hard to walk in a line. What time did we even get home last night? Six? Seven? I¡¯m running on three hours of sleep, here¡­

    She flashed her card for the guard manning the gate ¨C probably unnecessary, since she¡¯d been coming here once a week since late spring ¨C and he waved her through. As always, walking through the over-wrought things brought a tiny spark of irritation drifting across the back of her skull.

    ¡­But today, unlike most days, she didn¡¯t have the effort to spare to stamp it out.

    Across the courtyard, through the entrance, and then she hung a left into the janitorial areas. The numerous hallways passed in something that wasn¡¯t quite a blur, her feet moving on instinct while her mind conserved energy.

    Ugh, knees. I thought it¡¯d be my ankles bothering me, but they stopped throbbing before we even left the cave¡­ Now it¡¯s all knees.

    Her finger tapped the ball at her belt. You¡¯d better make it up to me, you hear?

    The thought wasn¡¯t serious; as much as she¡¯d love to impress everyone with a strong new Pok¨¦mon today, it would be extremely stupid to release it anywhere other than a pre-prepared ground ¨C surrounded by trained Pok¨¦mon, who could jump in if it decided it didn¡¯t like following orders. Ugh, that¡¯s gonna be a pain¡­ Maybe I¡¯ll just trade it to Hoshi when he catches something.

    That thought, too, wasn¡¯t very serious. Her man had gotten really attached to ¡®his girls,¡¯ as he called them ¨C to the point it might be creepy if it wasn¡¯t so adorable, she thought with a smile ¨C and she doubted he¡¯d be different with any other Pok¨¦mon he caught.

    Up the stairs, around a bend, out into the main halls again, and ¨C and she was there. Politics 101 stood out in gold-coloured paint on the heavy wooden door, and beyond¡­ No, don¡¯t think about how late you are. Just do it.

    Casca straightened her back and twisted the knob, every effort she could muster concentrated on not looking like some piece of roadkill left to rot in a gutter. Heads turned as she walked into the room, and a speck of that effort was diverted to block a wince.

    Four other aspiring agents mingled in the classroom, their leader ¨C an actual Rocket Agent ¨C leaning against the teacher¡¯s desk. I was hoping June would be a bit later than me, but I guess she came on time¡­ or I¡¯m really late.

    ¡°Cascade,¡± Sierra said ¨C not greeted, the woman would never be caught doing something so friendly ¨C in cold tones. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for twenty minutes.¡± The where the fuck were you was left implied.

    With relief and embarrassment mixing together in her chest, Casca shut the door. Whew, only twenty¡­ that¡¯s not good, but it''s salvageable. She forced a smile as she replied, ¡°Sorry Ma¡¯am, late night ¨C I was helping my man explore a deep, dark hole ¨C if you know what I mean.¡±

    Cudgel snorted and Mimi giggled, so she counted that as a win. ¡°Oh?¡± the latter questioned, her voice girlish despite being half-again Casca¡¯s age. ¡°Did he find anything in there?¡±

    ¡°Just something with a long tongue,¡± Casca answered, setting off another round of giggles ¨C this time Rose and June joined in, and the trepidation she¡¯d felt since waking up mostly went away.

    Only mostly though, since the agent was still fixing her with an icy glare.

    Sierra Chispan was one of those classical Paldean beauties ¨C or maybe pre-classical, even. Every time Casca looked at her the first word that popped up in her head was mannish, but that word was usually used as an insult, and that didn¡¯t fit. Statuesque was better, but even that didn¡¯t have quite the right¡­ texture.

    With long legs and an athletic figure topped by a round face, Sierra was beautiful without being necessarily feminine. Her long brown hair, wrapped in a tiered bun and held in place by an oversized pin, did little to dampen the image of someone born in an earlier era. The only part of her that looked delicate were her carefully sculpted eyebrows.

    ¡°Cascade,¡± the woman repeated, her voice still icy. ¡°This is a serious matter. I¡¯ll overlook this once, but I expect better ¨C if you¡¯re late again, I¡¯ll be talking with the Senior Executives.¡±

    Inside, Casca smiled. Bitch, please. Like we¡¯ll even need to do this again, after today; I can see that shit peeking out from the boxes behind you. Outside, she turned her lips down in contrition. ¡°Sorry, Ma¡¯am. Hunting trip went long, you know how it is. Won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    ¡°Ooh,¡± Mimi interjected. ¡°Catch anything good?¡±

    ¡°A dugtrio. Another grunt found a lickitung, too.¡±

    Eyes widened. ¡°Oh, lucky!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°The blond hunk?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the worst Pok¨¦mon. Think they¡¯d be interested in selling?¡±

    Cudgel grunted from the corner, waiting until the murmur passed to speak. ¡°Shit Pok¨¦mon. Yours is pretty good, though.¡± The muscular woman tilted her chin. ¡°Would¡¯ve been useful to have an evolved ground type earlier. Too bad we¡¯re ending this today.¡±

    ¡°And on that note,¡± the irritated Sierra broke in, taking back control of the room. ¡°Now that we¡¯re all here, I¡¯ll reveal today¡¯s plan of action.¡±

    She turned and brought out the objects Casca had noticed ¨C a pile of folded-up uniforms, each one a uniform blue. ¡°Our plant has managed to get them into position; the bulk of Vermilion¡¯s Night Folk have fortified themselves in what they believe to be an out-of-use storage space. In actuality, they¡¯ve barricaded themselves into a Rocket safehouse ¨C one with an escape tunnel, which will be our ingress point.

    ¡°As such a large conflict would be difficult to hide from the authorities, we¡¯ll not even try. Today¡¯s mission will be undercover; the five of you will masquerade as a squad of Jenny, while I play the part of a supporting Pok¨¦mon Ranger. As such¡­¡± She turned and retrieved another prop, setting an armoured briefcase next to the police uniforms ¨C and as she opened it Casca¡¯s eyebrows rose.

    Sierra extracted a pistol; she didn¡¯t know the official name, but it was easily recognisable as the standard-issue Jenny firearm. Rose whistled, and Mimi¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    ¡°¡­We¡¯ve been generously gifted some special equipment to better sell the illusion. There are also functional facsimiles of the standard police badge, which I¡¯ll coach you on wearing, stun batons, personal radios, and handcuffs. You are to subdue the Night Folk in a manner consistent with your cover; avoid lethal wounds and cuff them together after you¡¯ve subdued their Pok¨¦mon. Rose, you will be in charge of interfacing with the genuine policia ¨C you will memorise the passcodes and phone in the ¡®arrests.¡¯¡±

    Rose nodded.

    ¡°Mimosa and Juniper, you will be on powder duty.¡±

    Two more nods. By now, they''d done a half-dozen of these raids together; the trivial details had been ironed out already. And yet, she goes through it every time.

    ¡°And finally Ivy, Cascade, and I shall provide the subduing force. Any questions?¡±

    Casca sank inside herself as Mimi asked something about their disguises, tuning things out as her eyes fixed to the pistol in Sierra¡¯s hand.

    You know¡­ I¡¯m not actually sure if I¡¯ve ever killed anyone before. It was possible that some of her early missions, those frantic days that were mostly a blur in her memories, had ended with someone in the morgue¡­ but if so, it had happened after she left. Hadn¡¯t been anywhere she could see.

    ¡°Cascade.¡± The agent¡¯s harsh bark penetrated into her skull ¨C not unlike a bullet.

    ¡°Hm?¡± she grunted. ¡°Sorry?¡±

    Sierra was too composed to bare her teeth, but the twist of her lips said she wanted to. ¡°Have you been keeping up with your marksman training, Grunt?¡±

    Oh, that. ¡°Yeah. Every third week, like clockwork.¡±

    ¡°It will have to do. Alright, suit up and help each other with the wigs ¨C I want this done in time to write up the reports tonight.¡±

    <hr>

    Sierra liked to think of herself as uncommonly competent.

    No, liked wasn¡¯t enough; she had to be uncommonly competent, because how else could she have gotten this far with such stunningly incompetent help?

    She suppressed a sigh as the girls assembled themselves into something almost, but not quite, resembling a gathering of professionals. Arcios mio¡­

    ¡°Cascade, help the others with their hair.¡± We¡¯ve reviewed the disguise module three times in these last few weeks, how are you all still so bad at it? ¡°Mimosa, the badge goes over your heart.¡±

    Despite asking for potential agents, the Seniors had given her a gaggle of schoolgirls ¨C oversized schoolgirls, in some cases, but distressingly literal in others.

    Namely, Cascade and Juniper. While it was beneath her to dig for such trivial details, she would eat her traje if either of them exceeded twenty years of age. And Mimosa was hardly better; despite being near Sierra¡¯s own age, the woman was easily the most juvenile of them.

    The second adult was hardly better; Ivy was a blunt instrument ¨C a fact she appeared to revel in, given her apodo. ¡®Cudgel,¡¯ indeed.

    Rose was the only one she was remotely considering recommending for promotion; she was an able trainer, level-headed, and knew when to cut the chit-chat. She reminded Sierra of herself at that age, when she¡¯d been approached by two strange foreigners and their powerful Pok¨¦mon¡­

    Ah, she thought, I shouldn¡¯t be thinking like an old woman so soon. That was a mere six years ago. It did feel so much longer, though. Vermilion was a busier place than Cortondo ¨C much like the Levincia City she¡¯d pined after as a teenager.

    But where she¡¯d failed in one ciudad del rayo, her career ending on inglorious defeat, this mirror city had raised her up. As much as her countrymen might spit and claw against the truth, Paldea was a bit part on the world stage, its Campeonas barely fit to be Elites in places like Unova or Kanto.

    Better to be a mafioso than a reject, she thought, allowing her lips to turn upwards at the corners as the Rocket Grunts finally lined up.

    No hair peeking through, make-up is reasonable, the badges and pistolas are worn properly enough¡­

    ¡°Acceptable,¡± she concluded. ¡°We shall make our way into the tunnels from the nearby sewers.¡± Three groans sounded out, which she resolutely ignored. ¡°Remember to maintain cover, and walk with purpose; you are law enforcement.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°You know, I expected it to smell worse.¡±

    Casca turned to Cudgel, her nose scrunching at the verbal reminder of the stink. ¡°Seriously? It smells exactly like I expected.¡± Like a fucking sewer.

    The woman ¨C who actually managed to fill out the uniform naturally, unlike the rest of them who needed finicky padding ¨C shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not much worse than an outhouse.¡±

    ¡°Your Pok¨¦mon disagrees!¡± Mimi called from behind.

    ¡°That¡¯s just now Snout looks, the ugly-¡±

    ¡°Arcios me ayude¡­¡± came a mutter from the front. ¡°Girls, we are about to see combat. Look alive.¡±

    Cudgel rolled her eyes, while Casca just barely resisted the same impulse. ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am.¡± We get it, you¡¯re a hardass Paldean gangster bitch. Ugh.

    Maybe I should have called in sick like Hoshi; I¡¯m actually feeling pretty not great. Which might just be the sewer, but either way she was just now realising that coming to a raid on so little sleep might do something to her ability to not get force-fed a round of Acid mixed with various powders. Blah¡­ Whatever, it¡¯s not like Candy will care how much sleep I¡¯ve had.

    ¡°That¡¯s right girl,¡± she half-whispered, patting the staryu on her top horn. ¡°You¡¯ve got this, right?¡± Her comment drew a round of whispers as the other girls reassured their own Pok¨¦mon, causing Sierra to send a backwards glare their way.

    They continued in silence until the Rocket Agent stopped at a minimalistic ¨C and mildly rusted ¨C ladder, just iron bands driven directly into the concrete wall. ¡°This is the one. Radios on and Safeguards up.¡±

    Mimi¡¯s vulpix and June¡¯s seel applied the protective move as the rest of them psyched up. Last push. After this, I can finally get some well-earned downtime. Take Hoshi somewhere nice, maybe. Casca stepped up to the ladder as a weight settled on her back, followed closely by Cudgel and her drowzee. Hah, you know it¡¯s kind of weird, her tired brain mused. I used to think Ivy was jacked, but Puce blows her out of the water without even trying. Less cute, too¡­This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Sierra ascended two rungs up, then signalled them with her hands. ¡®Up,¡¯ she signed. ¡®Two seconds,¡¯ ¡®two seconds,¡¯ ¡®keep going.¡¯

    She and her fellow muscle nodded ¨C and presumably the other two did as well, because the agent nodded and quickly scaled the rest of the ladder. A subtle creak from the trapdoor leading into the building, and Casca began to count.

    One, tw-

    ¡°On the ground!¡± their leader¡¯s voice came down from the opening. ¡°This is the police!¡±

    Two! Leaping up with her Pok¨¦mon clinging to her back, Casca ascended the ladder as fast as her limbs could move, adrenaline flooding her system with an energy she would probably pay for later.

    As her head crested the opening Candy fired, nailing something behind while she scrambled. She found her feet, drew her cool electrified baton, and clicked it on with a yell of her own. ¡°Get on your knees, scumbags!¡±

    Maybe someone could accuse her of having a little too much fun, but come on; she was in a Jenny costume, doing cool spy shit while a houndoom and Paldean-electric-bird-she-didn¡¯t-know-the-name-of wrecked a bunch of oddish and paras. A goon in the standard tacky Night Folk robes made a grab for her collar, and she hit him with the baton.

    A dull fizz, and the dude ¨C or dudette, the robes were completely shapeless ¨C dropped. Oh, I like this. ¡°Candy, watch my back.¡±

    An enthusiastic ¡°Huh!¡± sounded out from the weight on her back, and Casca started cuffing her first KO of the raid ¨C just in time for Cudgel to pop up, Snout the drowzee following just behind.

    ¡°Rah!¡± she roared. ¡°Surrender now, scum!¡±

    Hah, unoriginal! Get your own insults, slowpoke!

    Amid cries of ¡°It¡¯s the blues!¡± ¡°Is that a Ranger?!¡± and ¡°Oh Arcus it¡¯s on fucking fire!¡± the other three Jenny-ized grunts emerged, and things went well ¨C at least until the Night Folk got over their surprise.

    Then things got messy.

    ¡°Candy, Rapid Spin!¡±

    Her staryu ricocheted between three oddish, knocking two out and putting a third on its back ¨C but before she could reorient on the gloom behind them, the nasty-smelling thing opened its mouth and sucked. Greenish streams emerged from Casca¡¯s Pok¨¦mon, and the Gloom slurped them down like microwave ramen.

    Candy used Rapid Spin again, but it was ineffectual; the Giga Drain had sapped enough vitality that she just bounced off its plum-coloured face. ¡°Damn it!¡± Casca exclaimed. ¡°Candy, return!¡±

    Her staryu vanished back into her ball, and the Night Folk leader ¨C they had some corny name for themselves like grand vizier or something, but she couldn¡¯t give less of a shit at the moment ¨C started to gloat.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, girl?¡± came a male voice, lightly distorted from the fearow mask he wore to filter out the toxic fumes his group¡¯s business produced. ¡°Your pig friends too distracted to help you?¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong; at some point in the melee she¡¯d gotten pressed into the corner. ¡°Sal, Toxic!¡±

    She pressed her lips together as a shower of foul liquid sprayed across her face. Oh Arc that¡¯s so bad, I¡¯m gonna-!

    While the Safeguard kept the horribly well-named move from not-so-slowly killing her, it did nothing for the smell or lumpy texture. Casca went to her knees, spewing half-digested hamburger across the already-stained warehouse floor.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, suffer for- wait, you aren¡¯t melt- ohshitSaluseSleep-!¡±

    Her pistol barked three times, more muted than she remembered from her last round at the range, and the gloom screeched and spun as it clutched its face. ¡°Toxic is a lethal move, asshole. Eat just cause.¡±

    She shot the man in the leg and he went down howling. And fuck you too, she though, putting another one in the gloom¡¯s read end. ¡°MIMI! Get over here and torch this thing!¡±

    Three things happened in the next ten seconds; her old street sister came by to help her out, Casca got Candy back on her feet with a Super Potion, and at the same time she had a little mini-freakout in her head.

    Oh Arcus that would¡¯ve killed me without the Safeguard oh fuck oh fuck the other ones weren¡¯t like this!

    It¡¯s probably because we backed them into a corner, an unhelpfully lucid thought broke in. Or maybe because Sierra is setting them on fire with her big scary demon dog. Or that one guy was just a dick.

    A hand on her shoulder almost made her twitch hard enough to shoot herself in the foot, and with a jittery motion she slapped the safety back on. ¡°You okay?¡± Mimi spoke-shouted over the din.

    Casca raised her head, and saw that on the other side of the warehouse Cudgel was breaking a man¡¯s legs with her baton. Her head raised further, to watch flames play over a pile of what used to be drugs. Then she looked up to meet her friend¡¯s eyes.

    Mimi extended her hand, Casca took it, and they combined their strength to pull the curvy woman to her feet. ¡°Just another day on the job,¡± she croaked.

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Mimi said, leaning in a beat later to speak in a whisper. ¡°Also, my name¡¯s Janet today. I mean who gives a shit but opsec, y¡¯know?¡± She pulled away, revealing the playful smile on her lips. ¡°Also, you smell worse than the sewer. Also, ¡®just cause¡¯ is like, only a thing in movies.¡±

    Casca snorted, and very nearly vomited a second time as Toxic-juice got up her nose. ¡°¡­Like a blue would care about that,¡± she managed, and Mimi giggled.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good! Anyway, let¡¯s clean up.¡±

    She cuffed the ¡®criminal¡¯ as Casca sprayed Candy down a second time, exhausting the canister. The staryu shuddered as she stood, limbs limp and drooping.

    ¡°Still feeling it, huh?¡± she comforted, and Candy¡¯s gem pulsed once in what she was pretty sure was assent. ¡°Almost done, and then you can rest.¡± She spread her arms wide, breathing in air heavy with Sleep, Stun, and Poison Powder ¨C and all the shit the Night Folk had been making, too. ¡°Let''s get this gunk off me; give me a low-power Water Gun.¡±

    <hr>

    The fight took less than ten minutes, and while there were a few close calls Casca was pretty sure nobody would be filling a body bag by day¡¯s end.

    Even if some deserve it ¨C fucking psychos. What, did you think the cops don¡¯t shoot people? We didn¡¯t even hide the guns, you fucking knew we had them!

    She shook her head and sent the thought away with a yawn. Ugh, I¡¯m coming down from my adrenaline high¡­ ¡°Sorry, could you repeat that? Lotta Sleep Powder flying around in there.¡±

    The officer ¨C a real one, unless things were a lot more wacky than she thought ¨C nodded, making her beautiful blue curls bounce. ¡°Yeah, I bet there was. Let me start from the top: name and badge number.¡±

    Come on, brain- ¡°Yelsa Kigumi, oh-one-nine, vee-see-bee.¡±

    The Jenny nodded. ¡°Reason for discharge of a weapon?¡±

    ¡°The gang fuck started throwing around Toxic.¡±

    Her nose wrinkled, but the distaste was directed at the masked man having his leg bandaged next to the fleet of ambulances, not Casca ¨C or rather, ¡®Yelsa.¡¯ ¡°Nasty. I¡¯ll copy that for ¡®unauthorised lethal force against a Pok¨¦mon.¡¯ Last one; any confiscated contraband?¡±

    Casca shook her head. ¡°Nope, the ranger set all that shit on fire. Shame too, this looked like their last holdout in the city. Crazy bi- uh, ranger probably got the money, too.¡± She hadn¡¯t, but the fire was as good an excuse to explain the lack of cash as any.

    Another nod, paired with a grimace. ¡°Yeah, those types are always half-wild.¡± Whether she was talking about dark types, the rangers, or both wasn¡¯t clarified. ¡°That¡¯s everything, you get yourself back to the station for a long shower.¡± Casca received a light knock on the shoulder, and then the Jenny turned and walked back to her squad car.

    Thank you, Professor Hypno. I can almost forgive the hyper-creep vibe. With real badge numbers and the names to match, it would be hours before anybody noticed a quintet of officers had been in two places at once ¨C if they ever did.

    Across the parking lot exclamations rang out as Lilum Ghostwhite, Pok¨¦mon Ranger flew away, her foreign bird carrying her despite its mere ten-foot wingspan. One of the interviewers shook a fist, while the other shook her head.

    ¡®Don¡¯t bother,¡¯ Casca read off the woman¡¯s lips. ¡®The Rangers never get written up ¨C as long as they keep the routes clear, the League doesn¡¯t care. Let¡¯s get these powdermerchants packed away, and¡­¡¯ She turned, and the rest of the conversation was lost.

    <hr>

    Twenty minutes later, they were back in a sewer ¨C though this one, at least, was currently blocked off from the rest due to flooding damage.

    ¡°Finally,¡± June sighed as she pulled her wig off, letting her shoulder-length, dull purple hair free. ¡°That form stuff took longer than the fight did. This where we ditch the pig skins?¡±

    Rose shook her head, but she did so with a faint smile. ¡°Sorry, but we have to dump those in the active sewers. No guarantee the muk will get it before someone sees, if we leave ¡®em over here.¡±

    June groaned, and Casca was¡­ not quite there, for a minute.

    A sharp sound drew her back as Cudgel snapped her fingers a few more times right in her face. ¡°Orange, you there? Wake the fuck up.¡±

    Casca waved her off. ¡°I¡¯m awake! Just¡­ starting to feel it. Never shot someone before.¡±

    The tall and broad woman snorted, and Casca belatedly realised that she was the only one who hadn¡¯t stripped. She hurriedly moved to catch up, unbuttoning the uniform as Rose pulled a plastic garbage bag out of the loose, rain-damaged brickwork. From the bag came a cylindrical container and five bundles of identical clothing.

    As Casca peeled the adhesive wig off ¨C taking some of her real hair with it as she rushed ¨C Sierra¡¯s unofficial second-in-command sprayed herself down with something that smelled harsh and chemical. It wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as even the diluted sewer stink, but it had a note of¡­ artificiality that was incredibly unpleasant.

    Scent blocker, don¡¯t remember the actual name ¨C damnit, how do the blues put up with all these buttons and straps? She finally pulled off her underwear just in time for the fourth of her peers to hand over the spray.

    ¡°Don¡¯t swallow any,¡± June said, and Casca gave her a ¡®do you think I¡¯m an idiot?¡¯ look ¨C to which the Vermilion native replied by gesturing with her head, to where Mimi was puking up even more of her guts than Casca had earlier.

    ¡°¡­Noted,¡± she said, and got to work. As the spray covered her skin with a brief tingle the smell of the sewer, the lingering Toxic, and the burning drugs washed away. Twenty seconds later, as she pulled on a plain jogging outfit, the chemical scent had turned into something almost completely unnoticeable.

    Done¡­ almost. She took deep breaths as the five of them made their way back into the functional sewers, once again spacing out as they dumped their disguises, the guns, and everything else.

    ¡°Shame,¡± Rose commented as the bundles disappeared into the gloop, wads of living slime already sliding up from the bottom to investigate the disturbance. ¡°Those were some good pistols. Can¡¯t get pieces like those retail.¡±

    ¡°I liked the stick better,¡± Cudgel followed. ¡°What about those?¡±

    ¡°How should I know?¡±

    ¡°I kind of liked the hair,¡± Mimi broke in as the muck started to froth, blue dye escaping the fabric as it dissolved. Normally muk don¡¯t eat live meat, Casca thought morbidly, but these ones have been breaking down organic material for generations ¨C if one of us fell in, would there be anything left the next day? ¡°Nice shade of blue. Interesting to be a part of the clone army for just one day.¡±

    June snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t spread weird rumours. If they were actual clones it wouldn¡¯t be so obvious; it¡¯s just an identity thing.¡±

    The back-and-forth banter continued until they reached what should be a back alley manhole ¨C and what was, actually, that very thing. The trip back to the academy was trivial, and Casca sort of half-slept through the whole thing, not really paying attention.

    ¡°Damn, girl,¡± Mimi commented as they dressed back up in their real clothes, still sitting where they¡¯d left them in Politics 101. ¡°You¡¯re acting half-dead. Need a re-up on the Safeguard?¡±

    Casca groaned, and June tapped her chin. ¡°The Safeguard might be the problem, actually. Casca, you feel like you might pass out?¡±

    ¡°Yeaaah? Suuucks¡­¡± Casca slumped for a moment before valiantly pulling her other sock on.

    June nodded. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s it. You¡¯re exhausted, and Safeguard is seeing that as an imposition on your body¡¯s aura from something outside.¡±

    ¡°Hey, who¡¯s talking about conspiracies now?¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not a conspiracy. I used to date a guy from the basement, and he would go on and on about auras and math and shit.¡±

    ¡°The basement or the basement basement? ¡®Cause one of those is a lot more respectable¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, I think I remember him! What was his name¡­ Bimmy? Jimmy?¡±

    ¡°James, Mimi. Honestly, you have such a bad head for names. I don¡¯t even know why you want to be an agent¡­¡±

    The words washed over her as she dressed and fixed her hair, too low on brainpower to discern one voice from the next. Then Sierra finally came back, took one look at her, and sent her off.

    ¡°Go home,¡± she said, something that might be pity peeking through the sculpture of her pale face. ¡°Usually we would remove the Safeguard forcefully, but that would be inadvisable with all the narcotics you¡¯ve inhaled.¡± Oh, great. ¡°You will still be able to sleep, but the conditions must be natural.¡± She leaned forward, grey eyes steady with authority, and repeated herself. ¡°Go home.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Rose assured. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure Mimi doesn¡¯t take your pay and ¡®forget¡¯ to give it to you.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± the woman in question yelled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that! It was an honest mistake!¡±

    That managed to draw a chuckle from Casca¡¯s throat despite the state of her body. You absolutely would. Streets turned you into a shark, girl.

    <hr>

    ¡°¡­And then I came home,¡± Casca concluded. ¡°Wrapped up and tried to sleep until you got home.¡±

    Hoshi drew his fingers through her hair. ¡°Sounds like a bad day.¡±

    ¡°Not all bad,¡± she allowed. ¡°The pay will be good. The instructors hand out bonuses for action like you wouldn¡¯t believe.¡±

    He hummed. ¡°That is good. Finished eating?¡±

    Casca looked down at the dregs of soup left in her bowl. ¡°I¡¯ll finish it in a sec. Actually¡­ could you run me a bath?¡±

    Her man nodded, then planted a soft kiss on her forehead before leaving the bed. As the sound of running water reached her ears, she looked down at her soup and¡­ brooded.

    Because she¡¯d glossed over a little part, right near the end ¨C between her getting home and him doing the same. She had mostly tried to sleep, but also¡­

    She¡¯d replayed that moment over and over, where she¡¯d shot the gloom and its trainer. Not just because she¡¯d shot a man ¨C though she was sure there¡¯d be a few nightmares in her future about that ¨C but because it was so easy to reverse the roles.

    If the Jennys ever manage to catch on¡­ If they raid the academy, the way we raided the Night Folk¡­

    She wasn¡¯t afraid of getting shot, except in the most abstract sense. No, if it ever came close to that she¡¯d flop down and surrender immediately. But¡­

    But Hoshi wouldn¡¯t. The thought made her feel bad in an entirely different way from whatever it was the Safeguard was doing to her aura or whatever the fuck. Like some muscle deep in the middle of her body was clenching, trying to squeeze itself to death in her core.

    She could hear the tone of the splashing change as Hoshi¡¯s tiny-ass apartment tub gradually filled. It wasn¡¯t- I didn¡¯t expect it to be like this. To last this long or be this¡­ strong. She finished the soup, choking it down despite not really being hungry. She¡¯d only felt this emotion once before, and¡­ that was the worst day of her life. Is this what love is? It hurts¡­

    It really did. Hoshi came back and he helped her out of bed, and they had a half-sexy half-exhausted session of bathing. She felt better as she crawled back into bed, nude and slightly damp.

    ¡°Thanks, babe. I feel like a princess¡­¡± A sleepy princess. Hopefully I¡¯m ¡®naturally¡¯ tired enough to nod off, now¡­

    Hoshi smiled, and planted another kiss on her forehead. ¡°You are a princess, sunshine.¡±

    She whined. ¡°Hoshi, that was terrible. That¡¯s like, a grandma-level thing to say.¡±

    One last kiss, this time on the lips. ¡°Made you smile, though.¡±

    As the sun set through the drawn blinds, Casca felt her man¡¯s breathing even out beside her.

    ¡­He really is my man now, isn¡¯t he? And as much as the thought made the thing inside her twist and writhe, that meant she was his woman. It was meant to be¡­ easy. Easy come, easy go, no big attachments. Fun. I¡¯m not having fun, right now.

    And yet, the thought of it stopping made her want to die. Fuck. Casca Kichi is meant to be a bad bitch super-spy¡­ She¡¯s not meant to fall in love¡­

    Eventually whatever arcane mysticism the move was judging her by allowed her to sleep, and Casca drifted down into a deep darkness. If there were dreams in that darkness, they didn¡¯t survive the morning light.

 4.04 - The Power Thats Inside

    Just another day on the job.

    Honestly, it was kind of surreal. The first few days after his Gym Challenge had been just as normal, and they had felt that way ¨C spelunking excluded, obviously. But today, it felt like something should be different.

    I guess I just hadn¡¯t processed it. I¡¯ve got a badge ¨C in the system at least, if not physically. That puts me in the top fifty percent by default. Or maybe it''s that shitty camera footage from this morning¡­ And still, here he was, doing the same old job. Or at least mostly the same; he could legally order the machop around now, which was¡­

    Not particularly interesting. It¡¯s not the same as battling. There¡¯s no rush, no spark to just having them carry shit around. The thought made him smile to himself. Damn, I¡¯m turning into an adrenaline junkie. A brief, smeared-together snippet of the pinnacle flashed in his head, the thing he''d seen as he''d eaten breakfast mixing with various tournaments he''d caught over the years. I wonder¡­ how far could I take it? A fake license won¡¯t let me into the Nationals, but how many gyms could I take down? At a second badge level, one fighting type would probably be enough to see me through Pewter¡­ then swing up to Cerulean for the third¡­

    How far could I get from the top? There was a part of him that wouldn¡¯t stop asking it, the question running around the edges of his brain as one hour bled into the next

    He knew it was childish, but he couldn¡¯t help but trace the map of Kanto¡¯s eight Pok¨¦mon Gyms out in his mind. Completely ridiculous. What¡¯s even the point, thinking about something so impossible¡­ Even if I was a real trainer, it would be a pipe dream. The Champion Series, that grand event where those who¡¯d conquered eight Gyms and won eight badges faced the Elite Four, saw maybe a handful of challengers a year. It¡¯s arrogant, picturing myself up there with¡­ those people.

    The day went on. By some quirk of fate they were repairing the exact bit of semi-collapsed sewer that Casca¡¯d mentioned the other day, and Hoshi kept his eyes peeled for signs of her and her peers¡¯ passing. He didn¡¯t see any, but it made the work at least slightly interesting.

    Also making it interesting was the Ditto ¨C or at least the way Hoshi was watching the man. Like everything else he was acting perfectly normal; it was the context that flipped everything around.

    I hate the guy. But¡­ do I really? I definitely don¡¯t respect him, that¡¯s for sure¡­

    But maybe I¡¯ve been thinking about it wrong. If Everheart was less of an ass, would I respect him more? His gut instinct gave a begrudging answer: no, probably not. His old manager at TauroBurger had been more soft-spoken, and Hoshi had resented the orders even more. Okay, but I was younger and stupider back then¡­ Ugh. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m aiming for, short-term. I still want to do this leader thing right, but what the fuck does that look like for me?

    Do I even know what it looks like for someone else?

    <hr>

    Despite the hard day¡¯s labour, Hoshi came home feeling pretty good. It was probably just the contrast with yesterday¡¯s exhaustion ¨C but whatever the reason, it still put a spring in his step. ¡°Casca?¡± he lightly called as he closed the door. ¡°You still in bed?¡±

    ¡°Bathroom,¡± came the muffled reply, and he grunted back before flopping down on the couch.

    The TV flicked on and Hoshi paid attention for about three seconds before tuning out. More speculation about the Moltres. I was hoping-

    Then it started to play, and his attention was forcefully dragged back. Damn, they¡¯re really milking this thing¡­

    Someone ¨C probably a Cinnabar native ¨C had managed to catch a dark, grainy, blurry, and shaky glimpse of the moment the typhoon had broken with their tricked-out Pok¨¦gear, and it had been functionally looping on every single news channel when he¡¯d woken up that morning. Hoshi watched the screen intently, unable to tear his eyes away despite having seen it several dozen times now.

    A great plume of fire emerged from the dense clouds, painting the bottoms of them bright red and frying the camera¡¯s brightness sensor. Another, and another, each growing in size ¨C and then the sky cleared as a massive shockwave bowled over the anonymous cameraman. Shaky blurs as they frantically pointed the camera back to the action ¨C it was impossible to make out any detail of where they were standing, their identity completely obscured by how far the thing was zoomed in. But finally, after a second¡¯s worth of eternity, the camera focused just in time to see a woman mounted on a dragonite next to a massive, flying gyarados ¨C and they were tag-teaming a third Pok¨¦mon. Something that Hoshi¡¯s eyes could see was much smaller than the false dragon, but that some other, more primal part was interpreting as the size of the entire sky.

    Even through the unfocused lens of a ¡®gear camera, the Firebird looked like a force of nature.

    The spell ended as the program cut back to their anchors, and Hoshi flicked the television off with a sigh. I get why they¡¯re showing it so much ¨C nobody¡¯s gonna change the channel with that mid-action ¨C but they¡¯ve exhausted every possible thing to say about it. Might as well literally run it on a loop at this point, and have some real news in the corner.

    Hoshi just sat for a moment, zoning out and playing that shittily-filmed ten seconds over and over in his mind¡¯s eye. That was Clair. It had to be¡­ So why hasn''t the League started parading it around? ¡®Indigo Champion singlehandedly saves the region¡¯ is too good a headline to pass up, so who¡¯s stopping them? It was possible that the Dragon Empress herself was suppressing the story ¨C she hated interacting with the media ¨C but something about that felt off.

    Maybe they¡¯re waiting to see if it comes back for a rematch, hah.

    The internal laugh wasn¡¯t even slightly humorous.

    He turned the TV back on and flipped it to some kid¡¯s cartoon for a little background noise, then got to work cleaning his cooler out. Empty plastic wrap in the garbage, slowly melting ice ¨C not concealing any stolen electronics today ¨C in the freezer to re-solidity overnight, and cans in the recycling bin. As he scrubbed the inside, a presence sidled up behind his back.

    ¡°So, how¡¯s work?¡± Casca asked, her lips brushing against his cheek.

    ¡°It was work,¡± Hoshi replied. ¡°Same as it always is. You hear the news?¡±

    He could feel her eye-roll. ¡°How could I not? They¡¯ve got it on every channel.¡± She stepped to the side, joining him at the kitchen sink. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it was actually the Moltres. It just feels so, like, cliche, you know?¡±

    He let loose a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m gonna give Danny such a shit-eating grin next time I see him. No way Cinnabar could do that, for two months straight. We¡¯d have all smelt the soot, rain or no rain, from Pallet to Cerulean.¡±

    She hummed back, and for a moment they simply enjoyed each other¡¯s company. Then he finished scrubbing down the inside of the cooler, and dried his hands.

    ¡°Still feeling shitty from the other day?¡± You were in there kind of a while¡­

    ¡°Bleh,¡± Casca replied. ¡°A little? I¡¯m like, ninety percent sure I¡¯m over it, but it¡¯s hard to tell ¨C better to not risk it, so I¡¯ll wait ¡®till Saturday to go in.¡±

    Hoshi grunted back. ¡°Fair enough. I was gonna go talk to Kenny about that lickitung, but if you want company..?¡±

    She smiled. ¡°Actually, some fresh air would do me good; mind if I tag along? His old nana is adorable.¡±

    <hr>

    They managed to dodge any trouble on the short trip north to Kenny¡¯s apartment, but something notable did happen: Hoshi felt an actual chill blow across his face, the cold of the bay finally overpowering the lingering heat of a legendary Pok¨¦mon.

    Huh, that¡¯s way more reassuring than I¡¯d have thought. I guess things are officially back to normal.

    The thought put a smile on his face the rest of the way ¨C though as they got within spitting distance the expression began to twist into incredulity. Is that..?

    ¡°Oh my shit,¡± Casca whispered. ¡°Is that a hoverbike?¡±

    It absolutely was. Hoshi was neither a biker nor a tech junkie, but the thing was unmistakable; nothing else had that absurdly front-heavy silhouette, a massive engine block taking up a good 70% of the vehicle¡¯s mass. A man¡¯s legs stuck out from under the carriage, and as they approached the rest of Kenny¡¯s oil-spattered body emerged.

    ¡°Yo,¡± he greeted, his eyes gleaming. ¡°Hey Boss, was expecting you¡¯d come around. What d¡¯ya think?¡±

    Hoshi stepped up the concrete steps separating the house¡¯s yard from the city¡¯s sidewalk, his expression shifting between different emotions. His house doesn¡¯t have a fucking garage, he¡¯s got it on a jack on his porch. No way that doesn¡¯t stain the wood.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Nice to look at,¡± were the words he eventually settled on. ¡°Expensively nice. This was your whole payday from the job, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Kenny nodded and stood, still looking pleased. ¡°Almost the whole thing, yeah. Eight grand; got it second hand. Great fuckin¡¯ price.¡±

    Hoshi was torn. On one hand, it was a hoverbike; it was objectively fucking cool, and there wasn¡¯t a single part of him that could dispute that fact. And on the other, it was a hoverbike; a ridiculously overpriced piece of gaudy machinery that was, in ninety-nine out of a hundred situations, broadly inferior to a normal vehicle.

    Okay yeah, the ten-year-old in him reiterated, but it¡¯s a fucking hoverbike. Holy shit, that¡¯s fucking cool.

    Casca grinned, placing a hand on Hoshi¡¯s upper arm. ¡°Only eight? That¡¯s a steal!¡± But then the smile dimmed as she became pensive. ¡°Won¡¯t it get stolen, though? Like this is a good neighbourhood, but¡­¡±

    Kenny waved her off. ¡°Bubbles likes to dig in the sand out back, so I got the idea to make a little hidey-hole under the house. ¡®S like a basement, put a light in and everything.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s brows raised. That is exceptionally illegal, and there¡¯s no way you bothered to check where the water, gas, and power lines were before mucking about. The construction worker in me is appalled ¨C but I can¡¯t say there isn¡¯t a clever bit of lateral thinking mixed in with the near-suicidal stupidity. ¡°Your sandshrew¡¯s doing good, then? What about the other one?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Kenny¡¯s face lost a touch of its enthusiasm. ¡°Hm. That guy¡¯s¡­¡± He licked his lips, then spat as he accidentally caught a stray fleck of motor oil. ¡°Pah! Gah¡­ Well, I guess I kinda see why Blondie didn¡¯t wanna catch ¡®im. When I asked Nana what kinda Pok¨¦mon he was she cussed ¡®im out, said he was no good ¨C oh, but he knows a strong move, though!¡±

    Hoshi grunted. ¡°Yeah? That¡¯s good. Actually, I wanted to talk to you more about that; something about the name lickitung was really bothering me that night, and-¡±

    He was interrupted by a call from inside the house. ¡°Menard!¡± the muffled voice of the grunt¡¯s grandmother sounded out, powering through the solid wooden wall. ¡°Mister Bubbles is scratching up my floors again! Get him outta here!¡±

    ¡°Whoops, uh..!¡± For a moment Kenny looked frantically between his bike and the front door, choice paralysis evident in every motion.

    Hoshi snorted. ¡°We can watch your bike for a second.¡±

    Without another word the bald man dashed inside, leaving Hoshi and his girlfriend standing alone on his porch. They looked at each other ¨C and after a second Hoshi broke first, giggling.

    ¡°Hah! The look on his face!¡±

    ¡°I know, right?¡± Casca circled the machine, leaning down to tap the gauges on its dashboard. ¡°Wow, this thing looks complicated. How would you even drive something like this?¡±

    Hoshi followed her, inspecting the controls. Part of it looked like a normal motorbike; the handles were the same, with throttles on either side, and the seat was shaped pretty much identically¡­ But the rest of it was like something he¡¯d imagine in the cockpit of a modern fighter jet.

    There were a half-dozen knobs and an equal number of levers, three large and three small. Worse, the controls were labeled in the Galarian alphabet ¨C I guess that makes sense, they only really make these things in Orre ¨C so he could only barely understand them.

    ¡°I think this one¡¯s ¡®altitude,¡¯ but I¡¯m not sure.¡± No wheels at all, not like most of the ones I¡¯ve seen in movies and shows¡­ I wonder, is it rated to go over water? He straightened up, making a circle around the hoverbike as he spoke. ¡°You know, when I first saw Kenny I thought he looked like a biker, but this still feels kind of weird.¡±

    ¡°What feels weird?¡± Casca asked, still staring at the controls.

    ¡°Like¡­ I¡¯m not sure how to word it. We¡¯ve hung out a bit while training our Pok¨¦mon, and he¡¯s always wrestling wrestling wrestling, you know? It feels weird to find out he¡¯s got a second hobby he never talked about.¡±

    His girlfriend hummed. ¡°Huh, didn¡¯t know you were friends.¡±

    Are we? ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far¡­ But I¡¯m trying to take this team leader thing seriously, you know? These fuckers are all slackers, so I¡¯ve gotta step up.¡± He turned, drawing his eye across the Kaneth family¡¯s porch. There were a few herbs in pots along the railing, and an old swinging bench on the far side. ¡°I¡¯d like to say I know the other grunts a little, even Ryan, but now I¡¯m having second thoughts." Is it the granny who keeps the plants, or Kenny? I can¡¯t even answer such a simple question.

    Casca rose, passing him to seat herself on the white-painted bench. ¡°This isn¡¯t really about Kenny and the bike, is it?¡±

    Hah. Completely impossible to keep anything from this girl, I swear¡­ He followed her lead again, sitting on the gently rocking piece of furniture. ¡°It¡­ is and it isn¡¯t.¡±

    She knocked shoulders, silently inviting him to continue, and he took a breath.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to do something different the last few days, and I¡¯m not sure if it''s working or not. There was a bit in the cave, where I realised that the way I¡¯ve been acting¡­ riding everyone¡¯s ass, yelling if they don¡¯t train¡­ I started to remind myself of my boss, and that wasn¡¯t a good feeling.¡±

    He glanced at his girlfriend, and found her squinting off into space. ¡°You know,¡± she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it at the time, but you were kind of acting differently in the cave? You were pissed when you left, but when you got back¡­ Yeah, I¡¯m definitely noticing in hindsight.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± A wan smile moved his lips. ¡°But yesterday, after the trip with Nerine and Puce, Nerine stopped me to tell me off. Said the cheerful act was creeping her out.¡±

    Casca laughed softly. ¡°Really? And what¡¯d you say back?¡±

    ¡°¡­Honestly? I don¡¯t really remember. I kind of freaked out at her¡­¡± Then it was his turn to laugh, the sound barely above a whisper. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m pretty sure she told me to talk to you about it. But then I got home and learned you almost died, and¡­¡±

    Casca leaned on him, her weight comforting. ¡°Hey, c¡¯mon. I came home without a scratch on me.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°Yeah.¡± The view from the porch wasn¡¯t bad; all the houses in this section of the city were old, from when Vermilion was little more than a fishing village. Each one was unique, built by a different family, and so long as he didn¡¯t turn his head too far he could almost transport himself back into that simpler past.

    ¡­But simple doesn¡¯t necessarily mean better, does it?

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he repeated. ¡°So I¡¯m not sure what to do. Do I go back to what¡¯s natural? Or do I keep trying to¡­ be a bit friendlier? I gave Puce a little compliment and she beamed; I wouldn¡¯t have thought to do that without putting effort into it.¡±

    Casca tapped his thigh with her finger. ¡°Man¡­ That¡¯s a tough question, Hoshi.¡± He opened his mouth to reply, but she kept talking. ¡°It¡¯s a little like being undercover, though, isn¡¯t it? You want your mask to be as close to your face as possible ¨C ¡®cause if it isn¡¯t people can tell it¡¯s a mask. So the only answer I can give is¡­¡± Her hand left his thigh to give him a weak punch to the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve just got to work at it. Tone it down a little bit, but¡­ keep it in the back of your head?¡±

    Then she stood, stretching. ¡°And it¡¯s not like you need to be too friendly; you¡¯re their boss, you know? Some things are meant to suck, and some people need a little kick to get going ¨C oh, like a motorcycle!¡±

    She turned back to beam at him, and he snorted. ¡°Come on, that was a stretch.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not wrong though, right?¡± Her smile turned a touch more serious as her voice lowered. ¡°If you¡¯d been less of a hardass in training, I probably would¡¯ve slacked off a bit more. I don¡¯t find it fun the way you do¡­ and that means I might not have come back without a scratch, last night.¡±

    She leaned down, and Hoshi met her kiss with his own. They parted a moment later, and the smile was back to its full intensity. ¡°So you¡¯ll just have to do both things. Be a softer hardass.¡±

    He snorted again. ¡°That¡¯s an oxymoron¡­¡± Then his eyes sharpened. And¡­ ¡°And it¡¯s been way longer than it should be since Kenny left. What the fuck is he doing?¡±

    Hoshi stood, and took two steps to rap on the door. ¡°Yo, Kenny! You forget we¡¯re out here?¡±

    A muffled shout from inside made his eyes sharpen even further, and he opened the door. The house¡¯s foyer was empty except for a scattering of shoes. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with the yelling? Kenny, are you-¡±

    He cut himself off as his subordinate appeared from around the doorframe, his face a curious combination of pale and red. ¡°Oh, hey Boss. Sorry, give me a minute to-¡±

    Kenny was in turn cut off by something ¨C a straw broom, Hoshi realised ¨C smacking him on the back of the head. ¡°Out!¡± shouted his nana from behind him, nearly entirely hidden by the wall and her grandson¡¯s bulk. ¡°Out of my house this minute! You¡¯d better hope my husband doesn¡¯t get home soon, or you¡¯re in for a walloping!¡±

    The broom made a sharp sound as its straws cut the air, but it was obvious she couldn¡¯t swing with enough strength to actually hurt the man. Kenny¡¯s face twisted, his head jerking erratically between looking at Hoshi and turning to face his grandmother.

    But unlike before, Hoshi had nothing to say to dispel the man¡¯s paralysis ¨C he was equally frozen. What the fuck is- what do I even say?

    The situation was obvious, but a solution refused to present itself. Kenny remained fixed in place for a lingering second, before he appeared to resolve himself. ¡°Sorry ma¡¯am,¡± he said, not looking backwards. ¡°Just looking for Huck. Didn¡¯t mean to scare ya.¡±

    ¡°My son¡¯s off on the warpath, along with all the decent men! As you well know! Out!¡±

    He stepped forward, and Hoshi made way as Kenny exited back onto the porch. ¡°And stay out!¡± his nana cried, finally visible for a split second as she slammed the door shut.

    A few minutes later, Hoshi found himself straining to keep his end of the load steady as he and Kenny finished manhandling the hoverbike into the back yard. He let it slip down to the sandy grass in time with his subordinate, the heavily muscled man setting it down with surprising gentleness. Kenny took a moment to catch his breath, wiped his brow with the back of his hand, and then spoke.

    ¡°There we go. Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Do I ask? Hoshi¡¯s eyes found Casca¡¯s own, but all she did was give a subtle shrug. Yeah, same. ¡°So¡­ about what I was talking about earlier.¡±

    The grunt¡¯s face scrunched in a half-scowl, but Hoshi was pretty sure it was just the situation and not actually directed his way. ¡°Right.¡± Kenny reached down to brush some imagined dust from the bike, chewing on his words. ¡°Something about the lickitung, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Saying that word a lot. Kinda awkward¡­ ¡°I was sure I''d heard something about it winning a tournament somewhere before, but when I looked into it, it turned out I was wrong ¨C it wasn¡¯t lickitung, it was lickilicky, its evolution.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Kenny grunted, his expression evening out. ¡°Didn¡¯t know it had one¡¯a those. It¡¯s pretty strong, then?¡±

    Hoshi shrugged. ¡°No idea; I couldn¡¯t find any actual shit on the evolution, other than that there was one. On the Captivation and Rearing of the Yfel Monstre says that it only evolves if you ¡®feed to it a young child only just weaned from they mother¡¯s tit,¡¯ but I think we can rule that one out.¡±

    The exaggerated accent he¡¯d put on for the quotation made the man snort, which transitioned to a moment of half-stifled laughter as the tension in his frame was released. ¡°Damn, that must be some shit from way out east. Where¡¯d you find that, the bottom of a well?¡±

    ¡°The library. No idea where it was from ¨C the author didn¡¯t put their name on it or anything ¨C but it must¡¯ve been from, like, three centuries back.¡± Hoshi cocked his head. ¡°Before they invented spelling, at least; I only had the strength to slog through it ¡®cause it was so fucking out there.¡±

    ¡°I bet.¡± The man looked down at his bike, then back up to Hoshi¡¯s face. ¡°Uh¡­ About that thing with Nana, there¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything,¡± Hoshi interrupted as Kenny hesitated. ¡°Family shit¡¯s personal. You don¡¯t owe me that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Kenny sighed, his huge muscles looking almost deflated as his body sagged. ¡°Yeah. Thanks.¡± There was a moment of awkward silence as none of them spoke, but then the man perked up. ¡°Hey, you wanna give this thing a go ¡®round the coastline? Should be able to fit all¡¯a us if we squeeze.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°So what do you think? Sell it or raise it?¡± Hoshi yelled over the din of the engine. Holy shit, this is fucking intense.

    Vermilion¡¯s coastline sped by in a blur. While he had only been inside a vehicle a handful of times over the course of his life ¨C despite the booming population they were still rarer than in Kanto¡¯s heartlands, where the streets were actually built for them ¨C he was damn sure it hadn¡¯t felt like this. I should probably be wearing a helmet.

    ¡°Dunno yet!¡± Kenny yelled back. ¡°Haven¡¯t had ¡®im out much ¨C he eats like a motherfucker!¡± There was a disconcerting pull as he drove them around a large stone jutting from the sand, whatever technology responsible for the bike¡¯s hovering also keeping them steady in the seat. Behind the two men came a higher exclamation as Casca yelled.

    ¡°Whew! Do that again!¡±

    ¡°You said you don¡¯t know about the evolution, but what about the guy himself?¡± Kenny continued, slaloming a bit around the beach. ¡°Ryan thought he was shit enough to not bother capturing; was he right or wrong?¡±

    ¡°Eh,¡± Hoshi grunted before raising his voice again. ¡°Opinions are mixed! Professor Oak said lickitung was a good defensive Pok¨¦mon, but it was in an old book that-¡±

    ¡°The Professor?! Damn, Ryan musta been full¡¯a shit then! I¡¯ll give it a shot!¡±

    Hoshi opened his mouth, but then closed it again. While Kanto¡¯s first and forever Champion had definitely been the strongest trainer in his day, and he was definitely one of the most influential zoologists in history by weight of inventing most of the field himself, Hoshi didn¡¯t quite rate his personal thoughts on battling as highly as some people did. Whatever. That¡¯s as good enough a reason as any. ¡°Sounds good! But actually, I did have a plan to evolve it!¡±

    The bike flipped backwards ¨C again, with that stomach-turning gravity is doing something weird effect keeping the bike¡¯s seat as down ¨C and Kenny slid them into a smooth stop.

    ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s up?¡±

    Coasting in place, some of the stabilising effect was lost; the bike was suddenly a lot more wobbly, and Hoshi put his feet down to keep from losing his lunch. ¡°Guh. You know, you don¡¯t drive like this is your first time. How long have you actually had this?¡±

    ¡°Bought it yesterday,¡± came the answer as Kenny fiddled with the controls, doing something that made the craft lower to the ground. The engine, too, lowered, moving from a screech to a purr. ¡°But my uncle was crazy about the things. Used to take me to this little kiddy racetrack, and I just¡­ kept up with it, I guess.¡± His fingers flexed, the dark leather gloves he was wearing compressing the textured rubber of the bike¡¯s handles. ¡°But seriously, what¡¯s this plan ¡®a yours?¡±

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d ask D- uh, Professor Mokusen. He¡¯d know about weird evolutions, right?¡±

    Casca¡¯s grip around his waist got tighter. ¡°Hoshi¡­¡±

    ¡°What, is it that bad of an idea?¡±

    ¡°Professor..? Oh right, the machamp guy!¡± Kenny exclaimed, ignorant of the tension behind his broad back. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! I¡¯ll come with you!¡±

    The bike turned as the engine once again roared, Hoshi¡¯s feet leaving the ground. ¡°Huh..? Wait, you don¡¯t mean-?¡±

    ¡°Great timing too ¨C it¡¯s something to do while Nana cools off. Plus, the bike should be able to go even faster on concrete!¡± They blasted forwards, only the antigravity keeping Hoshi and Casca in their seats.

    They both yelled as the acceleration continued, and Kenny laughed as they crested the beach, catching a half-second of air as they transitioned from steep-ish incline to flat land. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the spirit!¡±

 4.05 - Easy Days, Hard Days

    There were certain days where everything came easy. Where his steps were light and his thoughts sharp, where everything was effortless. As though reality itself were nodding its head in his direction, approving.

    And then there was the opposite, those days where progress ground to a halt¡­ where it went backwards, even. Like two weeks ago, when the partially-reconstructed ectoplasm chamber had melted to slag for no discernable reason. Or the week before that, when one of the less¡­ personable machoke had gotten frustrated and mangled one of its trainers.

    But of course, most days were neither the first type nor the second ¨C no, most days were simply normal. Where Professor Mokusen worked tirelessly from sunrise to sunset, and was rewarded with a tiny-but-noticeable step forward.

    Today was, Arcus preserve his sanity, shaping up to be one of those days. ¡°And you¡¯re certain you don¡¯t want to even attempt my methods?¡± spoke the figure to his side, large and slow steps matching the scientist¡¯s small but quick ones.

    Mokusen hissed through his teeth. ¡°Of course not.¡± You mound of blubber. ¡°Even in the absolute best case, it would mean halving our number of kadabra.¡±

    Kiribo Kimigawa, grand-nephew of Kim Kimigawa, tutted behind Mukusen¡¯s ear as though he were speaking to a child. ¡°And how many will we have doing it the ¡®proper¡¯ way, with things moving so quickly? Time is in short supply, Professor.¡±

    Most of the time, the professor found the man preferable to his older relation ¨C he was competent enough at his chosen vocation, and didn¡¯t stick his nose quite so far into where it didn¡¯t belong. But then again, most of the time is only most.

    He reached his destination and stopped, watching through the glass as Harry and the other kadabra meditated. ¡°Even if we only get a handful of alakazam, that¡¯s preferable. Don¡¯t discount my kadabra ¨C I¡¯d pit them against any of the League¡¯s psychics.¡± Each of them were hand-selected for their potential. I¡¯d rather have three alakazam and twenty kadabra than ten ¨C or fewer ¨C alakazam alone. ¡°I have no need for shortcuts, Kimigawa. Please escort yourself out.¡±

    A light, faintly wheezing sigh. ¡°Fine, be like that. But if you should change your mind- ah, who¡¯s all this?¡±

    The note of intrigue in Kiribo¡¯s voice caused Mokusen to turn, and he immediately grit his teeth as he beheld three additional interlopers entering his small bastion of sanity. ¡°Magnificent,¡± he hissed. ¡°Senior Grunt. Why are you here?¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Senior Grunt,¡± Dabi said, his clenched jaw adding something ominous to the words. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Despite Casca¡¯s numerous warnings, Hoshi still found it somewhat difficult to take Dabi Mokusen seriously as a gangster. Although he was clad in obviously fitted clothes, the man¡¯s absurd shortness and slight figure made him seem like a child wearing his father¡¯s suit. Or his mother¡¯s, in this case.

    ¡°My subordinate here recently caught a lickitung,¡± he replied, getting straight to the point. ¡°I did a bit of digging, but couldn¡¯t sort the proper way to evolve it from all the dross.¡±

    Dabi¡¯s eyebrows disappeared under his thick glasses as he scowled. ¡°And this is my problem how?¡±

    Hoshi shrugged, projecting a confidence he didn¡¯t quite feel. We''re surrounded by other people ¨C he¡¯s not going to do anything crazy while there are other Rockets around. That was the theory, anyway. Time to use that ego against him. ¡°Do you not know? Huh, I thought you¡¯d be able to belt it out in a second.¡± Another shrug. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t, then there¡¯s no reason for me to borrow any more of your time. Good evening, Professor.¡± He turned, slowly taking a step.

    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t come all this way to-¡± Kenny began, but a jab to the ribs from Casca shut him up.

    Dabi, meanwhile, growled under his breath. ¡°As if I¡¯d fall for such obvious bait¡­¡±

    Hoshi turned back. You say that¡­ but here you are, replying. ¡°Sorry? Didn¡¯t catch that.¡±

    He could see the angry little man all but grinding his teeth at the perceived insult ¨C and then Dabi smiled, the curve of his lips painted with a subtle coat of malicious glee. ¡°If you must know, I don¡¯t know the exact trigger for that Pok¨¦mon¡¯s evolution.¡±

    Kenny groaned behind Hoshi¡¯s back ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon¡­¡±

    ¡°But, it should be simple enough. Of course, I have my own work to take care of, all of it much more important than tending to a grunt¡¯s Pok¨¦mon.¡± There we go. Bait: swallowed. ¡°Yes¡­ It just so happens your appearance might allow me to kill two birds with one stone.¡±

    Dabi turned to the man next to him, who Hoshi had been ignoring up until that point ¨C and as the Senior Grunt focused on the man¡¯s face, he was struck by its familiarity. Is this Doc Hypno¡¯s son? Damn, I¡¯m starting to come back around on my evil clone idea; that¡¯s the only way I can think for that guy to have reproduced.

    ¡°Kimigawa,¡± Dabi continued, confirming Hoshi¡¯s assumption. ¡°Since you seem so very concerned about our psychic Pok¨¦mon, why don¡¯t you do something about it yourself?¡± He jabbed a finger into the man¡¯s chest. ¡°Take these grunts and go catch me some abra. At least twenty, and try to get exemplary ones; I¡¯ve no patience for mediocrity.¡±

    The man ¨C he¡¯s dressed more like a movie detective than a scientist; is he an Agent or something? ¨C frowned, brushing at where Dabi¡¯s finger had touched. ¡°Professor, you well know that I¡¯ve my own duties. I came down to give you advice on my own accord; I cannot simply drop everything-¡±

    ¡°As the Head of Research and Development I order you to obey, Rocket Hunter.¡± Hunter, huh? That isn¡¯t one of the titles Casca mentioned, it must be really niche. ¡°Don¡¯t come back without those abra.¡±

    The frown deepened. ¡°Uncalled for.¡± Without another word to the scientist the younger Kimigawa turned, coat hugging his expansive frame too tightly to whirl, and took a step Hoshi¡¯s way. ¡°Greetings ¨C pardon, I¡¯ll speak to you in the hall, I find my continued presence here becoming somewhat nettling.¡±

    The man swept past, steps lighter than Hoshi would have assumed from his weight, and made for the door. From the side came another groan. ¡°Boss, come on, I didn¡¯t sign up for some make-work bullshit," Kenny complained. ¡°Twenty abra¡­ Where are we gonna get the balls for that? They live out in the bush, no way we¡¯re gonna get that done in an afternoon!¡±

    The grunt¡¯s words brought the faintest ghost of a smile to Hoshi¡¯s lips. Actually¡­ But he put the thought aside for the moment, smoothing his expression and bringing his focus back to Dabi. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong. Twenty abra¡¯s a bit much, for something so simple.¡±

    ¡°Too bad,¡± Dabi replied.

    His insufferably smug tone made a muscle in Hoshi¡¯s cheek twitch. Okay, now I¡¯m starting to get pissed off. He stepped forward, getting close enough it would have been uncomfortable without the pulse of his heart driving out any other emotions.

    ¡°Hoshi,¡± Casca whispered into the back of his head. ¡°Fingers.¡±

    I¡¯ve worked with this guy for three years. It¡¯s like you said earlier: nobody can hide their real personality. He¡¯s a fucking worm. ¡°Come on, Professor,¡± Hoshi said. ¡°This is kind of petty, isn¡¯t it? Just ¡®cause I was fooled by your act? Isn¡¯t it a good thing, that you managed to look so pathetic? That I thought you were an entirely different person with your spine straight?¡± He leaned forward, emphasising the difference between their heights. ¡°What else would the disguise be for? Congratulations, you got me.¡±

    ¡°Hey Boss, this is getting kind of weird,¡± Kenny muttered in the background. ¡°I take it back, I¡¯m chill with the job ¨C everybody¡¯s lookin¡¯ at us funny, let¡¯s just-¡±

    ¡°Hoshi Mutsu,¡± Dabi spoke, his glasses reflecting the harsh fluorescent lights coming down from the room¡¯s oddly-high ceiling. ¡°You did better in that farce of a tournament than I¡¯d have expected.¡±

    Hoshi blinked. That¡­ wasn¡¯t what I expected him to say. I thought he¡¯d be more emotional, and I could¡­ With the anger giving way to surprise, the last ten seconds suddenly seemed immensely stupider. Get him to blow up and lose some face. Damnit, this was dumb ¨C and it¡¯s not like I can take it back.

    So he tightened his jaw, took a small step back from the scientist¡¯s personal space, and replied. ¡°Thanks?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I can see why the Senior Executives promoted you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got a lot on your plate.¡± Where the fuck are you going with- ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to let them know you¡¯re on an official assignment for me, so they don¡¯t try and give you too much work.¡± He flapped his hand in a gesture of dismissal. ¡°You may go, now.¡±

    Hoshi saw red. ¡°Bastard,¡± he breathed. Even if I get Danny¡¯s help, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll get this done by Saturday ¨C you¡¯re fucking with my next assignment! Something tugged at his arm, but the sensation was far away and unimportant compared to the smug fucking quirk on this fucker¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Dabi said, each muscle under his skin moving in a caricature of mockery. ¡°You aren¡¯t angry, are you? How inconsiderate; I¡¯m giving you my knowledge, after all. A few hours of work pales in comparison.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s fist moved ¨C and then stopped. Without a single movement from Dabi one of the balls on his belt had opened, and the grunt was suddenly face-to-chest with a near-legendary Pok¨¦mon. The machamp held his hand with one of its own, and despite pulling with all his strength Hoshi couldn¡¯t move at all.

    Huh, came an idle thought as the rest of him panicked. This one is much taller than that other machamp he gave away¡­ Ah, Elizabeth, that was its name.

    Then came the pain.

    The huge machamp tilted its head minutely, the motion travelling down its arm as the smallest of twitches ¨C and Hoshi¡¯s caught fist felt like it was exploding. A different shade of red washed through his brain as his legs threatened to give out, pain and rage combining and compounding as a hiss escaped through his teeth. ¡°Fucking¡­ Kill you, you¡­¡±

    ¡°So angry,¡± Dabi continued. ¡°I¡¯d ask how you functioned, but that would be beneath me.¡± Then he turned, giving his attention to the kadabra behind the huge glass window. ¡°Andre, please show them to the door.¡±

    Like a man picking up a kitten, Hoshi was twisted to face the door and dragged forwards by the machamp¡¯s quartet of arms. Casca and Kenny hurriedly backed up, and within ten seconds they¡¯d been dumped in the hallway ¨C or Hoshi had, at least.

    The door clicked shut softly, and the Senior Grunt gathered what was left of his dignity to heave himself up.

    ¡°Holy shit, dude,¡± Kenny said, his face twisted between several different expressions. ¡°How¡¯s your hand?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Hoshi answered. ¡°It¡¯s- it isn¡¯t broken, I think, just bruised.¡± Down to the bone ¨C no, the bones are probably bruised, too. His right hand was starting to swell, the skin on the back and parts of his knuckles turning an unhealthy colour ¨C but the anger was finally doing something useful; sending the pain away to some far-off corner of his brain where it was easy to ignore. ¡°Fucker.¡±

    Casca sighed, the sound torn between exasperated and relieved. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to hear this right now, but-¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°You told me so, yeah.¡± Arcus. ¡°Fucking- let¡¯s just go.¡± Before I do some other stupid shit. Fuck! ¡°I think I¡¯ve got a way to get abra pretty fast, but not tonight; I¡¯ll meet you tomorrow sometime around four, alright?¡±

    Kenny shot him an incredulous look. ¡°Arcus above man, your fist¡¯s fuckin¡¯ broke. I¡¯m driving you to a damn hospital.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t- I don¡¯t need-¡± Hoshi tripped over his tongue, cradling his arm. ¡°Fuck. Let¡¯s get outside, I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    They turned, but were interrupted.

    ¡°A-hem,¡± came a voice from the other side of the hallway. Hoshi took a moment to attempt to compose himself ¨C which was partly successful, now that there was nothing to be angry at other than himself ¨C and turned back. Oh, right. This guy. How the fuck did we miss him? He¡¯s gotta weigh three hundred pounds.

    First-name-unknown Kimigawa pushed off from the wall. ¡°Oh my,¡± he said. ¡°Ran afoul of the Professor¡¯s temper, then? Let me guess: you made a crack about his height?¡±

    ¡°¡­Something like that,¡± Hoshi answered. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t catch your name.¡±

    ¡°Kiribo Kimigawa, the Psychic Hunter,¡± the man introduced. He stuck his hand out ¨C the left, so wasn¡¯t a complete asshat at least ¨C and Hoshi shook with a subdued grimace.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not feeling up for a chat right now.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course.¡± He talks like the doctor, too. All poncy and shit. ¡°We¡¯ll have plenty of time to chat tomorrow¡­¡± The man formed his own grimace. ¡°Since I¡¯ll be forced to accompany you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hoshi grunted. Ah, there¡¯s the pain. Right front and centre¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ We¡¯ll¡­¡±

    Casca stepped in. ¡°We¡¯ll meet you here tomorrow, sir. C¡¯mon Hoshi, let¡¯s get you upstairs ¨C there¡¯s a first-aid station somewhere near the entrance I¡¯m pretty sure¡­¡±

    The man spoke one last time, calling across the length of the hall a moment before they shuffled around the corner. ¡°It¡¯s on the north side, right near the battle court!¡±

    Kenny yelled something back, but at that point the pain was taking up too much headspace for Hoshi to process. Okay, definitely broken somewhere ¨C fuck, this is my throwing arm too.

    I¡¯ve got a new mission in life: beat the piss out of Dabi fucking Mokusen.

    <hr>

    By the time they pulled into the sidewalk going up to Kenny¡¯s house, the painkillers were mostly doing their job. Hoshi could still feel the dull fiery heat trapped inside his cast, but it was a two rather than an eight, if he were to rate it out of ten.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kenny stammered, awkward. ¡°Man, that was kind of fucked up. I don¡¯t really know what to say.¡±

    That¡¯s a face I¡¯ve never seen him make before. Casca dismounted and Hoshi followed, and he gave his not-quite friend a nod. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah. Guess you¡¯ll be practising left-handed throws, huh?¡± A plastic smile, and then the man drove up his lawn towards the back of the house.

    Hoshi took a breath. ¡°Man, I really fucked that up, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Well..¡± Casca said, hesitant. ¡°Honestly? Yeah. Could have maybe not done the macho-dude thing with a guy you knew could make machamp.¡±

    Not that a machoke couldn¡¯t have done the exact same thing ¨C or a damn machop, for that matter.

    Well, at least I learned one thing: my Pok¨¦mon aren¡¯t trained enough to come out when I¡¯m threatened. Not against a two-metre-tall powerhouse, at least. ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t take you seriously. I just¡­ there¡¯s a Dabi in my head, one I¡¯ve known for years, and I¡­ mistook that one for the real guy. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be able to fake having an entirely different personality for that long, that consistently.¡±

    His girlfriend rubbed at his shoulder. ¡°Well, now you know. You said you had a plan to get those abra real fast?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Danny sells ¡®em, and I bet I can get him to trade enough for¡­¡± A chill wind cut through his flimsy summer shirt, and this one wasn¡¯t nearly as comforting as the last had been. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll explain it when we get home.¡±

    The two of them trudged down the street, the good feelings from their earlier joyride burned down to dregs.

    <hr>

    Fucking krabby nightmare, was the first thought that Hoshi had when he opened his eyes. As it had a handful of times over the past months, he¡¯d been jolted awake by a red shape emerging from a tan seabed, a point of blue growing in the centre of its face before he was summarily dumped out of rest. Ow. Fucking hard to sleep in a cast, was the second.

    But despite the awkwardness of dressing with one hand, he was feeling weirdly optimistic about the day.

    Part of it was what Casca had told him the night before ¨C he would actually be getting paid for this, if not nearly enough to make up for the fucking broken hand ¨C and another was that his girlfriend was awake enough to join him for breakfast. Poison must be properly out of her system.

    ¡°So,¡± he started as they ate. ¡°You were pretty quiet last night when I laid it all out. I promise I¡¯ll listen this time: is this a dumb idea?¡±

    She was silent for a moment, chewing her cereal with deliberation before answering. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not dumb, but I think it¡¯s¡­ A bit risky. Kenny won¡¯t blab, and if you say Danny won¡¯t either then I¡¯ll believe you, but there¡¯s this other guy¡­¡±

    ¡°About that. You¡¯ve never met him before?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°Nope. Never seen him, never heard of him. Kiribo Kimigawa¡­¡± Her face scrunched in thought. ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard the words ¡®Psychic Hunter¡¯ at some point, but I can¡¯t say where.¡±

    ¡°Well, no reason he has to know. There¡¯ll be three of us, and it makes good sense to split up if all we¡¯re doing is hunting abra.¡±

    ¡°Four, Hoshi." She waggled a finger at him. "Obviously I¡¯m coming with you.¡±

    Hoshi opened his mouth, but the withering look he received changed his mind.

    ¡°¡­Alright, I guess that makes sense. But don¡¯t stretch things too far, alright?¡±

    ¡°Same to you, stud.¡±

    Hoshi hummed affirmatively, and they continued eating. ¡°Ugh,¡± he eventually groaned as they were cleaning the dishes. ¡°Everheart is gonna fucking implode when I show up with a cast. He¡¯s already been giving me the side-eye for taking so many days off¡­¡±

    Casca responded with a quick peck to his cheek. ¡°Good thing there¡¯s so much work, or you might just get fired.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t even joke about that.¡± The word fired had sent a white-cold chill down his spine. ¡°Assuming I get about eleven grand like I¡¯m estimating, my legit job still pays twice as much hour-to-hour.¡±

    ¡°Your first Rocket job paid half, while you were working another one full-time. I made twenty grand this month; you¡¯ll get there.¡±

    The number buoyed his spirits a little. ¡°Right. Well, I should get going ¨C you¡¯ll meet me at the academy?¡±

    They shared another kiss. ¡°Four sharp. Let¡¯s both try to go a day or two without some kind of adventure, okay?"

    <hr>

    Everheart did, indeed, rip into Hoshi¡¯s ass for showing up in a cast.

    Though at least half the man¡¯s vitriol was directed at someone imaginary, so that was nice. ¡°And you didn¡¯t get the plate?¡±

    ¡°Guy didn¡¯t have a plate, sir.¡± Thank you, asshole biker gangs, for being such an easy target. ¡®Run down in the street by some asshole¡¯ was a much easier pill to swallow than ¡®got on the wrong side of a machamp¡¯ ¨C and it was a lot less his fault, too, which was a nice quality for a fabricated excuse to have.

    ¡°Damned criminals. When will the blues get asses in gear? We must have ten of those gangs cruising through town before breakfast!¡± Hoshi¡¯s boss turned his pink gaze up as he chugged from his waterbottle ¨C despite the decrease in temperature, he still went through water like a dehydrated golduck. ¡°Pah!¡± he spat. ¡°Whatever. You can still work right? This wasn¡¯t on the job, so don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get any more paid vacation!¡±

    Fucking ass. The thought was tepid; Hoshi felt more than a little contrite, since visiting Dabi had been his own idiotic idea. ¡°I can work. I just broke a few knuckles; the arm¡¯s fine. I can work.¡±

    The man grumbled ¨C and then got a suspicious glint in his eye. ¡°Hey Mutsu, you aren¡¯t pulling my leg are you? Broken knuckles sounds a lot like you got in some dumb drunken brawl.¡±

    Hey, I¡¯ve been clean for¡­ going on four months now. ¡°Do I look like I got in a fight, sir?¡±

    Everheart¡¯s eyes narrowed, but after a moment of scrutiny he let his employee off the hook. ¡°Whatever. We¡¯re burning daylight! Step to it, Mutsu!¡±

    Suppressing his grimace, Hoshi obeyed. He spent the day knocking down and then partially rebuilding the shitty Pok¨¦mart ¨C the shoddy thing had half-collapsed in the rain ¨C leaning on the company¡¯s Pok¨¦mon a little harder than he maybe should¡¯ve; a few times they got confused and almost broke something, but he managed to get through the day without any major fuckups.

    He also got through the day without ¡®accidentally¡¯ dropping a beam right on Dabi¡¯s stupid kiddie haircut, so he gave himself a pat on the back for that, too.

    <hr>

    There was a certain trepidation in Hoshi¡¯s chest as he approached the school. Or maybe it''s mostly in my fist. Hah.

    The guard let him through with only a glance, and¡­ Oh, thank Arcus. Hoshi had been half-expecting some new problem to have arisen when he got to the Electric Academy, but he walked through the gates to see a skinheaded grunt, beautiful woman, and hopefully-not-as-fucking-weird-as-his-uncle fatass already waiting, seemingly discussing something in high spirits.

    Okay Hoshi, remember: don¡¯t insult this guy, don¡¯t even breathe too hard on him. Let him say and do whatever dumb shit he wants. You are a fucking calm little stream, blue and happy as shit.

    And for fuck¡¯s sake, don¡¯t call him a fatass, even in your head¡­ Even if he kind of looks like a damn chestnut. Damnit, now I can¡¯t unsee it¡­

    ¡°Hey,¡± he called as he got within speaking distance.

    ¡°Hey Boss!¡± Kenny replied. ¡°Good news: we don¡¯t have to pay for balls!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Casca told me last night.¡± ¡®If he¡¯s using his position to make us do shit,¡¯ she¡¯d said, ¡®Then it¡¯s an official capture mission. I¡¯ve only done like two of those ¨C I prefer people type missions ¨C but we should be able to get the supplies on credit. Basically free, as long as we actually get the Pok¨¦mon.¡¯ ¡°That is good. And, uh, hey there, Hunter Kiribo. I hope I didn¡¯t make too bad of a first impression.¡±

    The fat- the Rocket Hunter waved him off. Getting a second look at him, Hoshi¡¯s own first impression was reinforced; the man looked like some sort of noir detective, the kind that¡¯s been out of work for a long time before getting back in the game from, like, a murdered housewife or something.

    He was more attractive than his uncle, mostly by virtue of being properly fat rather than the latter¡¯s horrid mixture of bloated and skeletal. And he¡¯s only got like, a fifth of the leer. He just looks like an ass, rather than a sex crime made flesh. He wore a dapple-patterned brown greatcoat, the spots scattered and the colour subtle enough that he would probably disappear against most types of foliage. His chin was dusted with a sparse goatee, only slightly more than stubble, and both it and his eyebrows matched his slicked-back hair; dark brown, like chocolate. If Hoshi were forced to guess his age, he¡¯d say early thirties.

    If this is what Hypno looked like when he was younger, then the years hit him like a fucking truck. Maybe his brother got all the best genes.

    ¡°No need to worry,¡± Kiribo replied. ¡°I¡¯ve seen many people come out of that room equally maimed. But pardon, allow me to reintroduce myself¡­¡±

    He shifted, striking a pose, and Hoshi¡¯s heart sank just a little bit. Another weirdo, just¡­ fantastic. At least-

    The thought cut off as the heavy coat shifted, and Hoshi caught something his initial inspection had missed: the man was openly carrying a sword ¨C or at least a sheath, with the same dappled brown pattern painted on its smooth surface.

    A dangerous weirdo. Joy.

    ¡°I am Kiribo Kimigawa, Rocket Hunter ¨C or as I prefer to be known, the Psychic Hunter!¡± One hand pointed skyward, while the other went to the handle of his sword, and Hoshi felt his chances of getting through the day without something ridiculous happening plummet.

    Casca clapped, genuinely enthusiastic, while Kenny badly stifled a laugh.

    ¡°¡­Hoshi Mutsu, Senior Grunt.¡± I wonder if the instructors only admit people with a screw loose. The thought made him look back at the past few days, and his lips thinned. I can¡¯t even use myself as a counter-example, can I? ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Sure we¡¯ll all get along.¡±

    ¡°Excellent! Now as you may have guessed by my moniker, I specialise in hunting down psychic Pok¨¦mon; though it be a grand misuse of my talents, Professor Mokusen was not incorrect to assign me this task. Verily, I¡¯m certain we shall have this done by the first hours of the week¡¯s first dawn!¡±

    The word verily slapped Hishi in the face, sliding down his skin like a slimy fish. Arcus. I take it back; he isn¡¯t a noir detective, he¡¯s an overgrown middleschooler playing pretend. ¡°Sounds great. Since you three look like you¡¯ve been here a minute¡­?¡±

    Casca nodded. ¡°Yup, got the balls. We¡¯re only allowed to take ten at a time, so if we somehow manage to fill ¡®em all in a day we¡¯ll have to come back.¡±

    ¡°Or clock out,¡± Kenny commented. ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories about abra hunting. Good thing there aren¡¯t any cliffs ¡®round here¡­¡±

    Yeah. Even if they can¡¯t attack normally, I can think of a hundeed ways to fuck somebody up with just teleportation¡­ ¡°Hopefully we don¡¯t have too much trouble ¨C but speaking of the terrain¡­¡± Hoshi looked down. ¡°Kenny, those shoes aren¡¯t good; the north is swampier than usual from the rain, your sock¡¯ll be drenched twenty seconds in.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got the bike, man.¡±

    ¡°Still. We¡¯ll get you something good and waterproof on the way ¨C I¡¯ll get something better too.¡± My boots are fine for walking up to the junkyard, but tromping through the route proper? I don¡¯t feel like experiencing trench foot today. ¡°And Casca, good thinking with the sandals, but you should probably get some boots too.¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Hoshi, I can handle a little water.¡±

    ¡°The man is not unwise, young lady,¡± Kiribo chimed in. ¡°Those waters conceal all manner of nasties ¨C leeches and submerged thorns and such. You¡¯ll want something like these.¡± He extended a foot and tapped his heel against the ground, producing a heavy thump.

    Huh, Hoshi thought, impressed despite himself. Those are actually even better than I¡¯d thought looking casually ¨C and worn, too. Maybe this guy¡¯s more competent than he looks.

    ¡°Eh,¡± Casca grunted. ¡°Fine. Been a while since I went shoe shopping anyway.¡±

    After some cajoling Kenny also agreed, and Hoshi left the academy grounds with the faint hope that today wouldn¡¯t be harder than he could imagine.

 4.06 - On the Hunt

    Shoe shopping had gone uncharacteristically smoothly, and so when Hoshi stepped into Route 6 he did it in a brand new pair of properly watertight hiking boots, courtesy of Moonside, Kanto¡¯s premier specialist shop for hiking, camping, and fishing ¨C or so the sign said; he¡¯d gone right to and from the shoe section without much in the way of browsing.

    Though maybe a nice sturdy coat should be something to start thinking about. I¡¯m going to be out of town looking for Pok¨¦mon more often, and doing that in a city jacket would be¡­ unwise.

    An image of himself being doused by a territorial golduck in the middle of winter played through Hoshi¡¯s mind for a fraction of a second, before he dispelled it with a breath.

    ¡°Alright!¡± he exclaimed, turning to the capture team he¡¯d been saddled with. Casca was looking fine as always, her pack bulging with pok¨¦balls and her stature improved by a smaller size of the same boots he was wearing. Kenny had gone with a slightly less expensive option, but he hadn¡¯t been completely wrong to say he didn¡¯t need new boots; atop the hoverbike, he and his own bag were well away from the swampy surface. He¡¯ll thank me if he needs to dismount, though.

    And last but largest, Kiribo seemed to be in high spirits. I¡¯m kind of excited to see him in action; how strong do you have to be to get the title Rocket Hunter?

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking on the way over, and this is what I think we should do: Kenny, you¡¯re a big, loud annoyance with that bike of yours.¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s a good thing. If you go in a big circle around the edge of the route, you¡¯ll drive a bunch of Pok¨¦mon towards the centre ¨C right into the three of us. We release our Pok¨¦mon, spread out a bit, and then¡­ just get to it, I suppose.¡± Hoshi paused, turning to the relative stranger. ¡°That fine with you, uh¡­¡± Wait, does he outrank me? I know that Senior Grunt is equal to Agent, but¡­ ¡°Should I call you sir, or would you prefer something else?¡±

    Kiribo struck a pose, extending his hand forward. ¡°Please call me by my title, the Psychic Hunter! Ho hoh!¡± He punctuated the laugh with a short bow, raising his head to show a toothy grin. ¡°And that plan is sound enough! While my partner and I prefer stealth when hunting alone, I¡¯m content to follow along with the group.¡±

    He straightened up, and Hoshi forced the touch of exasperation the performance instilled in him away. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s release our Pok¨¦mon then.¡± Wonder why his posing annoys me, while the instructors doing a much more elaborate song-and-dance doesn¡¯t¡­

    Eh, it¡¯s probably just because they¡¯re hot.

    ¡°Indubitably!¡± ¡°Yeah, alright. Bubbles, other dude, let¡¯s do this!¡± ¡°Come on out, Candy!¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s good mood returned as he palmed one of his pok¨¦balls, adding his voice to the mix. ¡°Guts, Crow! You¡¯ll be learning to hunt today, so look sharp!¡±

    In a series of flashes and warbling sounds their Pok¨¦mon appeared. Crow flapped down from the air to land on Hoshi¡¯s shoulder as he caught their rebounding balls, his other girl scenting the air as her whiskers twitched.

    They¡¯ve definitely grown since I got them. He reached up to rub at his zubat¡¯s face and neck. Not quite full size, but we¡¯re getting there. ¡°Everything good? Let¡¯s-¡±

    His mouth ceased moving as his attentions turned away from his own Pok¨¦mon, and he caught sight of what Kiribo had released. Arcus above, I am so glad I¡¯ve managed not to call him a fatass out loud.

    If he¡¯d bothered to think on it, Hoshi would have assumed the man¡¯s partner to be either a dark or bug type ¨C the natural enemies of psychic Pok¨¦mon. Something stereotypically ¡®cool¡¯ to match his demeanour, like a scyther or houndoom. Or maybe a ghost, as a distant third choice.

    But it seemed that the Psychic Hunter subscribed to the notion that the best person to catch a thief, was another thief.

    With an angular five-pointed head set atop a bipedal body that mixed mammalian fur with insectoid chitinous armour¡­ there was only one thing this Pok¨¦mon could be. That¡¯s an alakazam, the fully evolved form of kadabra. It wasn¡¯t nearly as shocking as seeing a machamp had been; of all the ¡®secret¡¯ evolutions alakazam was grouped with, it competed with golem for the title of most common, with both forms even appearing in the wild with some regularity. But it was still surprising.

    And the other two apparently agreed, Kenny and Casca letting out a pair of gasps. ¡°Woah! Hardcore!¡± Kenny exclaimed. ¡°You and that professor guy ¨C do all Rockets have Pok¨¦mon like that? Will we get one?¡±

    Kiribo laughed, while his Pok¨¦mon let the praise roll off its shoulders ¨C actually, it isn¡¯t paying us any attention at all. The ¡®mon was just standing, oddly light on its feet, staring upwards as its hat ¨C because of course it was clothed, Team Rocket was insane ¨C cast its face in shadow.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have no answer for you, young Grunt!¡± Kiribo replied. ¡°You will simply have to earn it, by deed or by trickery! Now¡­¡± The man rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, and his Pok¨¦mon, too, seemed to become¡­ more dangerous, somehow. A gust of wind artfully tousled the two¡¯s clothing, Kiribo¡¯s long jacket flapping while the alakazam lifted a three-fingered hand to keep its cowboy hat from flying away.

    The movement caused its vest-like garment to open wider, and in an eerie mirror to the way Hoshi had noticed its master¡¯s sword earlier, his eyes were drawn to its chest.

    He almost took a step back on instinct. Hanging on a cord from its neck, separated by knots to keep them from clinking together, were seven silver spoons. Each was twisted into a different shape, but they were obviously a match for the two peeking out from the holsters slung around the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s hips.

    As much as the image of an alakazam dressed as an old-west-style gunslinger should have been amusing, that one addition turned the whole thing on its head. Okay. This guy- these guys are legit. Even the man¡¯s posing suddenly became less comical.

    Hoshi breathed out, adding his own belated gasp. ¡°Arcus. I feel like we¡¯re kind of out of our league, here.¡±

    The other Pok¨¦mon agreed. While none were outright afraid, they were all subtly angling away, not looking the alakazam in the face. He could feel Crow¡¯s bristly hide forming goosebumps under his fingers.

    Unlike his Pok¨¦mon, Kiribo seemed to soak in the attention, spreading his arms like a tree attempting to take in more sunlight. ¡°Oho! There¡¯s no need for that, Senior Grunt! Come, let the hunt begin!¡±

    He sauntered off, the alakazam absentmindedly following, and there was a beat where the rest of them were silent. Then Casca leaned in, and whispered. ¡°I was gonna ask everybody to help me with my dugtrio, but now I¡¯m a little too intimidated.¡±

    Hoshi nodded. ¡°I get it. I was gonna do the same thing with Venus.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Casca asked, some of the trepidation under her expression fading away. ¡°Did you really name your mankey already?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Wow, he isn¡¯t stopping at all. Does he even realise we¡¯re not behind him? ¡°C¡¯mon girls, let¡¯s go ¨C Kenny, the trees get pretty thick at the edges, so don¡¯t go too far.¡±

    ¡°Duh,¡± Kenny answered, and with a roar the hoverbike took off westward. A moment later he stopped, realising he was outpacing his slow Pok¨¦mon, and continued at a more reasonable pace.

    Hoshi squinted at the waddling lickitung. Maybe we should trade for the day? he thought as he watched the man go. Nah, it¡¯s fine. My girls probably wouldn¡¯t listen to him anyway. With a slight shake of the head he began trotting after his senior Rocket, and without prompting Crow lifted off his shoulder and flapped ahead.

    ¡°Good girl. If you hear a sudden pop nearby, that¡¯s what we¡¯re looking for.¡±

    ¡°Do you think she understands?¡± Casca asked as she handed him a trio of balls.

    ¡°Maybe.¡± If she doesn¡¯t, she will by the time we¡¯re done. Crow was, as far as he could tell, quite a bit brighter than Guts. Speaking of¡­ ¡°Guts, you too! We¡¯re looking for something that smells like a younger version of that big guy in the hat! You understand?¡±

    The rattata paused from where she was inspecting the brush, tilting her head at her trainer. She chittered, then resumed bounding through the low undergrowth. ¡°Hah¡­¡± he softly laughed. Yeah, she might take a few days to get it down.

    As they walked beside each other, Casca whispered again. ¡°Hey, do you think this one¡¯s fucking his Pok¨¦mon?¡±

    Hoshi had to nearly strangle himself to keep from guffawing. ¡°Casca, please.¡±

    <hr>

    Route 6 unfolded under their feet, growing wilder as the minutes passed. As they further spread out Hoshi was content to let Kiribo take the lead ¨C he had his hands full just keeping his rat in line. ¡°Guts! No, no battling!¡±

    The rattata looked back at him, confusion evident on her face. She turned back to the oddish half-planted at the water¡¯s edge, then back to him, and chittered.

    ¡°No, we¡¯re looking for abra, Guts. Not oddish, not pidgey, abra. Like before!¡±

    The rattata kept looking between him and the sleeping grass type, and Hoshi sighed. I wonder if Ryan had the same problems training Jorm to hunt¡­ Well, at least Crow is doing fine. The zubat actually seemed to have already gotten the gist of it; she¡¯d already found an abra, though it teleported itself out of the fallen, hollow log before Hoshi could decide between trying to toss a ball through the awkward opening or just send one of his Pok¨¦mon in.

    But the encounter showed that his hunting strategy was at least slightly sound, so Hoshi¡¯s spirits remained high. ¡°That¡¯s right, back off. Good girl ¨C here, a little treat.¡±

    Two more encounters passed much the same as the first; Crow would circle a spot and return, then Hoshi would investigate. He found the abra ¨C one nestled in the crook of a tree and another hidden in a clump of grass ¨C and threw a concealed Rocket Ball. Neither hit; the damn things were fast, teleporting away before the capture tools could hit.

    But it¡¯s fine, Hoshi thought to himself as he gave his rattata a little chunk of granola bar. We¡¯ll get better at it, and the abra will get tired, too. Already Guts was learning to focus on the goal; she was actually sneaking now, rather than playing around chasing bugs.

    We¡¯re making good progress. Once I get used to throwing with my off-hand, I might not even need to-

    The thought was cut off as Hoshi heard a mighty splash to his right. His head whipped around, and he saw Casca sputtering in a pool of hip-deep water about thirty metres away. Wait, but she should be on the other- ah, right. Teleportation.

    He made his way over and gave her a hand. ¡°You alright?¡±

    Casca stood, then spat to the side. An aggrieved poliwag spat back, and both of them got a facefull of water.

    ¡°Blah!¡± ¡°Gah ¨C Crow, Supersonic!¡±

    A minute later the two were back on shore, wringing out their shirts.

    ¡°Damn,¡± Casca commented, ¡°Those little things can put up more of a fight than I thought¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m just glad it didn¡¯t know a proper Water Gun. Crow, you okay over there?¡±

    The zubat squeaked, obviously unhappy with her wetness. Guts, in contrast, seemed just fine; she was making circles around the pond, obviously waiting for the tadpole to resurface so the fight could continue.

    ¡°It¡¯s gone, girl ¨C it knows when it¡¯s beat. Come over here and we¡¯ll¡­¡± A thought occurred. ¡°Hey Casca, where¡¯s Candy?¡±

    His girlfriend wrung another fistful of pond scum from her top before answering. ¡°Where the abra was, probably. Which would be, uh¡­¡±

    Hoshi pointed. ¡°That way?¡±

    ¡°Probably? One second I was throwing the ball, next I was upside-down in a pond. Not a lot of directional continuity, there.¡± She sniffed. ¡°Oh man, I just know I¡¯m gonna get a cold from this¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine,¡± he contradicted. ¡°How¡¯re your feet?¡±

    ¡°My feet? Babe, I was underwater, my feet are¡­¡± Casca paused, looking down. ¡°¡­Bone dry, it feels like? Huh.¡±

    ¡°Hah. Knew it was worth the money ¨C but we should probably go find Candy before she gets herself in trouble. Hey Crow, could you-?¡± Before he could finish the sentence the zubat was already lifting off his shoulder. ¡°Good girl.¡± Hopefully the others are doing better; it¡¯s been an hour and we¡¯re still at a big fat zero.

    <hr>

    ¡°C¡¯mon, man!¡± Kenny yelled. ¡°One Lick, just one!¡±

    His Pok¨¦mon extended its tongue ¨C and then stopped.

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    The abra, still thinking itself safe in the crook where the tree¡¯s trunk split, cocked its head. Its fox-like face stared blankly at the lickitung, eyes nearly completely hidden by plush fur like a newborn kitten.

    ¡°C¡¯mon¡­¡± You stuck your tongue out, like, super far when you sparred with Bubbles! You could reach that abra easy..! Kenny shared a look with his sandshrew as he palmed his face ¨C but then he brought his hand down to slam against his thigh. ¡°Fine then! You don¡¯t wanna use Lick, then¡­¡± He pointed forward. ¡°Zen Headbutt! Knock it down!¡±

    Some people thought Kenny was dumb, just ¡®cause he was big and had a shaved head and liked to fight. And okay, he wasn¡¯t the sharpest hook in the drawer¡­ but that didn''t mean he was stupid. And he definitely wasn¡¯t stupid when it came to fighting! His lickitung ¨C gotta think up a name at some point ¨C eyed the tree, rolling its massive tongue back up with a slurp.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    Then the four-foot-tall salamander monster lowered its head, and its eyes suddenly glowed. With a cry of ¡°Buuuh!¡± it smashed its skull into the wood ¨C and the little bit of form training Kenny had instilled did wonders, because the tree cracked in two, the abra flailing as its perch fell out from under it.

    Then it teleported with a subdued pop, but that was par for the course. Kenny grinned, palming his pok¨¦balls. ¡°Return!¡± he commanded, and Bubbles and¡­ and¡­

    Come on, what¡¯s a good one¡­ Aha!

    Bubbles and Savage transformed into red light and were pulled inside. Kenny revved the engine and shot off, cheeks flapping slightly as his grin refused to leave.

    After spooking what must be twenty abra he¡¯d started to notice a pattern; they liked to hide in the same kind of spot over and over. One who liked tall grass would stay in tall grass, one who liked riding on a psyduck¡¯s back would go in the direction of psyduck, and one who liked climbing trees would stay in the treetops.

    And there were only so many trees. He accelerated, grinning as the engine¡¯s roar sent pidgey and mankey scattering. He didn¡¯t even bother to look for abra on the ground; now that he¡¯d found a strategy that worked-

    A flash of orange-red. There it was! ¡°Go!¡± he exclaimed, sending Bubbles, his faster ¡®mon, out. The pudgy shrew appeared and hit the ground running, already familiar with what was going on. ¡°Poison Sting!¡±

    One hand caught his sandshrew¡¯s returning ball, while the other reached into his pack for an empty. He had two balls left of the three he¡¯d taken after splitting ¡®em with the Boss¡¯s piece, and if they got filled as fast as the first, he¡¯d be done in time for supper!

    <hr>

    The four Rockets met back up roughly two hours after splitting, just as the evening sky was beginning to turn golden.

    ¡°Hey Boss,¡± Kenny greeted from atop his nice, dry bike. ¡°Man, you got put through the wringer, huh?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t wrong; Hoshi was too wiped to even get angry. ¡°Yeah. Fuckers keep sending me into the drink.¡± This is the fucking cave all over again. ¡°How many you got?¡±

    ¡°Two!¡±

    Well, at least one of us managed something¡­ ¡°Casca, you¡¯ve still only got the one?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± she replied, voice flat.

    It turned out that Casca¡¯s throw before that first teleportation had been successful; when they found Candy, the staryu had presented the filled ball with a triumphant ¡°Hu-yuh!¡± Shame she didn¡¯t get a second one, but that¡¯s better than me¡­

    Hoshi was still sitting at zero, a fact he attributed to throwing left-handed. ¡°I didn¡¯t get any. That¡¯s three between the three of us.¡±

    ¡°And I have captured four!¡± Kiribo announced as he suddenly appeared, with a level of bombast completely unchanged by the hours-long slog. Hoshi jolted, the zubat on his shoulder squeaking in equal surprise. ¡°Shall we continue? The day¡¯s light has yet to pass, and my masculine vigour remains undepleted!¡±

    I¡¯ll shove your fucking vigour right up your masculine ¨C ugh, whatever. Hoshi sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. ¡°I think I¡¯m about ready to call it for the day. Kenny?¡±

    The grunt replied with a shrug. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s not turn this into another cave adventure. Runnin¡¯ low on gas, too,¡± he said, tapping the dashboard in front of him.

    ¡°Sounds good!¡± Casca chirped, becoming more animated as the prospect of trudging through further swampland disappeared. ¡°Though you know, it seems kinda anticlimactic to just go home¡­¡±

    Hoshi snorted. ¡°An anticlimax is fine by me¡­ But I¡¯ll bite; what¡¯re you thinking?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve still got this dugtrio sitting on my belt¡­¡± As she spoke she drew the ball, expanding it. Immediately there was a wobble, the captured Pok¨¦mon attempting to break free and failing against either the ball itself, or Casca¡¯s grip. ¡°Any chance you boys could help a girl out?¡±

    She batted her eyelashes at the Rocket Hunter, and Hoshi needed to restrain himself from snorting again. Hah. Come on girl, you¡¯ll need to put in a little more effort to hook a fish that chunky-

    ¡°A dugtrio? Marvellous! That will be quite useful in our quest ¨C indeed, we might manage to complete this before week¡¯s end!¡±

    ¡­Okay, maybe not. But I can¡¯t say he wouldn¡¯t have agreed without the honey, either.

    Kenny¡¯s lips pursed. ¡°That a good idea? Won¡¯t it just, like, dig away?¡±

    Hoshi and Kiribo both opened their mouths to answer, and after a moment the Rocket Hunter bowed out ¨C literally. ¡°By all means, after you!¡±

    ¡°Right. Well¡­¡± How to word this without calling him a dumbass between the lines..? ¡°The inside of a pok¨¦ball is a kind of energy-space, and it¡¯s apparently really pleasant to be in if you¡¯re a Pok¨¦mon. I couldn¡¯t tell you the mechanics behind how it happens, but a newly-caught ¡®mon is sort of¡­ pacified, a little bit. There¡¯s a reason our guys didn¡¯t try and fight us when that ass released them, even though they were fresh captures.¡±

    ¡°Indeed!¡± Kiribo picked up. ¡°There shall be five or ten seconds where this dugtrio is becalmed; the only reason to fear at all is that it is an evolved Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    Casca nodded. ¡°What they said. Probably won¡¯t have to beat it into submission, but why take the chance? Better to release it in a circle of other Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    Kenny paused in thought, and then nodded back as his confusion was placated. ¡°Huh, didn¡¯t know they did that. You gonna join in, Boss?¡±

    Hoshi considered it. Venus isn¡¯t evolved, so it shouldn¡¯t really be necessary¡­ To be honest, the biggest reason I didn¡¯t release her today was because I¡¯m afraid that if she sees a group of other mankey and bolts, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to pick her out to recapture her. ¡°Maybe,¡± he concluded, ¡°If the first round goes smoothly.¡±

    Kiribo clapped his hands. ¡°Let us begin then!¡± He released his alakazam, and Kenny did the same with his sandshrew and lickitung. Candy walked forward, and Hoshi sent Crow and Guts in to complete the circle.

    ¡°Okay, on three,¡± Casca said, hefting the ground type¡¯s ball. ¡°One. Two¡­

    ¡°Three!¡± she cried, releasing the dugtrio. There was a moment where the red light formed into something long and sinuous, like a many-finned fish, and then the Pok¨¦mon compounded the similarity by diving into the soft earth like it was liquid. A fraction of a second later three smooth cylindrical heads poked up, fully returned to flesh and blood.

    Hoshi felt the briefest moment of intense jealousy, but put it to the side with an ease that surprised him. Huh, I expected to be more caught up on this ¨C whatever, I¡¯ll examine that later.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Casca cooed. ¡°It¡¯s me, big guy-¡±

    ¡°Girl,¡± Hoshi grunted, causing the woman to blink.

    ¡°Really? How can you-? Anyway,¡± she continued, ¡°You recognise me, right?¡±

    The dugtrio ¨C which Hoshi could tell was a female because of the larger size of its three bright, bubblegum-pink noses ¨C bobbed its two side heads while the middle one remained perfectly still. Its eyes narrowed as the heads swivelled, taking in the surrounding Pok¨¦mon.

    ¡°Yeah, I caught you.¡± Casca spoke softly but sternly. ¡°That means you work for me now, okay?¡±

    The dugtrio moved slightly ¨C and the ground trembled, the vibration subtle enough Hoshi wouldn¡¯t have thought twice about it if the situation were different. It hissed, separate sounds harmonising into something larger than the sum of its parts.

    ¡°Not happy, huh?¡± She smiled, patting Candy on her top arm. ¡°I get it. You must¡¯ve thought you were winning that fight¡­ But Candy here got back up a second later, and we beat your whole colony without trouble.¡±

    The ground shook again. Casca, babe, maybe don¡¯t rile it up like that on purpose? Hoshi whispered under his breath, trusting his zubat¡¯s sharp hearing. ¡°Crow, if it attacks you¡¯ll surprise it with Astonish, then use Supersonic.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re feisty, girl ¨C I bet you were the queen bitch of your cave, huh?¡± Casca paused to take something out of her bag, and as she unwrapped it Hoshi recognised some brand of fruit bar. Guts immediately switched attention to the food, and Hoshi quietly admonished her as his girlfriend took confident strides forward.

    ¡°But don¡¯t you want better than that?¡± she questioned, holding out the bar of solid jelly. ¡°You¡¯ve probably lived your whole life going from one muddy tunnel to another, eating little bugs¡­ Come here, taste this.¡±

    The dugtrio hissed again, but the sound was more subdued. Hoshi grit his teeth as the Pok¨¦mon glided forward one inch, then another, the ground opening and closing in its wake like the solid earth was waterlogged mud. For a moment its three heads jostled each other ¨C and then one took a bite, its mouth obscured behind the bulbous nose.

    ¡°Like it? You¡¯ll eat even better if you stay with me. Good food, a nice home, not having to worry about something walking into your den and eating you¡­ Pretty good deal, huh? Can you handle not being the boss if you get all that?¡±

    Another hiss ¨C or more accurately a growl, lower in both pitch and volume. The trio of heads bobbed as they took turns devouring the snack, and a second later only the wrapper was left. Casca took a step back, and again the dugtrio swivelled around until it could see its entire encirclement at once.

    It grunted, the sound even deeper, and Casca took that as acknowledgement.

    ¡°Good enough for me! Return¡­ Quake!¡±

    The newly-named Pok¨¦mon disappeared into its ball, leaving behind a trio of perfectly circular holes already beginning to collapse.

    ¡°Tense, that,¡± Kenny commented.

    ¡°A spirited negotiation, young lady!¡± Kiribo added.

    And finally Hoshi stepped forward, planting a kiss on Casca¡¯s forehead as she giggled. ¡°Good work.¡±

    ¡°As if there was any doubt!¡±

    He smiled. ¡°You could¡¯ve gone with something a little more original, though.¡±

    ¡°Oh, like you could¡¯ve come up with a better name,¡± she countered, slipping out of Hoshi¡¯s hug with a laugh. ¡°Now let¡¯s see this mankey of yours, stud. I wanna get home before sunset.¡±

    ¡°Right, right.¡± After a few moments getting their Pok¨¦mon back in order ¨C Guts and the lickitung had lost focus without an obvious target ¨C Hoshi threw the only filled ball left on his belt. ¡°Venus, go!¡±

    The middle of the circle flashed red as the mankey coalesced ¨C and before Hoshi had the chance to blink, Venus was already moving. She hopped right over Guts¡¯s head, streaking past Hoshi¡¯s side-

    And as she passed, he felt a tug on his belt. ¡°Hey!¡± he exclaimed, turning to see the ball of fuzz bounding away. ¡°Guts, Crow, get-!¡±

    He was cut off by the stolen pok¨¦ball¡¯s immediate return, the hard tool plonking him in the forehead. Hoshi stumbled back and fell on his ass, narrowly missing Guts as she dodged to avoid him.

    His rattata streaked off, chasing the mankey as it leaped around doing cartwheels, and Hoshi quickly pulled himself to his feet. ¡°Damnit- Move, people! She¡¯s..!¡±

    ¡­Not actually getting away. The mankey was dancing around, mirthfully dodging Guts as if they were only playing tag. Huh. I guess¡­ She¡¯s just excitable. ¡°Okay, false alarm.¡± But she could¡¯ve been, and none of you moved an inch!

    ¡°No need to worry, Senior Grunt! My partner would have caught the rascal as she fled, but it proved unnecessary!¡±

    Hoshi glanced at the alakazam, which was absentmindedly playing with its spoons; drawing them, giving them a spin like it was doing pistol tricks, and then re-holstering them, over and over. ¡°¡­Right.¡± He turned back to his Pok¨¦mon. ¡°Okay Guts, good job! You can tone it down now; no biting, just play tag!¡±

    Kenny growled out a chuckle. ¡°Man, your fuckin¡¯ face. That thing¡¯d make an okay trainer with an arm like that!¡± He laughed again, louder, and Hoshi bit his tongue. Yeah, laugh it up. We¡¯ll see how you feel when she¡¯s kicking your nice new normal type into a paste. ¡°So are we done here? I got shit to do at home.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hoshi replied. ¡°We¡¯re done for the day. I¡¯ll¡­¡± He shared a look with Casca, who nodded subtly. ¡°¡­Let Venus work off some of her energy first. You go on ahead.¡±

    The grunt nodded, returning his Pok¨¦mon to their balls. ¡°See you tomorrow then, Boss.¡±

    He accelerated, and Casca called after him. ¡°Remember to turn in the abra! Don¡¯t take those home with you!¡±

    Raising his fist to show he¡¯d heard, Kenny continued. Before long he was just a speck against the distant buildings, and then he disappeared. That thing looks faster when you aren¡¯t on it, somehow. Hoshi turned to Kiribo. ¡°And you? Gonna keep hunting?¡±

    The fat man laughed. ¡°Doh ho ho, no, I don¡¯t believe so! My partner finds such simple prey tedious, and I would be a fool to test his patience for too long!¡± The man doffed an imaginary cap, then followed it with a salute. ¡°We¡¯ll be off then! You have lessons tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°We do.¡±

    ¡°Then I shall meet you at the conclusion of your classes! Farewell!¡± He walked towards his Pok¨¦mon and placed his hand on its shoulder. Wait, is he going to..?

    ¡°Hey wait!¡± Once again, Casca called after a departing Rocket, and the man paused. He sent a raised brow her way, and she continued. ¡°One last thing before you go. You said that Quake here would be useful for hunting abra, but¡­¡± She spun the dugtrio¡¯s ball on her finger. ¡°I don¡¯t really see how?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Do you not know..?¡± For a moment the Rocket Hunter was pensive, but then his aggravatingly cheerful demeanour returned twofold. ¡°Ah, if that¡¯s the case, then I have a wonderful idea!¡± he declared. ¡°I¡¯ll speak to my uncle, and see if he can do your lesson tomorrow! He would be much better suited than I to speak on academic topics!¡±

    Hoshi and Casca shared a look, their faces souring in sync. ¡°No,¡± Hoshi said, stepping forward. ¡°You don¡¯t- there¡¯s no need to bother the doctor, I¡¯m sure Jessie and James can explain whatever it is-¡±

    As if he didn¡¯t even hear Hoshi¡¯s words, Kiribo gave one last salute. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll look forward to it!¡± the man exclaimed, and then he disappeared.

    There wasn¡¯t even a crack of air being displaced; it was like the overweight man and his alakazam had simply turned invisible. Did they-? Was that really a teleport, all the way to the city? With that load?

    His girlfriend¡¯s groan broke Hoshi from his brief daze. ¡°Ahh, ¡®look forward to it¡¯ my ass. Tomorrow¡¯s going to be painful.¡±

    He let out his own breath of exasperation. ¡°Yeah¡­ Maybe it¡¯ll be better with a group? Spread the slime around a bit?¡±

    ¡°Bleh,¡± she articulately replied, and Hoshi turned his gaze back to the Pok¨¦mon ¨C who were now properly frolicking, rather than trying to attack each other.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he repeated. ¡°Anyway, at least he split. You still up to go see Danny?¡±

    She gestured. ¡°As long as we don¡¯t have to go through any ponds. Lead the way.¡±

    <hr>

    Hoshi heard the singing before he heard the music.

    Danny was a bad singer, his chant of ¡°Saturday, Saturday, Sa-tur-day,¡± both off-key and off-rhythm. Despite that, Hoshi couldn''t help but smile at the cacophony.

    ¡°It¡¯s Friday, you old fuck!¡± he announced as he and Casca passed through the gate, left wide open as always.

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± came the reply, bouncing off the numerous stacks of electronic detritus. ¡°Friday night¡¯s basically Saturday, don¡¯t be a pedant!¡±

    Hoshi snorted, and beside him Casca put a finger to her lips in thought.

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s an accent and a half. Where¡¯s this guy even from?¡±

    He led them into the stacks, guided more by instinct than the echo-obscured trail of Danny¡¯s shitty singing. ¡°No idea. I¡¯m thirty percent sure he¡¯s Unovan, but fuck if I can pin it down further than that.¡±

    Casca hummed, and a minute later they came to a clearing deeper into the junkyard than Hoshi usually had to go.

    ¡°Huh,¡± he grunted. ¡°Hey Danny, that¡¯s that thing you¡¯ve been working on, right?¡± The man was up on a ladder ¨C a nice solid store-bought one rather than homemade, for once ¨C welding something in the interior of a large machine.

    It was a lot bigger ¨C about the size of a small car, if it were stood up on its bumper ¨C but he could still recognise it as the machine the man had been building on that summer day. The day after I met Casca¡­ Ah, I think I¡¯ll remember that ¡®till the day I die.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Danny replied. The welding torch died with a fwip as he cut the gas. ¡°Oh, hey Hoshi. Have I shown you this?¡±

    ¡°Eh, not really. You said it was gang shit and I stopped giving a fuck.¡± Hoshi circled the machine. It wasn¡¯t any more comprehensible now that it had been in June. ¡°It was when I sold you that pok¨¦ball, remember?¡±

    The man wiped soot from his face ¨C or more accurately he wiped soot onto his sleeve; the amount covering his face didn¡¯t seem to change much. ¡°I remember that, yeah¡­ Anyway, what¡¯s up?¡± His head angled towards Casca. ¡°Oh hey, it¡¯s the lady. Hey, lady, you keeping my boy here all on the up-and-up?¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh, the exact opposite, Mister Houndoom. We¡¯ve been dragging each other down, if anything.¡±

    ¡°Mister Houndoom¡­¡± Danny repeated, his near-toothless grin widening. ¡°I like that, keep calling me that. You here to get a Pok¨¦mon, fine lady?¡±

    Ah, perfect segue. ¡°Actually, we are. How many abra do you think we can get for¡­¡± Hoshi reached for his belt, pulling Crow¡¯s Rocket Ball free ¨C and then the drama was ruined as he completely failed to remove the cover one-handed. He passed the thing to Casca, who popped the exterior off and handed it back. ¡°¡­One of these,¡± he finished, mildly dejected.

    ¡°Hoshi,¡± Danny began, but then the words stopped. His face changed shape as multiple emotions fought for space, eventually settling on a sort of wary greed. ¡°Kid, it¡¯s one thing to steal from your dipshit corpo boss, and another from¡­¡± Another pause as he subdued the urge to reach for the pok¨¦ball. ¡°Team Rocket. I got a look at that thing¡¯s guts; they must be as hard to make as piggy pearls. They¡¯ll come after us, man.¡±

    In response Hoshi drew another ball, this one from his bag. He awkwardly held both the Rocket Ball and standard Pok¨¦ Ball out. ¡°If I tried to steal one then yeah, but this one¡¯s mine ¨C my zubat¡¯s inside.¡±

    ¡°You swap ¡®em out,¡± Casca explained. ¡°And keep the Rocket Ball. As long as it stays with you, nobody¡¯ll know the difference.¡± Then her eyes narrowed, and her hand went down to rub her finger against Candy¡¯s ball. ¡°So you better not misplace it, you get me?¡±

    Danny grunted. ¡°Hey, I ain¡¯t even said I¡¯d buy the thing. Why d¡¯you even want abra anyway?¡±

    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s a long story,¡± Hoshi replied. ¡°But I¡¯m gonna need you to answer me now, Danny; you interested?¡±

    The man¡¯s tongue lashed out to wet his lips as his face was once again wracked by indecision, but Hoshi was pretty sure he saw the near-lustful expression he¡¯d seen before beginning to win out.

 4.07 - The Mysteries of Life

    Maybe he isn¡¯t as gross as I remember?

    That was Hoshi¡¯s fervent hope as he walked through the Electric Academy¡¯s halls, his girlfriend leading a few steps ahead. It¡¯s natural to exaggerate that sort of thing in hindsight, right? It¡¯s not like he actually did anything; he just has a weirdly-shaped face.

    But as much as he repeated the self-assurances, the grunt was still dreading the coming hours.

    ¡°Hey Hoshi,¡± Casca spoke over her shoulder, bringing him back into reality. ¡°You alright? You seem pretty out of it.¡±

    He made a vapid mouth-sound to show he¡¯d heard, then returned to introspection for a long moment. They turned two corners before Hoshi replied, his voice tired. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure, to be honest. I¡¯ve been having this weird nightmare lately, and I got my hand broken over basically nothing, and¡­¡± He licked his lips, tasting the slightest hint of sea salt from the breeze coming off the bay on the way over. ¡°I dunno. When I take a step back and look at it big-picture I can see I¡¯m full of shit, but I kind of feel like I¡¯m standing still while stuff just happens to me.¡±

    Casca slowed, and the two walked shoulder-to-shoulder for the length of another hall. Then she spoke quietly into his ear, her tone mixing stormcloud-grey concern with a slightly forced sunlight-yellow cheer. ¡°Hey, everybody gets down sometimes, right? We just finished a really big job, and you don¡¯t know what¡¯s gonna happen next¡­ You¡¯re probably also feeling shitty from getting dunked yesterday, I know I am.¡± She bumped his hip with her own. ¡°Or you¡¯re having a pre-emptive reaction to the Doc.¡±

    Her comment made him huff out a laugh, and they travelled the rest of the way in comfortable silence.

    You know, I¡¯m actually starting to really remember where everything is in this place ¨C horribly confusing architecture and all.

    Eventually, after navigating the maze, the two arrived at the standard classroom that they and the other grunts had been using since Hoshi¡¯s induction. The plain, unlabeled door loomed with an air of menace, and his hand slowed in hesitation as he reached for the knob ¨C then the trepidation turned to annoyance.

    This is dumb. I¡¯m getting anxious over nothing; he¡¯s going to leer and ogle and talk in his dumb posh accent, but that¡¯s it. I can handle that easy, so what the fuck am I afraid of?

    The pulse of anger momentarily washed away his anxiety, and Hoshi pushed forwards. The door opened, he stepped through, took a fraction of a second to pick from among the many empty desks ¨C it seemed only Ryan had arrived before them ¨C and marched forward to sit himself down heavily, all in a rush.

    ¡°Mutsu,¡± Ryan greeted tersely, occupied with arranging several binders on his own desk.

    ¡°Sampo,¡± Hoshi returned, his voice equally flat.

    ¡°Meow,¡± came a richly aged voice from behind the desk, and even after months of lessons Hoshi still had to put effort into not flinching.

    The two men turned forward as Casca seated herself to Hoshi¡¯s right, and a moment later the speaker appeared; Meowth the Persian ¨C dressed today in a grey suit and matching bowler-adjacent hat ¨C leapt up onto the desk and sat on his hind paws.

    ¡°Meow,¡± he repeated.

    ¡°Good morning, sir,¡± the three Rocket Grunts replied, voices reasonably in-sync. While Hoshi ¨C and presumably the other grunts, too ¨C had only the vaguest idea of what the Pok¨¦mon was actually attempting to communicate, the ritual had gradually evolved into a back-and-forth over the course of the last month. One thing''s for sure: he understands what we say, even if the reverse isn¡¯t true.

    A minute passed as Hoshi and Casca brought out their own notes, and the very moment he set everything in order Puce and Nerine entered.

    ¡°Hello Mister Mutsu, Mister Sampo, Miss Kichi,¡± the larger woman greeted. ¡°Mister Meowth.¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°Hey guys,¡± came Nerine¡¯s more casual greeting. ¡°I heard you got caught up in something, but holy shit, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d break your arm.¡±

    Her words made Ryan raise his head, and his bright eyes flashed with shock as they took in the cast enclosing Hoshi¡¯s right hand. ¡°What? When could that possibly have happened, we haven¡¯t even received our next assignment!¡±

    Hoshi clenched his jaw silently, leaving it to his girlfriend to relay the disastrous meeting with Dabi to the group. ¡°Oh, Arcus,¡± she began. ¡°It was this whole thing¡­¡±

    As she spoke his emotions flip-flopped; phantom twinges in his fist sparking anger, which was quickly replaced by satisfaction as he remembered his subversion of the bipolar asshole¡¯s task, which was further replaced by sick anticipation as he looked ahead to the coming lesson. Gah. I bet half my mood today is being fucking sleep deprived. Fucking cast, fucking dumb nightmare¡­ It wasn¡¯t sensible, was the bit he couldn''t wrap his head around; he didn¡¯t even remember the name of the female executive who¡¯d handed him his first loss, so it wasn¡¯t like he was fixated on it or anything. The memories of his Pok¨¦mon being blasted with scalding water didn¡¯t elicit any more emotion than he expected, so why did it unsettle his dreams so often? It was dumb.

    He tuned back into the conversation as Casca concluded with Kiribo¡¯s teleportation-aided departure, completely skipping their stop at the junkyard.

    ¡°A cowboy alakazam?¡± Nerine commented, raised brows emphasising the subtle bags under her eyes. ¡°I bet that was a trip.¡±

    ¡°Eh,¡± Hoshi broke in. ¡°It wasn¡¯t actually that interesting? We didn¡¯t even get to see it do anything except teleport away; the guy rushed ahead and did his own thing.¡±

    ¡°Still, that¡¯s a very powerful Pok¨¦mon. This Kiribo must be placed highly within the organisation; you would do well to curry his favour.¡± Ryan¡¯s curls bounced as he gave a sage nod.

    Kiss ass with Hypno¡¯s good clone? No way, I¡¯d rather play chicken with a charging tauros. ¡°Tell you what, why don¡¯t you stick around after class, and you can do that.¡±

    The man actually looked like he was considering it. ¡°Hmm, not the worst suggestion, Mutsu. I¡¯ve never met a Rocket Hunter before, and if his surname is any indication-¡±

    He was interrupted as the sixth and final grunt entered the room. Kenny¡¯s steps were wide and animated as he all but flung himself into a chair. ¡°¡®Sup.¡±

    ¡°Huh, someone¡¯s in a good mood,¡± Casca shot his way, and the bald man grinned.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be? Finally doin¡¯ trainer shit, not all that spy crap.¡±

    Hoshi snorted. ¡°Man, we didn¡¯t do any spying, that was all the girls. You just fought the Gym Leader ¨C and that¡¯s the literal definition of trainer shit.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡± Kenny growled. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know it from how much homework you had us doin¡¯. Wasn¡¯t useful at all, either.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s nostrils flared, but he managed to release his building rancour with a hiss, rather than a screech. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta plan for failure, Menard. Otherwise you come off as a dumbass.¡± He turned away, staring at the empty whiteboard as the anger ebbed away. Fuck. You know, maybe if I started treating everything like the job, I wouldn¡¯t do so much dumb shit¡­

    ¡­Nah, I can¡¯t be taking two months to plan out every little thing. Not enough hours in the day.

    Puce¡¯s youthful voice cut the tension. ¡°I thought it was useful¡­ I can imagine panicking really bad in a version of that day where I didn¡¯t have the guard schedules mem- uh, mostly memorised.¡±

    Kenny grunted back, neither conceding nor arguing. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m glad it¡¯s over, anyway.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s mood lightened again as the banter turned to other topics. Ryan monologued about his dragon¡¯s progress, Casca expressed a desire to take Nerine and Puce to Moonside and pestered Kenny about his bike¡­

    And then he finally rejoined as the talk turned towards their new Pok¨¦mon. ¡°Yeah, they all seem to be getting along pretty well.¡± His free hand traced across his belt, fingers ghosting along the three balls. ¡°Crow doesn¡¯t really like how loud the other two can be, though. I¡¯m not sure if I should get her a separate enclosure, or try and get the more excitable girls to calm things down¡­¡±

    ¡°A mankey, a slowpoke, a venonat¡­¡± Ryan commented with a shake of his head. ¡°Somehow, that is simply too fitting. Perhaps I should acquire a kingambit, and complete the set.¡±

    Hoshi didn¡¯t know the Pok¨¦mon the blond was referring to, but he did see the opening. ¡°Really? I think a glameow would be a better comparison.¡±

    Ryan glowered, but his eyes sparkled with a sheen of amusement. ¡°Alas, I have no comeback for that ¨C any other comparison I could make pales before reality.¡±

    That drew a few snorts, but before they could start up again the door opened.

    Jesse and James entered the room without a hint of showmanship, and Hoshi¡¯s eyes widened. Wow, I never seen them look tired before. The two split up to dodge through the field of desks, and in the ten or so seconds it took for them to place themselves at the front of the room some of their customary energy had returned.

    ¡°Hello, students!¡± James started.

    ¡°Today was going to be a thorough accounting of you magnificent victory last week-¡±

    ¡°And we will be getting to that at some point!¡±

    ¡°-But a few things have piled up on our end.¡± Jessie¡¯s nose wrinkled. ¡°The odious agents of the Indigo League have already started turning the pressure up now that the Moltres situation is resolved, so we¡¯ll be passing today¡¯s lesson to one of our illustrious Rocket Professors.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Please come in, good Doctor!¡±

    There was a quiet slap from behind the desk, accompanied by a grunt of exertion ¨C hah, I knew there was a trap door back there somewhere! ¨C and the short, bulbous figure of Kim Kimigawa emerged. Having just seen the man¡¯s nephew the other day, the differences between them were stark.

    I definitely wasn''t mis-remembering the leer. Ugh, I really hope I don¡¯t make a face like that when I look at women¡­ or anything else, for that matter.

    The man¡¯s grey-flecked eyes trailed from one grunt to the next, his tongue very nearly lolling. ¡°Hoo, quite the trek up from my laboratories. More strenuous than I remembered!¡±

    ¡°Such is the price of luxury!¡± Jessie commented.

    ¡°And security!¡± James finished. ¡°Thank you again for volunteering, Doctor. We¡¯re positively swamped.¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    The scientist wiped his brow with a handkerchief. ¡°No trouble, no trouble¡­¡± Then he turned to the assembled ¡®students,¡¯ his omnipresent smile widening. ¡°Thank my nephew, he suggested it. Now, shall I begin?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll be off,¡± James said, and the two Senior Executives stepped behind the desk as their persian stood and stretched.

    Twin waves. ¡°Please be good for the good Doctor now,¡± Jessie concluded, and then they ¨C hugged each other and¡­ started to spin?

    Hoshi¡¯s face stretched with incredulity as the two descended smoothly, spinning all the while. It¡¯s like they¡¯re damn cartoon characters going down a giant toilet. What even-?

    ¡°Meow,¡± Meowth bid farewell, and then he leapt behind the desk as well.

    Hoshi stood. I have to know, he thought. Discarding decorum to whip forward, he stepped around the expansive desk a moment after Meowth¡¯s tail disappeared to see ¨C nothing.

    No, I refuse. There¡¯s a sensible answer here. He went down on his knees, pawing the floor. No conspicuous seams, no hollow noise then he rapped it with his fist. ¡°What the fuck? How?¡± Teleportation? Some high-tech transporter thing? Or is it actually just a trap door, and it¡¯s really well hidden..?

    A cleared throat came from above, and Hoshi looked up into Doc Hypno¡¯s pudgy chin. ¡°If I may begin, Senior Grunt?¡± he asked, tapping the floor with his cane.

    Hoshi¡¯s face warmed. He stood, muttering an apology as he made his way back to his desk. ¡°Yeah, sorry¡­¡± Theatrical bullshit. There¡¯s a trick there, and I want to know it.

    The doctor tapped his cane again. ¡°Wonderful. Let me just get my notes, and¡­ Oh, fiddlesticks.¡± The rotund man rummaged in his labcoat, then the second, more high-class garment underneath. ¡°Did I leave them..?¡±

    A muffled ¡°Meow,¡± sounded out from behind the desk, and then a dozen sheets of paper exploded up from the obscured space. Hypno¡¯s face went sour as he watched them drift to the floor, scattering around the front of the room.

    ¡°¡­Thank you, sir.¡±

    Another meow, even more muffled, and the Doctor sighed ¨C and Hoshi suppressed the urge to check behind the desk a second time. It wouldn¡¯t have changed. Maybe if I come in after everyone leaves with some tools..?

    ¡­No, forget about it. They¡¯d make me pay for tearing it up, at the very least.

    The doctor laboriously gathered up his notes, stacked them neatly, and then cleared his throat a second time. ¡°There we are. Now¡­¡± He turned forward. ¡°I am Doctor Hypno, but please call me Doc. Today, I will be speaking about a number of topics. Pok¨¦mon breeding, the manner that they are stored within Pok¨¦balls, their elemental affinities and special abilities¡­ But all of these subjects share a common, underlying fact which unites them.

    ¡°That fact is this: Pok¨¦mon are primarily composed of a special sort of energy, similar but distinct from the matter that makes up most ordinary materials. While they may use these mundane materials ¨C rock, metal, flesh and bone ¨C within their bodies as well, their essence is of something entirely different.¡±

    He began to pace, and Hoshi begrudgingly switched into note-taking mode. Yeah, just ignore him ¨C focus on the words, not the mouth they¡¯re coming from.

    ¡°There are other forms of life which use this special energy, most notably the fruiting plants used to produce Potions and other Pok¨¦mon-centric medicines, but I¡¯ll leave that matter for a separate lecture. As life begins in the womb, let us also begin there ¨C with the matter of Pok¨¦mon breeding, and its practical applications for trainers.¡±

    Hoshi grimaced as the emphasis the man placed on the word slithered through his eardrums, but his pen moved to record it nonetheless.

    ¡°Pok¨¦mon,¡± Hypno continued in his smooth voice, ¡°Do not pass on their genes in the form of DNA, as humans and other animals do. Their genes are encoded in what is called EPI; Energetically-Printed Information. The pattern of this information encodes not only the physical structure the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s cells need to replicate, as DNA provides for us, but also the moves that said Pok¨¦mon will learn naturally as it ages ¨C and, this means that it varies based on a specific specimen¡¯s parentage.¡±

    ¡°Egg moves,¡± Ryan chimed in, and the doctor pointed with his cane.

    ¡°Just so!¡± His speech began to take on a more manic tone. ¡°A Pok¨¦mon with a peculiar father might be born knowing some moves unnatural to its species ¨C and I¡¯m sure you all know that Pok¨¦mon may breed outside of their species, something rare in DNA-based life.¡± Please, stop saying the word breed. ¡°This is also the mechanism that allows the use of Technical Machines; by inserting a specific signature into a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s form while it slumbers within a ball, they can be made to instantly learn moves without manual training. One might say that the machine becomes a third parent, inserting the information of a new move the way viruses insert their genetic structure into our own, human essence.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    This time, his tongue did loll. ¡°And much like a viral infection, overuse of TMs can result in¡­ damage. Try not to overindulge.¡±

    Hoshi scribbled furiously as the doctor continued, expounding on the way Pok¨¦mon used their stores of energy to express moves, how it was diminished and replenished, how it related to evolution¡­ His left hand began to cramp up, not used to writing, and he was forced to record with short snippets that would no doubt become gibberish within a week as his memory failed. Damn it, talk slower..!

    Then the scientist dipped into his own personal history with the subject. Studying the breeding habits of ghosts in Lavender, attempting to create something not completely dissimilar to the Pok¨¦mon Storage System using radio waves, being recruited onto a military team as the war began¡­ ¡°Yes,¡± he intoned, ¡°Cinnabar Labs¡­ It seems almost unbelievable in hindsight; Oak, Fuji, Blaine, all the brightest minds in Kanto gathered together into a handful of stuffy rooms. The miracles we created¡­¡±

    Hypno paused, seemingly enraptured by his mind¡¯s eye, and the spell was only broken when Kenny raised his hand to speak. ¡°Was Bill there?¡±

    Instantly the doctor¡¯s face contorted. ¡°Bill,¡± he said. ¡°Bill,¡± he spat.

    For a moment Hypno¡¯s expression became rancorous; his teeth clenched and his eyes bugged out so hard Hoshi was afraid they would pop right out of his skull. ¡°Bill was in Johto, Kenny,¡± he muttered quickly to his subordinate. ¡°He was the enemy.¡± He looks like he¡¯s having an Arc-damned heart attack. Should somebody..?

    Then the strangely-shaped man calmed some, his leering smile returning. ¡°No,¡± he said, voice once again smooth ¨C though not quite as much as before. ¡°Bill was not there. Hoo hoo hoo, can you even imagine? Adding that perversion to the room¡­¡±

    Hoshi blinked, pen completely still.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Hypno continued, completely glossing over the absurd sentence he¡¯d just uttered. ¡°But perhaps that would have¡­ Anyway! At Cinnabar Labs I turned my attentions and considerable expertise towards a new field, the intersection of human biology with that of Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    ¡­Is he implying..?

    Casca spoke for the first time since the man had entered the room. ¡°Is that like..? Those old legends about people marrying Pok¨¦mon from up north?¡±

    He dismissed her with a wave of his cane. ¡°No, don¡¯t be silly ¨C though I suppose the comparison is apt in a metaphorical sort of way.¡± The length of wood spun in his hand in a show of dexterity Hoshi wouldn¡¯t have attributed to the unhealthy-looking man, and he turned on his heel to resume pacing. ¡°Deoxyribonucleic life holds its own unique features that energetic life cannot replicate. On that tiny island, nestled within the bosom of an active volcano, we sought to¡­ yes, hoo hoo, to marry the two. Create a new type of life, with all the strengths and none of the weaknesses.¡± His voice gradually regained the manic energy that had flowed before the interruption. ¡°If we had succeeded ¨C think of the implications! Instant healing for humanity, as we can already accomplish for Pok¨¦mon. Instant travel as energy patterns, the strength and durability of energetic life without the accompanying weakness to opposing types, the ability to pass learned knowledge directly from parent to child, from machine to man and back again¡­¡±

    His shoes screeched in pain as he spun, leaving black marks on the hardwood. ¡°And we almost did it! No, we did do it! Project Two created a proper hybrid, it was only¡­¡± Hypno froze, his hand continuing to idly spin his cane as the rest of him was completely still, and a moment of absolute silence passed before he spoke again. ¡°...Well, the particulars of that are a bit outside the bounds of today¡¯s lesson. Let¡¯s see, where was I¡­¡±

    He paged through his notes, and the grunts took the opportunity to share uncertain looks. What the fuck was that? they communicated without speaking.

    ¡°Here we are¡­ Oohoo, special abilities! Now, I was particularly shocked when my nephew mentioned you grunts weren¡¯t familiar with the concept, but perhaps he was mistaken. Can anyone tell me what that term refers to?¡±

    Ryan raised his hand. ¡°Sir, I believe you¡¯re referring to unique features of certain Pok¨¦mon species ¨C for instance the resistance to self-imposed impact damage that many rock and ground types exhibit.¡±

    Hoshi frowned. Is that..? Necessarily a special ability? If they have hard heads, then they won¡¯t take damage from hitting things hard; that¡¯s just common sense.

    ¡°Just so!¡± Hypno exclaimed. ¡°Special abilities are, as you might guess from their inclusion in this lecture, yet another manifestation of EPI ¨C and as such they can vary from one individual to the next, even within species.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve been trying to get our version of the Pok¨¦dex to detect them, but¡­ Well, moving on. Let me give an example!¡±

    He plucked one paper from the stack and affixed it to the board with adhesive putty. As he stepped away, Hoshi recognised the Pok¨¦mon shown on the two different photographs. That¡¯s¡­ azumarill, the evolved form of marill. He searched through his assembled knowledge of the Pok¨¦mon. What would its ability be¡­ I¡¯ve seen the pre-evolved form once or twice, but I don¡¯t recall anything worthy of being called special¡­

    ¡°Azumarill,¡± Doc Hypno confirmed with a tap of his cane, ¡°Is a Pok¨¦mon with three very distinct abilities. This one on the left, as you can see, has a svelte physique¡­ while the one on the right more resembles my own self, hoo hoo!¡± He patted his belly, leering self-deprecatingly. ¡°These are expressions of the special abilities known colloquially as huge power and thick fat. Unfortunately the third, much rarer ability ¨C sap sipper ¨C has no physical expression to be conveniently illustrated.¡±

    He resumed pacing. ¡°The muscular azumarill is capable of expressing physical strength beyond what its body should be capable of; indeed, the difference in appearance is almost entirely aesthetic, only useful as a¡­¡± He licked his lips noisily. ¡°Sexual display. The other is similar; though it does indeed have large deposits of subcutaneous fat, its entire body is oddly resistant to extremes of heat and cold, including the effects of fire and ice type moves. The third ability allows the subject to absorb grass type energy, completely negating what would otherwise be a weakness.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s pen moved across the page, recording every word despite the building cramp. Okay, I take back all the trepidation from earlier; this is worth any amount of creepy looks.

    ¡°Pok¨¦mon may in rare cases have more than one ability,¡± the doctor continued, ¡°But this is limited. Though certain azumarill have been observed to pair sap sipper with one of the others, attempts to breed a line possessing both power and fat have completely failed. Now, do I have..? Yes, here they are¡­¡±

    He drew six additional sheets from the stack, placing them on the desk. ¡°I¡¯ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of abilities shown by the Pok¨¦mon you were gifted upon your initiation. Please come forward and collect them.¡±

    Hoshi was standing before he¡¯d consciously processed the man¡¯s words ¨C and yet he was still slower than Ryan, who was already taking a step away from his desk. The grunts, one-by-one, retrieved the printouts with their Pok¨¦mon¡¯s species written across the top.

    Hand nearly shaking in anticipation, Hoshi reseated himself. How could there be an entire facet of Pok¨¦mon training I¡¯ve been ignorant of? That seems- that seems completely absurd! And Ryan knew about it? After a moment to compose himself, Hoshi remained baffled ¨C and decided to voice his question aloud, if in a slightly less self-centred fashion. ¡°Doctor, you said you were surprised we didn¡¯t know about this. Are special abilities common knowledge?¡± They can¡¯t be ¨C Surge would have said something during all the training sessions I had with him.

    The man lifted a finger and opened his mouth, but then closed it as his lips turned down in a frown. His heavy eyelids narrowed further in thought, and he hummed for a moment before replying. ¡°Well, perhaps I¡¯m overestimating the modern educational system¡­¡±

    ¡°I was taught about abilities over the course of my studies,¡± Ryan chimed in, and then Puce raised her hand.

    ¡°Um, I think I heard about something like that in reform school..? I know enough that koffing is immune to ground, at least, even though it isn¡¯t flying type¡­¡±

    Hypno tapped his cane. ¡°Ah, that right there ¨C that is perhaps the most salient argument for why abilities are a¡­¡± His tongue rolled from cheek to cheek, disgustingly visible under the thin, clammy skin. ¡°Niche area of knowledge. The common man sees a pikachu paralyse an enemy on contact, and assumes they used Thunder Wave. Or that a pidgey¡¯s ability to accurately strike an opponent through a cloud of dust is due to mere experience in creating such conditions. Abilities are easily mistaken for other phenomena ¨C features of a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s mundane biology, a learned skill, or the use of an obscure move to name a few. Magnemite hovers with much greater ease than koffing, and yet it is not immune to ground type attacks ¨C but many people believe it is, because such a thing is intuitively persuasive, and ground attacks tend not to reach very high as a rule.¡±

    He moved back to the pinned photographs, gesturing at them. ¡°If you saw the azumarill on the left heft a boulder, would you not think ¡®Of course it can do that, look at its muscles!¡¯ before anything else? If you found the other while walking around in a blizzard, would you not point to its blubber as the most reasonable explanation for its seeming comfort?¡± The doctor tapped his cane again. ¡°Yes, now that I think of it, it¡¯s not surprising that the knowledge hasn¡¯t trickled down too far¡­ I suppose I¡¯ve been around other scientists for too long, and I¡¯ve forgotten what the life of a layman is like, hoo hoo!¡± Following the laugh came a quiet mutter, and Hoshi strained his ears to hear. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe Oak was the one to crack it¡­ Always the least talented when it came to pure theory and code¡­¡±

    A third tap, his voice returning to normal. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll give you a moment to peruse those ¨C and to rest my legs! Whoo¡­¡±

    The scientist picked his own empty desk to sit in, and Hoshi finally ¨C it had been less than a minute since he¡¯d received it, yet the word still seemed appropriate ¨C read the contents of his sheet.

    Rattata¡­ Damn, this is actually pretty dense. It was definitely something written by and for an academic; there were whole paragraphs Hoshi could barely understand. But if I¡¯m reading right¡­ Rattata has the special ability to flee from battle?

    That didn¡¯t seem very useful, especially since he could just return Guts to her Pok¨¦ball for the same effect. Wait, there¡¯s more. Ah, extra power when physiologically distressed? That sounds a lot better. And¡­ another power boost, but with some kind of drawback? He squinted at a long paragraph, nine-tenths of which was jargon about energy patterns.

    ¡°Yo, what the fuck even is this?¡± Kenny said, also squinting at his paper. ¡°Something about the weather? ¡®S unreadable, is this even Kantonese?¡±

    Ryan sighed, beckoning the man. ¡°Pass it here.¡± Kenny did so, and the blond scanned the page for thirty seconds. ¡°Your sandshrew has two potential abilities; either it will be faster in a sandstorm, or more evasive.¡± He passed it back, and Kenny once again squinted at the dense text.

    ¡°Where does it say..? Whatever, I believe ya.¡± He put the sheet down. ¡°Seems like two ways of sayin¡¯ the same thing, though.¡±

    Hoshi attempted to return to his own paper, but gave up within ten seconds. Bah. I got the gist of it; that¡¯s the important part. His eyes went to Hypno, who was seemingly napping. Can¡¯t even ask him about it. ¡°So, what did the rest of you get?¡±

    Nerine answered first. ¡°Tomato can shed his skin to cure health problems.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I already knew that without this thing. He¡¯ll get intimidate when he evolves ¨C or maybe unnerve.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe they would know what those particular abilities do, Nerine,¡± Ryan commented. ¡°Though I¡¯m surprised you do. I doubt you¡¯ve gone through higher education given your age, so where did you learn such things?¡±

    The girl shrugged again, also turning her attention to Hypno for a moment before digging in her backpack. ¡°I have an uncle who¡¯s really into poison types. I guess you went to a fancy school or something?¡±

    ¡°No ¨C well yes, but my knowledge comes from my own family, rather than any institution. You could say I have been trained to be a trainer.¡± Then he, too, turned towards the sleeping doctor. ¡°Although it seems our instructor for the day has not been trained to be a teacher. This is highly unprofessional.¡±

    Nerine replied by opening a bag of chips and popping a handful in her mouth. ¡°Whatever. You think we can just go?¡±

    Hoshi glanced at his watch. ¡°Still an hour out from where we usually end. What about the rest of you, any luck puzzling these shitty papers out?¡±

    ¡°Candy can recover from poisons and stuff really fast,¡± Casca immediately replied. A sly smile crossed her face as she used her sheet to fan herself. ¡°Though I¡¯m cheating a little bit; I¡¯ve seen it in action. She can also glow, but I¡¯m questioning who typed these things out ¨C that doesn¡¯t seem like a special power at all.¡±

    Hoshi turned to Puce, who cringed. ¡°Uh¡­ We already know that Potato can float..?¡±

    Ryan sighed again, repeating his beckoning gesture. A minute later he passed the large woman her sheet back. ¡°Aside from the levitation, your koffing might have the ability to temporarily remove another Pok¨¦mon¡¯s own abilities, or create a powerful stench. Honestly, you all need to do a little more reading.¡±

    Fuck off, you fancy-ass prick, Hoshi thought, pushing the fact that they were all currently inside Vermillion¡¯s most prestigious academy to the side. Don¡¯t rub that shit in our faces.

    ¡°Hey Hoshi, what about you?¡± Casca asked. ¡°What can Guts and Crow do?¡±

    Her question made Hoshi aware that he hadn¡¯t even glanced at his second starter¡¯s potential abilities, and he hurriedly skimmed while reading. ¡°Guts can either run away from stuff really well, hit harder when she¡¯s burned or poisoned, or¡­ hit harder but with less accuracy, I think. Crow¡­¡± Oh fuck, this is even worse somehow. Energy shit, energy shit¡­ ¡°She can¡­ ignore certain moves.¡± Which it doesn¡¯t fucking name.

    With a third put-upon sigh, Ryan made another grabbing motion, and Hoshi grimaced as he handed his paper over. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t act like you¡¯re above us, ass. I remember you being absolute garbage at construction ¨C almost jackhammered your fucking arms off.¡±

    Ryan¡¯s face coloured. ¡°It was my first day! You¡¯ve been reading since you were a toddler ¨C at least I should hope¡­¡±

    Rolling his eyes, Hoshi motioned for the man to spit it out.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Ah, this is actually quite technical¡­¡± Hah! And right after you said that shit, too! ¡°I believe your zubat can¡­ Ah, she is likely immune to the surprising effect of moves like Bite and Astonish, or able to bypass Light Screen and Reflect.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Hoshi said, taking the paper back. He skimmed over the text again, completely failing to see how Ryan had parsed it out even now knowing the answer. ¡°That seems useful, if situational. And what about you? What abilities could Jorm have?¡±

    The man crossed his arms, his chin raising as he smirked. ¡°There¡¯s no could to worry about; I negotiated the use of a real Pok¨¦dex, and determined Jormungandr¡¯s abilities the very day I obtained him. My Pok¨¦mon has two abilities, which protect him from recoil and increase the savagery of certain attacks.¡±

    Kenny groaned, and Hoshi mirrored him in his head. ¡°Come on, that¡¯s bullshit! Why¡¯s your ¡®mon gotta always have extra shit going on?¡±

    Ryan¡¯s face emitted smugness like a radioactive cloud, bright green and caustic. ¡°I will repeat myself: I have been trained for this. I¡¯m good at it, I¡¯ve been good at it for a very long time. Leader Archer saw the effort I had put in, and decided to reward that effort ¨C I have, in a way, been a member of Team Rocket for several years already.¡±

    Hoshi and Kenny both grumbled while Puce whined and tried to smooth over the tepid conflict, and a few minutes passed where the grunts talked about nothing important.

    Then Nerine finished her chips and balled the empty bag up with a noisy crinkle. ¡°Welp, I¡¯m done. This guy¡¯s not waking up.¡± She shoved the bag into her oversized backpack and stood. ¡°Shame, too. I wanted to see his hypno. See you later.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Hoshi said, but any actual reason to stop her failed to appear in his head. We¡¯re obviously not getting a new assignment today, so¡­ Looking to the side, it was obvious Nerine was right; Hypno was dead to the world, quietly snoring as he slumped in his chair. Still a good while before we¡¯re set to meet with Kiribo. ¡°Whatever, you aren¡¯t wrong. But do you not want to stay for a bit, do some training with your new venonat?¡±

    She grunted. ¡°Eh, not today. Sorry. I¡¯m free tomorrow though.¡± She shrugged again, and as she left Kenny and Ryan stood as well.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that offer, Mutsu,¡± Ryan challenged. ¡°Fancy a two-on-two, Kaneth with me, Kichi with you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak for me, Suit,¡± Kenny replied. ¡°But sure, I¡¯m in. Savage is pretty strong, but he doesn¡¯t listen too good. Gotta work on that, get ¡®im some fighting spirit.¡±

    Hoshi looked to Casca, and received a nod. ¡°Sounds like a plan. Hope you don¡¯t mind if I use Candy though, I haven¡¯t thought to check Quake¡¯s moves or anything.¡±

    He nodded back. ¡°Seems fair enough; two trained Pok¨¦mon and two new catches. Puce, you want in on this?¡±

    ¡°Oh, um, sure? I mean- yes! I¡¯d like to train a bit!¡±

    The group of five packed up and made to leave, but as Hoshi passed the sleeping Rocket Professor a spontaneous thought made him consider waking the man. Would it be more polite to wake him up, or let him sleep? If the instructors are stressed, I bet the other high-ranking Rockets are getting it twice as bad¡­

    The sudden stab of empathy bled into his stomach, producing a sick feeling. Ugh. No, I don¡¯t wanna talk to this guy more than necessary. Nature can decide when he wakes up; I¡¯ve got training to do.

    Hoshi accelerated past the snoring heap, reaching the door first and pulling it open with none of the hesitation he¡¯d entered with ¨C only to come face-to-face with a very similar figure to the one snoring behind him.

    ¡°Senior Grunt!¡± Kiribo greeted, pulling his hand back from where it had no doubt been reaching for the knob. ¡°What a strange happenstance, that we should meet on the very threshold!¡± His bulk blocked the door completely; it would have been impossible to squeeze through, even if Hoshi had been willing to do so.

    ¡°K- Psychic Hunter. You seem a bit early.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I felt the desire to intrude on my uncle¡¯s lesson ¨C either to demonstrate my partner''s own special ability, or simply to observe!¡± He held his fist in front of his face. ¡°Warriors such as us must keep our minds as sharp as our blades, after all!¡±

    If you could speak at a normal volume, that would be great, Hoshi didn¡¯t say. Instead, he smiled ¨C though it was probably a bit wooden. ¡°Yeah. Sorry, but you missed your chance; the Doc ended the lesson early. We were just leaving, so if you could scoot over a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, how unfortunate ¨C or perhaps not!¡± Hoshi¡¯s face shook with the effort of not grimacing as the man continued to stand right where he was. Don¡¯t you fucking ignore me, you-! ¡°We can begin our hunt a bit early now! I believe I¡¯ve devised a way to keep my partner mentally stimulated even while facing-¡±

    ¡°Actually,¡± Hoshi interrupted, ¡°Me and my grunts were just about to get some training in. And I¡­¡± Do I say it now? Danny wasn¡¯t sure if he could actually make it, and if he doesn¡¯t show up¡­

    ¡°Oi Boss¡±, Kenny cried from behind. ¡°What¡¯s the holdup? Oh hey, it¡¯s the chestnut guy.¡±

    ¡­Plan for failure, or you¡¯ll look like a dumbass. ¡°I talked to a friend yesterday, a poacher who said he¡¯d be willing to drop off a few abra in exchange for a favour. I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯ll actually show today, but I need to be here if he does. So¡­ sorry, I can¡¯t leave just yet.¡±

    Kiribo blinked, his eyes ¨C an intense shade of orange-brown ¨C losing their sparkle for a moment. Hoshi dared to hope that meant his words had actually penetrated the man¡¯s fat head. ¡°Hmm,¡± he hummed, drawing the sound out long enough that a film of crimson began to pulse in the corners of Hoshi¡¯s eyes. ¡°Oh hoh, I suppose I¡¯ll simply have to wait for this compatriot of yours! You said something about training? Grand! I shall participate as well!¡±

    He finally stepped aside, and Hoshi bit his tongue to cut off his instinctive response, taking a breath ¨C and a few steps to actually leave the room ¨C first. ¡°Thanks. You can pair with Puce; she¡¯s just caught a psychic type, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get along.¡±

 4.08 - New Hires

    For reasons that Hoshi didn¡¯t particularly understand, he and his team were often the only people making use of the academy¡¯s battle court.

    It wasn''t that they only came on off days, nor was it that the school was deserted in general; no matter the hour, there were always a few people walking the halls, and more occupied in the multitude of rooms. Scientists, grunts, janitors ¨C who were probably grunts in disguise, Hoshi guessed ¨C and other, less identifiable Rockets were never in short supply.

    Maybe there actually is a second, better ground, and they just keep it hidden away from the newbies. That was the only halfway-sensible rationalisation he could make to explain why the battle area of their Pok¨¦crimes-focused organisation was so often completely empty ¨C including today, he found as entered.

    ¡°So!¡± the fat bast- the high-ranked gangster on Hoshi¡¯s heel exclaimed as the group of six passed through the sturdy double-doors. ¡°I was hoping to get to know you a little more, Senior Grunt! Tell me, how is it that you came to wear our illustrious colours?¡±

    ¡­Neither of us are wearing the uniform right now, Hoshi, again, did not say. ¡°I¡­ got picked up by a recruiter. Not exactly an interesting story, sir.¡± He took a deep breath. The lesson was fine, despite the instructor being Hypno. This will be fine, despite Kiribo butting in.

    ¡­As long as I don¡¯t freak out.

    ¡°So, the training,¡± Hoshi changed the subject as the Rockets spread out. ¡°Obviously I wouldn¡¯t dream of telling you what to do, but do you think you could give Puce a few pointers with her slowpoke?¡±

    ¡°Her name is Bear,¡± Puce chimed in.

    Kiribo¡¯s eyebrows came together in thought as her comment drew his eye, and Hoshi frowned while the Rocket Hunter examined his subordinate. Ugh, he might look only a tenth as perverted, but that¡¯s still enough to make my brain go to weird places.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose I could give you some pointers, milady!¡± The tubby man reached under his greatcoat and pulled out a Pok¨¦ball in a pattern Hoshi didn¡¯t immediately recognise; the bottom was the standard old-school white, but the top featured wavy stripes of light and dark green. Almost a bullseye, but not quite. I suppose that¡¯s thematically appropriate.

    He released his alakazam, drawing a gasp from Ryan. ¡°That Pok¨¦mon! Is it..?!¡± Ah, here¡¯s the ass kissing. The blond stepped forward, eyes shining. ¡°I simply cannot ignore such a powerful being. Tell me, how did you evolve it? Or did you catch it as it is?¡±

    ¡°Doh hoh ho! My partner and I met as young men!¡± Kiribo projected. ¡°Even back then, I was known far and wide for my talents as a hunter of rare Pok¨¦mon ¨C and though we are now bonded together as tightly as the closest of brothers, we began as bitter enemies..!¡±

    The man held his hand in front of his face, and his Pok¨¦mon ¨C dressed the same as yesterday; a western ten-gallon hat and leather half-vest, with dual holsters on its hips ¨C rolled its eyes. ¡°You see, I was tracking an elusive scyther through Viridian Forest, and yet as I moved from the shadow of one tree to the next, I began to find queer tracks that failed to match the native Pok¨¦mon¡­¡±

    Despite seeing it once already, the alakazam, strange dress aside, was still intimidating. Hoshi found his attention drawn to it as Kiribo prattled on. Viridian Forest? That¡¯s way west of where abra usually live ¨C too many bug types. You must have been a fighter to have made it all the way there, huh? It certainly looked like it; despite the academic knowledge that the abra line had poor defenses, its darker brown exoskeleton gave it a sturdy, armoured appearance. He keeps saying ¡®my partner¡¯ ¨C does it not have a name?

    The Pok¨¦mon suddenly seemed to notice his attention, its ¨C his, rather, given the immense size of his moustache ¨C narrow pupils turning to meet Hoshi¡¯s eyes.

    There was a- a something, almost like a pressure on the inside of his skull, and Hoshi quickly turned away. Dumbass, don¡¯t get smacked down by another hyper-strong Pok¨¦mon. Just¡­ stay cool.

    ¡°¡­And what did I find, but that the quarry had already fallen! Beneath the branches of a mighty cedar squatted a figure with large ears and a bushy tail, one I recognised instantly: a kadabra, the mystical fox spirits of Kanto¡¯s north! It brought its shining spoon down and, as though the dull silver edge was refined steel, cleaved the crest of our shared target from its head..!¡±

    The man¡¯s narration style may have been melodramatic to the extreme, but Hoshi would be lying if he said there wasn¡¯t a certain charm to the bombast ¨C it was like listening to a little kid play samurai.

    Except the swords are real, and they were definitely trying to kill each other, he thought, grimacing as the hunter lifted his tucked-in shirt to reveal a long, ugly scar painted across the front of his belly. Gnarly¡­ Either he didn¡¯t ¨C or couldn¡¯t ¨C go to a hospital, or the wound was even worse than it looks. Despite modern medicine lagging far behind when it came to the treatment of humans, it was still leagues better than before the war ¨C Hoshi¡¯s scars from the incident four years ago were basically invisible, and his broken fist would probably be usable within a week even without further treatment. Yeah, reading between the lines¡­ he must have patched himself up out in the wilderness.

    That¡¯s¡­ Hoshi¡¯s nose wrinkled as his distaste for the man¡¯s personality battled the respect his obvious competence instilled. ¡­A weird contrast to the posing and shit. Going after a scyther without any Pok¨¦mon ¨C he must have been pretty confident in his sword arm.

    The story continued, and Hoshi became even further conflicted; on one hand it was a damn good story, if inexpertly told, but on the other this was meant to be a training session, not Wiggly Theatre: Hobo Samurai Edition.

    ¡°¡­And so with the foe slain, my partner took his rightful spoils ¨C and, as he clutched the twisted spoon to his chest, it happened! Oh hoh, I cannot even begin to describe the triumph of the moment, it was so profound ¨C but you see the result before you!¡±

    The psychic Pok¨¦mon rolled his eyes again, but gave a short bow as his trainer gestured towards him.

    Ryan clapped, his hands coming together quickly and quietly. ¡°Magnificent, sir! You know, I had been considering a kadabra for my team even before today; might you be willing to share a few more secrets about its proper care?¡±

    ¡°Well, if you insist-¡±

    Then Hoshi clapped as well ¨C though his was an interruption rather than applause, a single sharp sound to gather attention. Yeah, no. One long story was already enough for my Saturday, and Hypno¡¯s was worth three. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we actually started.¡±

    ¡°Oh? I suppose it has been a few minutes¡­ Grunt Sampo, it seems your query will have to wait.¡±

    Thank Arcus, I half-expected him to ignore me again. ¡°Thank you for the story, sir, but we only have so many chances to get the group together like this, so we need to make it count ¨C unless you¡¯re bowing out, Sampo?¡±

    With a scoff Ryan drew his Pok¨¦ball, turning away from the Psychic Hunter. ¡°As if I could possibly back down from you. Kaneth, let¡¯s trounce these lovebirds!¡±

    ¡°As if,¡± Hoshi repeated back, drawing Venus¡¯s ball. ¡°One each. No switches, to knockout.¡±

    Kenny nodded absently, his eyes still pointed the alakazam¡¯s way as he, too, pulled a ball from his belt. ¡°Sounds good to me. We takin¡¯ a minute to do strategy first?¡±

    ¡°If you need it,¡± Hoshi quipped, and started moving towards the opposite side of the field.

    Casca joined, giving him a cocky grin as they placed themselves opposite their opponents. ¡°Hey. You look better.¡±

    Hoshi blinked. ¡°I do?¡± I don¡¯t feel better¡­ Or maybe I do? ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it. So¡­¡± He mirrored her grin. ¡°I go low, you go high?¡±

    She raised her chin sharply, tossing her hair behind her shoulders ¨C she was wearing it ungelled today; a look that was different from her usual, but equally attractive. ¡°Can do. Candy is just a hair off from mastering Rapid Spin, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±

    ¡°Me too, she¡¯s been getting a lot faster.¡± Then Hoshi turned away from the enticing curve of his girlfriend¡¯s neck, and back to where Ryan and Kenny were huddled. Ah, looks like Kiribo and Puce are starting too. That¡¯s good. ¡°What are they saying?¡±

    Her blue eyes sparkled. ¡°Hoshi,¡± she said, faux-admonishingly, ¡°Cheating? For shame.¡± Her grin didn¡¯t waver even a bit. ¡°They¡¯re going to try and snipe us to death ¨C keep us away with¡­¡± She paused, eyes narrowing. ¡°Damn, I think they talked about what moves the lickitung had before I started looking. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°No worries. Hmm, that means Ryan¡¯s given his dragon a ranged move¡­¡± A bulky normal type will be child¡¯s play for Venus. ¡°We¡¯ll focus the pink blob down first.¡±

    The pair across the dirt field broke apart, and Hoshi took that as a cue to do the same. ¡°Venus,¡± he whispered down to the expanded ball gripped in his off-hand, a quick trio of steps bringing him across from Kenny. ¡°You¡¯re fighting two opponents; the staryu in an ally. Start with Leer on the salamander and the dragon, then close in for a Scratch attack.¡± Probably a bit too complicated for her first battle, but who knows? Maybe she¡¯ll get it.

    ¡°You ready, Mutsu?¡± Ryan yelled across the expanse, and in response Hoshi wound up to throw. ¡°As you wish! Kenny, count us down?¡±

    The man blew out a sigh. ¡°Fine. One, two¡­¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    As a growled ¡°Three,¡± reached Hoshi¡¯s ears, he threw. For a moment he was afraid he¡¯d misjudged the force, but the ball sailed right where he¡¯d been aiming; Venus and Candy came out on the far right of the field, Kenny¡¯s side, and he saw the grunt¡¯s eyes narrow. No doubt he was wondering why they¡¯d decided to attack the slower, weaker, and bulkier ¡®mon.

    ¡°Water Gun into Rapid Spin!¡± Casca yelled, her words mixing with their opponents'' own orders.

    ¡°Jormungandr, breathe!¡± ¡°Savage, Defense Curl!¡±

    As his mankey glowered at the duo, causing both them and the humans behind them to shudder, Hoshi clenched his teeth. Damnit, that¡¯s a straight counter! ¡°Dodge, Venus! Stay Low!¡±

    Ryan predictably sent his attack at Hoshi¡¯s Pok¨¦mon, and the nimble monkey easily skipped to the side as a tight beam of blue fire cut a line into the dirt. Holy shit! You fuck, that has to be a premium disk! ¡°Good girl!¡± The lickitung can just counter Leer over and over ¨C not sure if going for it is still the right move..! ¡°Use Leer again, while closing in!¡±

    Savage took the Water Gun to the face, but it didn¡¯t seem to do much ¨C Oak¡¯s analysis had been spot-on; the thing was durable. It¡¯s probably closer to a fully-evolved Pok¨¦mon than a baby, at least from that angle. Hoshi¡¯s eyes narrowed. Slow as shit, though. ¡°Get behind it! Box it in, girl!¡±

    Venus dashed forward as Candy leapt into a spin, the staryu becoming a blurred disc cutting through the air in eerie silence. Another blue beam intercepted her ¨C either Jorm had spontaneously learned to lead his shots, or more likely it was just a lucky hit ¨C and Casca swore.

    But Candy kept going, Venus circling in from the side, and as his Pok¨¦mon started to be double-teamed Kenny was forced to change his order. ¡°Lick! C¡¯mon, listen this time!¡± he bellowed, and Hoshi¡¯s jaw clenched so hard he saw stars. A massive tongue extended from the ¡®mon¡¯s mouth, and Candy struck the gooey length of muscle ¨C and stopped, her momentum gone.

    The staryu¡¯s gem blinked with visible confusion despite its complete lack of a face. ¡°Huh-uh?¡± she grunted, weakly attempting to shake herself free, and Hoshi¡¯s vision tunneled as the lines of battle tangled together.

    ¡°Low Kick! Knock it down!¡±

    ¡°Candy! Use Water Gun!¡±

    ¡°Keep it up Jormungandr!¡±

    ¡°Supersonic! Back, double time!¡±

    Damn it! Why the fuck does a swamp lizard have Supersonic?! Venus smashed her foot into the lickitung¡¯s knee, the Water Gun splashed out at the same time Candy took a second Dragon Breath, and the stumbling Savage nonetheless managed to keen with its mouth full of tongue. Hoshi¡¯s vision went from a tunnel to a kaleidoscope as the addling waves of sound penetrated his eardrums. Fuck! This is so much worse from the other side!

    Then Candy managed to unstick herself from the diluted saliva, and he felt a seed of relief sprout in his chest. ¡°Casca, the thing has to have taken damage! Keep attacking!¡±

    ¡°Not so fast! Jormungandr, Fire Fang!¡±

    Venus missed her second kick, her eyes unfocused from the sonic barrage, and the little dragon charged.

    ¡°Candy, block it! Harden!¡±

    Fuck, Hoshi repeated in his head, fuck, fuck- this is a worse matchup than I thought it¡¯d be. On paper both our Pok¨¦mon should be able to run rings around these fucks, but this fucking mound of bubblegum will Lick us to death the second we let the pressure off! ¡°Get in there and kick it! It¡¯s gotta go down before we can do shit!¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Um¡­ hello. I¡¯m Puce Gracile. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Mister Kimigawa.¡±

    The large man waved his hand. ¡°Please, there is no need for formality. Simply call me, ¡®The Psychic Hunter!¡¯¡±

    The urge to giggle clawed at Puce¡¯s throat, but she swallowed it down; he was so sincere, it would be terribly rude to laugh. ¡°Of course. Um- oh, I haven¡¯t let Bear out, let me¡­¡± Face reddening, she released her slowpoke. The pudgy-looking Pok¨¦mon appeared, her pink fur lightening as the red flash disappeared.

    Bear blinked, staring intently at nothing in particular, and let out a low groaning ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±

    And Mister Kimigawa made another silly gesture, smiling. ¡°A paragon of its kind! Now, what did you wish for our training session to consist of?¡±

    Puce froze. Oh. I didn¡¯t think about¡­ Uh¡­ What would Nerine want her to say? ¡°I¡¯m trying to specialise in defense. Could you help with that?¡±

    ¡°Of course! But before we begin; tell me, what moves does this stout Bear know?¡±

    Again, Puce froze. Oh, come on. I stared at the Mini-Dex for so long this morning, trying to make it stick..! She was sure that if she hadn¡¯t been asked she¡¯d be able to rattle them off no problem, but under pressure¡­

    Her thumbs moved, imaginary buttons clicking. Come on, don¡¯t look stupid in front of someone new..! ¡°Tackle, Water Gun¡­ Growl¡­ And¡­ Curse?¡± The last word came out as a question despite her best efforts, but if Mister Kimigawa noticed he didn¡¯t show it.

    ¡°Ah, wonderful!¡± he said, clasping his hands. ¡°Its line must have cross-bred with a Johtonian slowpoke at some point. If it already has Curse, then the next step would be Amnesia!¡± He nodded, and Puce forced herself not to cringe as she asked a question.

    ¡°Sorry, but, what does Curse do? This is my first time training after catching her¡­¡±

    He blinked, mouth flattening. ¡°Ah, I suppose that¡¯s understandable.¡± Another gesture, chopping forward with the edge of his hand like he wanted to split a stack of boards. ¡°Curse is a rather complicated move, which uses the power of, as the name implies, a curse.¡± Complicated? Oh no¡­ ¡°When used by a ghost Pok¨¦mon the full power of its malevolence is unleashed, causing a terrible sickness in exchange for some of the user¡¯s own vitality. But as your slowpoke is not a ghost¡­¡± He clasped his hands again, quickly enough it was only barely not a clap. ¡°Its curse lacks the proper strength to reach an opponent.¡±

    ¡°And, uh, what will that do, then?¡±

    ¡°Is it not obvious? It will simply curse itself.¡±

    Puce frowned. ¡°That¡­ doesn¡¯t seem useful?¡±

    ¡°It is very useful, for certain Pok¨¦mon!¡± He gestured yet again, pointing to his partner ¨C which was off to the side, staring at nothing much like Bear was. ¡°My partner would find it quite useless and so does not know the move, and so I cannot demonstrate the effect for you ¨C but you will find that Curse greatly increases young Bear¡¯s attack and defense.¡± His finger moved to the slowpoke. ¡°The effect is one of stagnancy; when at full power, it slows the heart, causing sickness and death. When directed inward, by one whose malicious intent is merely mortal, it instead becomes something that makes change difficult ¨C including both the change caused by an enemy¡¯s attacks, and the change of your own attacks stopping.¡±

    He nodded, crossing his arms. ¡°Of course, this lowers normal movement as well, but your Pok¨¦mon will not be engaging in the subtle dance of a warrior; he is a brick wall, not a ballerina.¡±

    Puce nodded back. So it makes him slower, but¡­ more durable? That¡¯s good! That fits perfectly! ¡°Thank you, Mister Psychic Hunter. Um, so what does Amnesia do?¡±

    ¡°Much the same! It is an intentional blanking of the mind, a form of self-hypnosis that protects one from outside interference.¡± His smile widened. ¡°It is something your Bear will learn naturally as she grows, but we can hurry it along with some effort.¡±

    Oh, like Nerine helping me teach Potato to turn Smog into Clear Smog! ¡°That sounds great!¡± She inclined her body in a proper bow. ¡°Please teach me! Or, um, please teach Bear!¡±

    His teeth were actually not very white, but the intense look he got as he smiled made her think the word flash anyway. ¡°As you wish! Unlike Curse, my dear partner does know Amnesia. As he demonstrates it, why don¡¯t we speak? Tell me, what style of leadership would you say characterises your senior, if you had to put it into words..?¡±

    <hr>

    The battle was a grinding, miserable affair. And it''s all thanks to that fucking lickitung. Arcus, I¡¯m starting to wish I¡¯d pulled rank to capture the fucking thing, it¡¯s infuriating.

    The little monster had revealed a psychic move, completely upending the relationship between it and Hoshi¡¯s fighting type. Then a second ¨C or maybe third ¨C Defense Curl had sent it outside the realm of an easy knockout for either Venus or Candy, and the continuous stream of Licks and Supersonics turned them into gently bobbing psyduck for Jormungandr¡¯s fangs.

    It was only Candy¡¯s Harden and fire resistance that were keeping them in the game, and as the battle passed into its fifth minute Hoshi finally gave up ¨C his Pok¨¦mon was battered, singed, and feeling the effects of multiple coats of paralytic saliva. No reason to drag it out; we aren¡¯t learning anything from this anymore.

    ¡°Sorry, Casca,¡± he hissed, both furious and conciliatory. ¡°Looks like we lost this one. Venus, come back.¡±

    The laser connected and drew his mankey back into her ball, and a moment later Casca did the same to her staryu. She sighed, staring at the disguised tool in her hand. ¡°Blah. Really thought I¡¯d do better from all the battles I¡¯ve been through this week¡­¡±

    ¡°No, you were definitely the MVP on our side; Venus got nearly wiped from the one headbutt.¡± Am I going to have to shell out for another disk..? No, don¡¯t make a decision right now, not when you¡¯re pissed off. ¡°Too bad the MVP of the match was on the enemy team.¡±

    They turned to said team, watching as Ryan gave a tepid high-five to the more enthusiastic Kenny. Then, with a resigned frown, Hoshi started forwards.

    ¡°A splendid battle!¡± Ryan exclaimed as they approached, brightening as he took in the annoyance on Hoshi¡¯s face. ¡°It seems that your teamwork needs a bit of polish, hm?¡±

    ¡°Fuck yeah! Fuckin¡¯ get it!¡±

    A muscle in Hoshi¡¯s jaw jumped. ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± Before his traitorous hindbrain could decide to override his good sense he extended his hand, first shaking with Ryan, then the wildly grinning Kenny. ¡°Good match.¡±

    A few minutes later the two groups had reassembled, and though Hoshi¡¯s chest still pulsed with the heat of loss that feeling was receding. Suck it the fuck up. It¡¯s training. Venus got a lot out of that; winning or losing the actual fight didn¡¯t matter.

    To anything except his pride, that is.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s next on our agenda?¡± Ryan asked, still glowing from his win. ¡°Split up in the usual groups with the Psychic Hunter replacing Nerine?¡±

    ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t- wait, before that.¡± Let¡¯s make sure she¡¯s actually learning something. ¡°Puce, Hunter, you guys get along all right so far?¡±

    Puce nodded while Kiribo spread his hands and chuckled. ¡°Oh ho, of course! There are few more personable than I, Senior Grunt! My scholarship is that of the battlefield, and the studies I pass down are marked by the edge of the blade!¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay. You keep on doing¡­ that, then.¡± Hoshi turned to Casca and the other two participants of their battle. ¡°I¡¯ve got no idea what our next assignment is, or when it¡¯ll happen. So¡­ free-for-all, I guess. Do whatever.¡±

    Kenny nodded. ¡°Sure thing Boss. Another battle later?¡±

    Hoshi nodded back. ¡°Sure.¡± I wanna see if Venus does better in a one-on-one. But for now¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll be working with my three for a bit, get them more used to each other. Casca, you alright with these lugheads?¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    She gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°Yeah, I think Quake might be too standoffish for your girls still. Kenny and Ryan¡¯s guys are a little more durable, and I¡¯m looking forward to knocking some heads with a fully-evolved earthquake machine.¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    Hoshi snorted, then turned away ¨C only to nearly bonk heads with the Psychic Hunter, who was, for whatever reason, standing uncomfortably close. ¡°Erk-!¡±

    ¡°Senior Grunt,¡± the man said, his voice slightly more¡­ indoorsy than usual. ¡°Might I have a word?¡±

 4.09 - Futuresight

    ¡°Might I have a word?¡±

    Hoshi took a large step back, untangling his personal space from the larger Rocket¡¯s ¨C assuming that the man even had such a thing.

    ¡°¡­Sure? But what about-?¡± His eyes drifted around the man¡¯s bulk, to see Puce sitting cross-legged beside a similarly posed alakazam and lounging slowpoke. ¡°Huh.¡± Some kind of psychic thing, probably. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got a minute.¡±

    ¡°My thanks,¡± Kiribo said. ¡°Let us go to the corner of the room ¨C I fear we might be interrupted otherwise.¡±

    He turned, and Hoshi opened his mouth ¨C only for a slight tremor to run up his legs as Casca¡¯s voice reached over his shoulder. ¡°Little eager there, but I love the energy! Bulldoze again, Quake!¡±

    ¡°What the- the battle hasn¡¯t started!¡± came the annoyed reply from her opponent. ¡°Fine! Jormungandr, Dragon Breath!¡±

    Hoshi suppressed the urge to turn and watch his most annoying subordinate get taken down a notch, instead following after the Psychic Hunter. Plenty of time for that later ¨C and besides, I¡¯m curious what Mister Samurai has to say.

    The man stuck himself all the way into the corner before turning, and Hoshi spun his hand, gesturing to get on with it. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kiribo hummed. ¡°I had it all straight inside the steel trap of my mind, but now that I must translate feeling into words, I find myself at a loss¡­ Never before have I had to reveal this for another.¡± Reveal..? Arcus above, he isn¡¯t going to come onto me, is he..?

    The Rocket Hunter placed a finger to his chin, humming again, and Hoshi¡¯s jaw set. He waited, increasingly awkward, until eventually Kiribo snapped his fingers. ¡°Aha! I have it, the perfect opening! Tell me, Senior Grunt: have you ever seen strange colours where they should not have existed? A sparkle of the eye which was more literal than figurative, or perhaps even a disconcerting flavour upon the tongue when speaking to another?¡±

    Hoshi blinked, and then his face contorted in a grimace. ¡°Arcus, is Rocket hacked into the hospitals, too? What the fuck is this about, Kiribo?¡±

    ¡°Oh ho, then your answer is..?¡±

    His grimace deepened. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve got mild synesthesia. What¡¯s it to you?¡± And don¡¯t fucking play coy, there¡¯s no way you could have guessed that on your own; you¡¯ve known me for like, one day, and I haven¡¯t even said shit about it to Casca. ¡°It¡¯s a harmless brain quirk. Is that really what we went all the way across the room to talk about?¡±

    Kiribo grinned, ecstatic, and animatedly flapped his arms. ¡°Oh no, Senior Grunt, this is just the opening line! Breaking the ice! No, what I wished to talk about is¡­ this! Observe!¡±

    The man made yet another of his middle-schooler poses, pressing two fingers of each hand to his temples. He sucked in a breath, held it for a moment, and then slowly exhaled in a slowly-building ¡°Ohhhhh..!¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s nostrils flared, annoyance beginning to turn to confusion. ¡°What are you..?¡±

    ¡°Ohhhhh..!¡± Kiribo continued ¨C and as his voice rose something strange happened. The specks of orange in his bright brown eyes moved, seeming to drift across the span of his face like glitter caught by the wind.

    Then he brought his extended fingers directly down, and with a sharp snap a tiny divot was pressed into the hard tile ringing the training grounds, the force coming from seemingly nowhere. Hoshi took a step back, this time in something that was stronger than apprehension, but not quite enough to call fear. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± he said, voice catching in his throat. ¡°Psychic?¡±

    The hunter nodded, crossing his arms in satisfaction. His expression betrayed how much that small demonstration had tired him, and the shards of orange had returned to his- no, the orange was gone, his eyes a uniform brown. ¡°I am! And you almost certainly are as well, Senior Grunt!¡±

    Hoshi was speechless. Obviously he¡¯d known human psychics existed ¨C there was an entire Pok¨¦mon Gym that employed them exclusively in Saffron, just a day¡¯s hike north ¨C but he¡¯d never met one. ¡°You¡­ I¡­¡± What the actual fuck? ¡°Explain. What the fuck does- how did you know I had synesthesia?¡±

    ¡°Oho! Well, I cannot claim the entirety of the credit; my partner was the one to first bring the possibility to my attention. Then I observed your battle earlier, and with my eyes opened to the idea¡­¡± He threw his arms to either side. ¡°To speak honestly, I was expecting this conversation to end embarrassingly ¨C it was quite a long shot, so I am glad I hit the bullseye! Ho ho!¡±

    ¡°But- but-¡± With one breath, then a second, Hoshi brought his flailing emotion back under control. ¡°But what¡¯s the connection there? Plenty of people have my condition ¨C something like one in twenty, it isn¡¯t rare at all. No way they¡¯re- we¡¯re all psychic.¡±

    Kiribo nodded. ¡°Indeed! I have no awareness of any concrete connection between that particular neurological phenomena and psychic abilities!¡± Hoshi opened his mouth, but the man held up a finger to shush him. ¡°However! I recalled my uncle¡¯s descriptions of his own experiences, specifically the manner in which he compared sensing emotions to seeing a cloud of colour around a person¡¯s head! And since my partner had an inkling that your abilities were empathetic in nature, I decided to ask after your own perception of colour!¡± He nodded again. ¡°And it seems I was correct! Most likely, you do not, in fact, have synesthesia at all! Now, the next step is to-¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t know,¡± Hoshi interrupted, drawing a frown from Kiribo¡¯s broad face.

    ¡°The way you reacted to my demonstration, you were obviously-¡±

    Fuck off, we¡¯re not half-assing this. ¡°There has to be a real test, right? It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but¡­ come on. All we¡¯ve established is that I have minor visual hallucinations ¨C something that I¡¯ve known for years. I¡­¡± I don¡¯t want to get my hopes up. If it turns out I¡¯ve had some special power my whole life¡­ Fuck, no, that doesn¡¯t just happen. That¡¯s some storybook cartoon fairytale shit. ¡°Let¡¯s not jump to conclusions, here.¡±

    Kiribo¡¯s frown moved around his face as he chose his hext words. ¡°¡­Well, I suppose you could be right. My partner wasn¡¯t entirely sure¡­ Are you certain this isn¡¯t a stunning revelation? A grand key undoing the lock for an equally grand mystery, which you¡¯ve been pondering your entire life? Disparate events suddenly lining up with perfect clarity?¡±

    Hoshi shook his head, speechless.

    ¡°¡­Well. Fiddlesticks. That¡¯s how it was for me.¡± Kiribo once again cupped his chin, fingers idly stroking his goatee. ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose my uncle would know how to test you properly. Are you free later- no, we still have that blasted job from the Professor, he¡¯ll become so irritable if he learns we¡¯ve been doing more important things¡­¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s mood brightened. ¡°Actually-¡±

    As if on cue, the doors to the training field opened. A man ¨C after a moment Hoshi recognised him as the guy who usually manned the front gate ¨C poked his head in. ¡°Is there a Hoshi Mutsu in here? I swear if this is Nak pulling another stupid prank, I¡¯m gonna¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me!¡± Hoshi called, grinning. ¡°Let me guess: older guy with a rainbow-vomit hat?¡±

    The guard nodded, his face exuding cool blue relief ¨C and for the first time in years Hoshi questioned if maybe that illusory blue was something more than just a mutant neural connection. ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s exactly how I¡¯d describe it. He¡¯s pulled up at the gates in the world¡¯s shittiest bicycle ¨C I almost sent him away, it looked so sketchy. C¡¯mon.¡± With a beckoning gesture he retreated back through the doors, and Hoshi turned his grin towards the Psychic Hunter.

    ¡°Actually, we might just be done with that.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°¡­Eleven, twelve, and thirteen makes twenty,¡± said Nak the Rocket Grunt in his retail-employee drawl. ¡°Huh. Didn¡¯t expect you to get it done in two days, even with a Hunter. Payment¡¯ll be ready by next week.¡± He yawned. ¡°You waiting for something, Kudzu? Door¡¯s right over there, if you forgot.¡±

    Even the asshole handler¡¯s insults couldn¡¯t dampen Hoshi¡¯s smile. Ha. Fuck off Dabi, that was basically no work at all. ¡°And I¡¯ll be compensated for the balls?¡±

    Nak gave him a sceptical look, idly rolling one of the balls around the counter. ¡°Man, these are the most scuffed Pok¨¦balls I¡¯ve ever seen. Where¡¯s you get them, the trash?¡±

    Literally yes, but also fuck you. ¡°They¡¯re still real Pok¨¦balls. So?¡±

    ¡°Fuck no. We¡¯ll swap ¡®em for something that doesn¡¯t look like shit and you can take them back ¨C though I¡¯m considering just throwing the lot out.¡±

    ¡°Eat shit and die. I¡¯ll be over to pick them up later.¡± Hoshi turned and, without giving the man time to retort, made for the door. He exited Bio 107 ¨C which was usually a requisitions office when it wasn¡¯t being used for Grunt orientation ¨C to find Kiribo waiting for him, leaning against the wall in a pose he probably thought was cool. Damn it, does it count as an act if he can actually back it up? He¡¯s a samurai gangster psychic with an alakazam and giant badass scar; how does he manage to make everything he does seem lame as fuck?

    ¡°Ah, Senior Grunt. Everything go swimmingly?¡± Some of the tiredness had been replaced by his usual enthusiasm, but¡­

    But the orange bits are still gone. This isn¡¯t, like, psychosomatic, right? It¡¯s actually real?

    Hoshi wasn¡¯t sure what he was more afraid of: for the answer to that question to be yes, or no. ¡°As well as can be expected with Nak on the other end of it. So¡­ that¡¯s the job done, and the rest of our day freed up.¡±

    Kiribo pushed off from the wall. ¡°Splendid! In that case, we should definitely visit my uncle.¡± He began walking, his gait even more animated than usual. ¡°My partner should be more than capable of teaching your grunt¡¯s slowpoke alone, so we should have-¡±

    ¡°Hold it.¡± Hoshi¡¯s interruption caused Kiribo to look back, his expression asking what is it now? ¡°Look, I¡¯m as excited as you are,¡± Hoshi lied, his chest filled with a semi-sick trepidation more than anything. ¡°But this¡­ isn¡¯t exactly urgent. I need to go back out and thank Danny, then tell my team I¡¯ll be occupied with something; just leaving them not knowing where I¡¯ve disappeared to would be¡­¡± Idiotic. ¡°Ungentlemanly.¡±

    The man¡¯s face twisted in impatience. ¡°Oh- fine. Rain on my parade. I shall go ahead to the basement to explain ¨C do not make me wait too long, or I shall become cross!¡± He turned, startlingly mad, and marched off down the hall.

    Hoshi could only stand for a moment, surprised by the outburst. His face went through several expressions before he was able to shake off the emotion, lips finally settling into a grimly hopeful line.

    Arcus, no need to blow up. It¡¯ll be a half-hour at the absolute most. He started after the man, but didn¡¯t encounter him again on the way to the ground floor. I¡¯ll need the time to keep processing this, anyway.

    A few minutes later, and Hoshi was back at the front gate. ¡°Good news Danny: you''re getting all your balls back,¡± he called, striding towards his friend with a smile.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± Danny cursed. He plucked the hand-rolled smoke from his lips and blew out a cloud of foul-smelling grey smoke. Huh, that¡¯s a picture-perfect koffing ¨C got the skull marking and everything. It drifted down slowly, holding its shape surprisingly well even as it bumped against the ground. ¡°Was hoping to get some cash back ¨C those things are on their last legs.¡±

    With a roll of his eyes Hoshi passed through the open gate to stand beside the poacher. Can¡¯t turn it off for five seconds, can you? ¡°Thanks for coming all the way out here.¡±

    Danny snorted. ¡°Thanks for the payment, kid. I¡¯m already starting to have fun with it ¨C hey, where¡¯d that weirdo with the sword go?¡±

    ¡°He had other shit to do ¨C and so do I, actually. But seriously, thanks.¡± Hoshi bumped fists with the man, and the old bastard laughed.

    ¡°Ha! Seriously Hoshi, don¡¯t mention it. Actually, you can thank me by sending a few more young ladies my way, yeah?¡± He stubbed the smoke out under his sneakers, and Hoshi rolled his eyes a second time.

    ¡°Maybe. I¡¯m outta grunts that fit that description ¨C but I know a rich young blond who might be interested.¡±

    ¡°Fuck yeah you-¡± Danny cut off, eyes narrowing. ¡°It¡¯s that fucker with the speedo, innit?¡±

    Hoshi answered with a light punch to the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Take care of yourself. See you around, Danny.¡±

    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ get my hopes up¡­¡± he muttered, using his foot to swing up his bike¡¯s kickstand. The guard hadn¡¯t been wrong; it was truly a sketchy piece of machinery, so shoddy-looking Hoshi felt like a stiff breeze should make it fall to pieces. But as Danny rested his weight on the beat-up old seat, it seemed to hold him well enough. ¡°Take care yourself, Hoshi. Remember, don¡¯t go too deep in this shit! Stay loose!¡±

    With those parting words the man kicked off, his legs furiously working to get up to speed as he raced down the street. Hoshi watched him go, feeling his smile dim slightly as some of the tight, mixed-together emotions the banter had washed away returned. Don¡¯t go too deep¡­ I think I¡¯m a bit past that, Danny. He was about to have a long conversation with a mad scientist, one that would probably ¨C hopefully probably ¨C result in something other than disappointment.

    Speaking of hope¡­ Hopefully I don¡¯t take a swing at this Rocket Professor; I¡¯ve only got the one hand left.

    The tepid joke dislodged enough anxiety that he could turn back to the academy, and as he passed through the gate and into the grounds, the guard gave him a strange look. ¡°What the fuck language was that guy speaking?¡± the man said, voice dripping confusion.

    Hoshi looked at him, then snorted. ¡°Man, I don¡¯t even know. You get used to it, though.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Another breath, Jormungandr! I can feel them flagging!¡±

    The desperate words from her man¡¯s main rival were sweet as they washed over Casca¡¯s ears. ¡°You think so?¡± she replied. ¡°Well think again! Quake, give us another Mud-Slap!¡±

    Like their earlier battle, this could also be called a grind ¨C but unlike before, this was a grind she was winning. Quake was just too fast, and the dragon too slow. And it helps that all those hits to the legs are adding up, she thought with a giggle.

    A thick wad of mud struck the bagon right in the face, and its beam of blue fire went wide. Ryan growled, all but gnashing his teeth as his composure broke. ¡°Damnation! Again!¡±

    ¡°You heard the man! One more Mud-Slap, then follow it with Bulldoze!¡±

    The exchange happened again, nearly identical, and Casca continued to giggle. It¡¯s funny. They both have the exact same flaw; they get angry too easily. Ryan was a good battler ¨C much better than her, at least ¨C but the moment things turned the man absolutely lost his cool, and resorted to spamming his dragon¡¯s ¡®strongest¡¯ move ¨C which it didn¡¯t seem to be super well equipped to handle, each Dragon Breath draining the little guy¡¯s stamina in a way its other moves didn¡¯t.

    As yet another beam was dodged by her dugtrio simply ducking beneath the earth, Casca¡¯s eyes passed behind her opponent to notice the doors opening again in the background. There he is. Oh, but no Kiribo? Bulldoze sent shockwaves across the entire room, bouncing Jormungandr a foot up into the air and rattling her knees.

    Ryan actually did gnash his teeth, finally conceding as his dragon flopped down with a squawk. He pulled his lone ball free, his voice and face both tight. ¡°Fine! It seems my winning streak has ended prematurely. Jormungandr, return!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Casca crowed as the bagon disappeared. ¡°First battle, first win! Hoshi, get over here!¡±

    Her man walked onto the field, passing close enough that he nearly rubbed shoulders with Ryan ¨C which had to be intentional; they didn¡¯t look at each other but she could feel the sparks fly. He opened his arms and she flung herself forward for a hug.

    ¡°Ha! C¡¯mon Casca, you win all the time.¡± He leaned down, planting a small kiss on her forehead.

    ¡°Don¡¯t care,¡± she dismissed. ¡°Quake¡¯s got a one-hundred-percent win rate. Gotta milk that as hard as possible!¡± The hug continued for another second, but as they pulled away she noticed something peeking out from behind Hoshi¡¯s seemingly content smile. ¡°¡­Bad news?¡±

    He blinked, somehow still surprised by her ability to judge his moods. ¡°No. Not at all, actually.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ What¡¯s with the long face, then?¡±

    As Hoshi lapsed into a brooding silence, Ryan approached. ¡°Good battle,¡± he conceded. ¡°I suppose I should have expected this outcome, pitting a young Pok¨¦mon against a fully evolved one. Tell me, what would you have done if I¡¯d gone for Rage rather than Dragon Breath?¡±

    Her smile came back. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡± Sucker Punch is the perfect counter to buffing moves ¨C even if you didn¡¯t turn sloppy there was no way out! Quake had you in a losing fight from the very start!

    The grunt made a dismissive sound. ¡°Fine, I suppose I¡¯ll simply have to uncover it in our next battle. Mutsu, you up for another round? Jormungandr and I remain undeterred, despite today¡¯s poor showing!¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s expression evened out, though his mask wasn¡¯t quite thick enough to hide the worry and¡­ hope, maybe, lurking behind. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve got to split early. Something¡­ new has come up.¡± He reached up to rub at his temple. ¡°Hopefully I¡¯ll be able to finish up before you all are done, but if I don¡¯t then don¡¯t wait up.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Something that isn¡¯t bad, but that complicates things¡­ ¡°Are we getting another job?¡±

    Again, Hoshi refuted her. ¡°No ¨C not that I¡¯ve heard, anyway. This is a personal thing ¨C a, uh, medical thing, I guess. I¡­¡± He wet his lips. ¡°I don¡¯t want to say what it is right now. Might be- probably it¡¯s a false alarm.¡±

    Okay, now you¡¯re getting me worried, stud. ¡°Hoshi¡­¡± she said warningly.

    ¡°No, seriously, it¡¯s nothing bad. Promise.¡± He sent a smile her way, then turned to where Kenny was doing pushups with his sandshrew. ¡°Can you tell the other two I¡¯ll be gone? I shouldn¡¯t keep Kiribo and Hypno waiting.¡±

    Casca let out a disgusted moan. ¡°Hoshi! You can¡¯t say that and not tell us anything! Now I¡¯ll be on pins and needles until you come back!¡± She put on an exaggerated expression of annoyance, puffing up her cheeks, which drew a small snort. ¡°Jerk.¡±

    Ryan rolled his eyes at their exchange. ¡°Must you flirt so egregiously at our place of work? I can feel myself losing more respect for the chain of command with each passing second.¡± Hoshi sent a middle finger the man¡¯s way, which he returned in kind. ¡°But fine, I shall cover for your absence. I hope this mysterious issue is resolved to your satisfaction.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully,¡± Hoshi replied, and after a moment of hesitation he trotted away ¨C only to stop and look back. ¡°Wait, one last thing. What colour are Kiribo¡¯s eyes?¡±

    Casca¡¯s eyes narrowed at the strange question, letting Ryan answer first. ¡°I can¡¯t say I recall. Brown, perhaps?¡±

    ¡°Would you say they were dull or bright?¡±

    Ryan shook his head, and she tentatively answered. ¡°I¡¯m having a hard time thinking of anything to say other than chestnut brown. Does that answer your question?¡±

    Hoshi chewed on his tongue. ¡°¡­Yeah, thanks. I¡¯ll see you later.¡±

    <hr>

    Down the stairs, navigate the less maze-like layout of the basement, cut around a section where diglett decided to rearrange the tunnels¡­

    And Hoshi was standing in front of the door. Elec 303 stared back at him, bronze paint catching the light as if to mock the butterfree flapping around in his stomach.

    This¡­ This can¡¯t be real, right? I¡¯ve never done anything even vaguely psychic; no bent spoons, no premonitions of the future, no hearing thoughts¡­ Oh fuck, has Hypno been reading my thoughts this whole time? Has Kiribo? Hoshi¡¯s heartbeat was frantic, fast and weak to match the fluttering wings brushing the inside of his gut and the half-formed thoughts rushing around his head. What will even happen if it turns out I am? Do I- I don¡¯t-

    He had no idea what he would do with that information. It was so¡­ foreign, the idea of Hoshi Mutsu having some special power. All his life he¡¯d had to scrape by, his pride tied tightly to the anchor of his self-sufficiency. Having something handed to him like this¡­

    Don¡¯t. Stop thinking about it and just¡­ move. Move forward. Slowly, haltingly, his hand moved forward. No blast of red annoyance cleared out his anxiety as he turned the knob, fingers gripping only weakly, wrist limp like old celery left too long in the fridge.

    The chaos of Hypno¡¯s laboratory washed over him as he stepped inside. It was even more frantic than he¡¯d remembered, dozens of scientists whipping across the room or hunched over desks. Even the Pok¨¦mon in their giant tubes seemed to be expending greater effort, the weezings¡¯ eyes closed in grimaces as thick smog poured from their pores, the muk churning their slimy bodies into whirling pools that shone with sick iridescence in the harsh lights.

    The whole room was thick with the smell of sweat and chemicals, unsettling Hoshi¡¯s guts even further. Do I¡­ just go in? Or would Hypno still be napping up in the classroom? Maybe I should go check there first¡­

    No, this was just the urge to avoid the situation winding its fingers through his brain. At last a small curl of self-admonishment forced his legs to move, and Hoshi ducked past the industrial crusher to find Hypno¡¯s personal office.

    Before he could hesitate again he opened the door, sliding in without knocking to find¡­

    Hypno alone, no Kiribo in sight. The old scientist looked up from the papers scattered across the surface of his desk, a spark of surprise morphing into his usual lecherous grin. ¡°Oh, there you are,¡± he said as Hoshi closed the door with all the calm he could scrape together. ¡°Kiribo said you would be down shortly. Hoo, and then the boy trotted off to sulk when I told him how long the experiments would take ¨C he really has no patience!¡±

    He stood, levering himself upwards with the help of his cane. ¡°Now then; you think you might have some talent as a psychic, is that right?¡±

    Hoshi swallowed. ¡°I¡­ Kiribo thought so, but I¡¯m skeptical. I¡¯ve never noticed anything strange happening-¡± Deep breaths, Hoshi. Stop panicking. ¡°I asked him if there was some sort of test, and he said to come to you. So¡­ here I am.¡±

    ¡°Here you are indeed!¡± Hypno exclaimed, looking Hoshi up and down. ¡°And in fact, my nephew was right. There is a test ¨C or more accurately a range of tests, but I don¡¯t have quite enough time to go down the whole list today.¡± He waddled forward, and Hoshi could tell that midday nap or not, the man was still exhausted. ¡°Not enough hours in the day ¨C oh, I should say!¡± He extended his hand, and after a moment of confusion Hoshi¡¯s brain kicked itself into gear, and he shook it. ¡°Thank you very much!¡±

    ¡°Uh, for..?¡±

    ¡°For placing the Super Re-router properly! We¡¯ve been able to penetrate deep into the league¡¯s data storage with it, and it¡¯s- well, it¡¯s quite helpful. I''m sure you don¡¯t need the technical explanation, hoo hoo!¡±

    ¡°Just doing the job, sir,¡± Hoshi awkwardly replied, the doctor still pumping his arm up and down. ¡°So¡­ the test?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Hypno said, finally releasing his clammy grip. ¡°Luckily my assistants have been too occupied to make room for the new equipment coming in ¨C another week and we would have had to dig what we''ll be using out of storage. You¡¯ve very lucky timing, grunt!¡± He exited out into the chaos without another word, and Hoshi followed.

    I don¡¯t feel very lucky, right now.

    They passed through the room, and as they went Hoshi realised it was actually quite a bit larger than he¡¯d thought; the industrial machines and a number of interior walls and support pillars obscured its true size. Hypno led them to an out-of-the-way corner, dust and even a few cobwebs decorating a series of smaller, more person-sized machines that set an ominous tone. Is that a dentist¡¯s chair with spikes welded on..? You know what, maybe I don¡¯t want to know if I¡¯m psychic or not¡­

    Hoshi sent the thought away, though some nervousness clung fast as the scientist dusted off a few of the more medieval-looking pieces.

    ¡°Now, there are actually a number of different types of psychic expression, and as I said before I am strapped for time, so I¡¯ll only be testing you on the most common, most useful ones. Let¡¯s see here¡­¡±

    ¡°Kiribo said that I was¡­ probably empathetic. I have synesthesia, and¡­ he said you do too?¡±

    Hypno waved his hand in dismissal, not looking back. ¡°My dear nephew has no head for theory, so I¡¯m not going to listen to a word he says. We¡¯ll give you the proper follow-through ¨C well, the properly quick follow-through. Here we are; let¡¯s start with the telekinetic measurement test. Put on these gloves, and make sure they¡¯re tight.¡±

    Hoshi did multiple tests, and as the minutes passed he became increasingly downtrodden. I knew it. Fatass was full of shit.

    He was unable to shift the pin of the telekinetic measurement device, no matter how hard he strained or how tightly he cinched the bulky, uncomfortable gloves. He was equally unable to light a match or bend a spoon with the aid of a strange light-weight helmet, and his guesses when Hypno strapped him into the torture chair and had him flip a coin were no better than random.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged, young man!¡± Hypno said, much more chipper ¨C in fact the testing seemed to be revitalising him some. I guess he prefers hands-on work to paperwork, Hoshi thought with a grimace as the man strapped yet another contraption to his forehead, blocking the top and sides of his vision.

    ¡°Now this one¡¯s a bit complicated, so listen closely: I¡¯m going to show you a series of images, and the moment the third appears I want you to blurt out what the fourth will be. Don¡¯t think about it consciously, just let your mouth move. Alright, here we go¡­¡±

    That doesn¡¯t sound complicated at all. The doctor inserted a white screen into the front of the helmet, blocking the last of Hoshi¡¯s vision, and a moment later a stark 1 was projected directly into his eyes. Fuck, that¡¯s bright.

    The image changed to a 2, then a 3, and Hoshi said ¡°Four¡± without having to think.

    Then the screen shifted to show 5, and he grit his teeth. Oh, so it does trick fucking questions. Great.

    A pichu, a pikachu, a raichu, ¡°Voltorb.¡± Raticate.

    Smiley face, frowny face, crying face, ¡°Angry face.¡± Angry face.

    House, car, boat, ¡°Motorcycle.¡± Street Lamp.

    Circle, square, octagon, ¡°Triangle.¡± Triangle.

    Hoshi¡¯s mood was buoyed up when he guessed the next two to get three in a row, but then a long streak of losses brought him back down. This is dumb. I¡¯m obviously just guessing. But he continued; he¡¯d gotten far enough in that there was no point in backing out now.

    Book, television, radio, ¡°Computer.¡± Computer.

    C, R, B, ¡°Dee.¡± B.

    Eye, nose, ear. ¡°Mouth.¡± Hand.

    The screen was blank for a moment before shutting off, and Hoshi sighed quietly. A second later a long hum came from his left.

    Hypno continued to make thoughtful sounds as the moment dragged on. ¡°Interesting¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± That didn¡¯t seem any better than the others. Also, can you take this shit off? Not being able to see is fucking with my head.

    The doctor hummed again, and then rummaging sounds came from somewhere behind. Hoshi lost his patience, fumbling the helmet off on his own. ¡°What?" He repeated, staring at Hypno¡¯s back as he dug around in a cardboard box.

    ¡°Just a moment,¡± came the muffled reply. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a bit of it around here ¨C aha!¡± He emerged with a comically large syringe, and Hoshi blanched. ¡°Here¡¯s the ticket! Hold still, a little injection, and..!¡±

    Hoshi rose and stumbled backwards, bumping into some machine. ¡°Fuck off! The tip of that thing¡¯s as wide as my finger, I¡¯ll fucking die!¡±

    Hypno looked from the Senior Grunt to the syringe and back again, and then waved him off. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be silly. This one is for refueling the Aetheric Measurement Device; this is yours.¡± He waggled his hand, and Hoshi noticed the second, much more reasonable syringe.

    ¡°¡­S-still. What even is in there? And how long has it been in that box?¡±

    Another gesture of dismissal. ¡°No need to be concerned, grunt. There¡¯s nothing even remotely organic; it could sit for a hundred years and still be fresh. Now if you¡¯ll roll up your sleeve¡­¡±

    He took a step forward, and Hoshi took one back. The doctor frowned, but Hoshi¡¯s mind was made up. Nope. Not letting you inject me with your mad science bullshit. Especially not after you dodged the question. ¡°I think I¡¯d prefer to do the tests without anything invasive, alright?¡±

    ¡°Ah, afraid of needles, are you? Well, I have just the thing ¨C Kimmy, give me a hand here.¡±

    Hoshi plucked Guts¡¯s ball from his belt as the red light coalesced into a hypno. ¡°Fuck off! I¡¯m not having it!¡± He took a few steps towards the edge of the abandoned machinery, and Hypno ¨C the man, not the Pok¨¦mon ¨C sighed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be difficult, grunt, it¡¯s just an injection. Perfectly safe. Kimmy?¡±

    She bleated, and the pendulum she was holding began to swing. Hoshi took another step, keeping his eyes firmly on the tool ¨C which was important; he had to watch for the moment the hostile Pok¨¦mon attacked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot. I¡¯m not going to get hypnotised, not when it¡¯s so obvious.¡± Silence, the silver ring continuing to gently swing from side to side. ¡°Doc?¡±

    ¡°There we are. Kimmy honey, you can stop now.¡±

    The hypno jerked her wrist, and as the silver ring jumped up she enclosed it with her near-perfectly-human fist. The moment it was out of sight Hoshi spasmed, a flash of hot pain radiating from the crook of his elbow as his vision widened back to normal. ¡°Fuck! You- never do that again!¡± Holy shit, I didn¡¯t even realise ¨C he could have slit my fucking throat and I¡¯d have just stood there watching the pretty swinging thing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be overdramatic now,¡± Hypno dismissed as he returned his Pok¨¦mon. ¡°We still have plenty of tests to conduct ¨C here, fill up the device while I look for a few items to help.¡± He held out the larger, arm-sized syringe, and after indulging a brief dream of clocking him upside the head with it Hoshi returned Guts¡¯s ball to his belt and took the surprisingly heavy thing.

    ¡°The port¡¯s on the top. Now, where would it be¡­ I recall¡­¡±

    Still shaken, Hoshi watched the doctor rummage in another box for a moment before warily stepping back to the front-heavy helmet. Fuck, do I keep going? If I try to stop, is he just going to force me? The elderly scientist seemed a lot more dangerous now. I knew that a hypno could do that, but ¨C I never imagined I¡¯d be on the end of it. I didn¡¯t feel fucking shit. He swallowed thickly. The short, ugly little man didn¡¯t even attempt to put up any sort of guard, leaving his back wide open; for him, this was just a distraction from his paperwork.

    I did it again. Put myself under the power of someone I thought was harmless¡­ There¡¯s no way I¡¯ve got some special empathy, otherwise this shit wouldn¡¯t happen.

    The churning distaste paradoxically calmed him, and Hoshi¡¯s beating heart slowed to a more sustainable rhythm. ¡°Fuck it,¡± he muttered whisper-quiet. I¡¯ve already gotten a dose of mystery gunk; might as well ride it out to the end. He raised the syringe, grimacing at the milky substance within. Arcus, it looks like two parts glitter to one part apple jam. What the fuck is this?

    He found the port Hypno had mentioned, stuck the syringe in, and paused. ¡°All of it?¡± he called to the still-searching doctor.

    ¡°All of it! If there are a few drops left in the tube that¡¯s fine, but be sure not to spill any! That stuff¡¯s rarer than gold, hoo hoo!¡± A sharp clink sounded out as he rooted around, and Hoshi turned back to the helmet.

    The fluid was unpleasantly thick, and he needed to use the weight of his body to depress the plunger. ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t the same stuff that you put in me, is it?¡± Just thinking about it made his stomach churn; it seemed that the butterfree from earlier had transformed into grimer.

    ¡°It is!¡± the doctor replied, and Hoshi¡¯s teeth clenched. ¡°The main ingredient is- ah! Here we are!¡± Don¡¯t fucking cut off in the middle you fucking cocksucker! Arcus¡¯s fucking halo! His stomach did another flip.

    ¡°Here we are!¡± Hypno exclaimed, suddenly much closer, and Hoshi tossed the now-empty syringe to the side. ¡°Ooh, careful! Some of this equipment can be delicate.¡±

    ¡°What was the main ingredient? You cut yourself off.¡± Hoshi attempted to keep his voice even, but his rising gorge added a note of panic without his input. And why are you carrying a bucket?

    ¡°Hold these,¡± Hypno said as he shoved the bucket and another item into Hoshi¡¯s hands. ¡°I¡¯ll secure the device ¨C but to answer your question, the Astral Enhancement Fluid is composed mainly of a very rare substance. I believe the colloquial term is stardust.¡± The strap once again tightened against Hoshi¡¯s forehead ¨C but this time he had to strain his neck to keep himself from rocking forward; with the fluid inside, the helmet was heavy. ¡°Now sit down, and we¡¯ll do the futuresight test again.¡±

    Stardust..? Hoshi questioned internally as he obeyed. Like, that whacko medicine they make from staryu gems..? ¡°And having that junk in my blood will help, somehow?¡±

    ¡°Just so,¡± the doctor answered as he turned the screen back on. ¡°As you focus, concentrate on the foci in your good hand.¡±

    ¡°My good hand¡¯s in a cast, Doc.¡±

    A noise of dismissal. ¡°Your other one, then. And if you need to vomit, well, that¡¯s what the bucket¡¯s for. Same test as before; don¡¯t think, just speak."

    Oh, magnificent, so the nausea¡¯s normal, then¡­ A cartoon pig flashed, followed by a rooster, a cow, ¡°Chicken.¡± Barn. Go fuck yourself.

    Then, a strange sensation. He completely missed the next sequence of images as the second object the doctor had passed him ¨C a ball of what felt like stone ¨C seemed to grow warm in his hand. ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Concentrate! The solution will enhance your abilities, but its effect is short-lived! Focus!¡±

    Hoshi did his best to ignore the feeling of bile creeping up his throat, gripping the stone firmly and bringing his attention back to the screen pressed up against his eyes.

    1, 11, 12, ¡°Twenty-one.¡± 21.

    Sun, moon, half-moon, ¡°Star.¡± Star.

    His heart jumped into his throat, followed by a mouthful of vomit. He swallowed both back down.

    Rattata, pidgey, weedle, ¡°Zubat.¡± Pikachu.

    Red circle, green circle, yellow circle, ¡°Red circle.¡± Blue circle. Fuck fuck fuck!

    The test continued. There were spots where he felt like he must be getting it, but then a string of bad guesses would crush him back down. As the screen flicked off Hoshi was certain that he hadn¡¯t been any better at predicting the next image than he had been the first time.

    ¡°Fascinating results,¡± the professor muttered from behind Hoshi¡¯s back, and once again he was forced to remove the helmet ¨C now substantially lighter, unless his brain was playing a trick on him ¨C from his head himself.

    ¡°Fascinating how? I don¡¯t think my guesses were any better than the first round.¡±

    ¡°Oh, whether you got any of them right means nothing. I¡¯m only recording your brain waves, not your words.¡±

    Hoshi spat into the bucket, feeling terrible. Now that there wasn¡¯t a bright light shining directly into his eyes he could see that his vision was swimming. Arc, I feel like I¡¯ve swallowed an actual grimer. ¡°Brain waves?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, brain waves. You¡¯re definitely psychic, young man. Readings are actually quite splendid ¨C you might have the gift of prophecy, though we shouldn¡¯t get our hopes up quite yet.¡±

    Hoshi spat again, then raised the thing in his hand up to his eyes, curious. ¡°Prophecy? I barely got any right.¡± The thing Hypno had called a foci was, as he¡¯s assumed, a ball of stone. Jet black, and smooth but for a pattern of three crudely carved eyes. Huh. Looks kind of like a Rocket Ball¡­

    ¡°Again, the answers, and how correct you were, are irrelevant. You haven¡¯t trained a day in your life after all.¡± Then the doctor suddenly erupted into manic laughter, the long, loud string of ¡°Hoo hoo hoo!¡±s making Hoshi jolt. ¡°Oh yes, some good readings indeed! I didn¡¯t dare imagine it, but you likely outstrip myself a few dozen times over!¡±

    ¡°Dozen..?!¡± Hoshi choked out.

    ¡°Oh, no, that isn¡¯t particularly impressive ¨C I¡¯m quite dull, where psychic abilities are concerned. Had to make a few deals with the Dexus to even begin. But enough about me, we have more tests to run! There¡¯s probably another hit of fluid floating around somewhere, and-¡±

    The rest of the sentence failed to reach Hoshi¡¯s ears as he noisily lost the battle against his nausea, vomiting into the bucket. Oh Arcus, fucking kill me now..!

    No merciful god responded to his prayer, and another round of thin bile forced itself up his esophagus.

    ¡°¡­Ah, perhaps another day, then. Don¡¯t worry, as I said the effect is short-lived.¡±

    <hr>

    The Rocket Professor hadn''t been lying, but Hoshi still felt he was an utter dick as he made his way back to the battle court.

    Motherfucker, ¡®short-lived¡¯ my ass. The nausea had mostly cleared within a few minutes, but it had been replaced by an ungodly headache. Arcus, whatever bullshit superpower I¡¯ve got had better be worth this.

    The doors opened, and Hoshi saw that his grunts were gone. In their place was a duo of¡­ Are those martial artists? Beat up gis, headbands, a poliwhirl and hitmontop mimicking their movements¡­ Yes, they were most likely martial artists.

    One of them spotted him and, to Hoshi¡¯s quiet bafflement, snapped off a salute. ¡°Sir!¡± he exclaimed, voice crisp. ¡°What can we do for you?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Have you seen anyone else around? Like, was anyone in here when you arrived?¡±

    The other karate-guy answered, his voice deeper to match his broader chest. ¡°Yes sir! There was a well-built woman meditating with her slowpoke! We would have challenged her, but it was obvious she was undergoing intense mental training!¡±

    Hoshi stared at the two saluting men for a moment. ¡°...Alright. As you were.¡±

    ¡°Sir!¡± ¡°Sir!¡±

    Well, Hoshi thought as he closed the door behind him. I guess that clinches it: Rocket hires only the most insane whackjobs possible. Ugh, it¡¯s probably way later than I think it is¡­ The building didn¡¯t have a single window he could use to check the sun, and his vision was still swimming hard enough that he couldn¡¯t quite make out the hands of his watch. Whatever. Today¡­

    He took a step, then another, the headache pulsing in time with his heart.

    ¡­Was probably not nearly as shitty as I think it was, right now. Yeah, I¡¯ll feel a lot better once I get home, sleep this off, get some food in me¡­

    The bile on his tongue felt gritty, like sand. Bleh. Psychic powers¡­ woo-hoo¡­

 4.10 - Our Dream

    The headache had mostly cleared by the time Hoshi returned home, washed away by time, the fresh air, or the combination of the two.

    He entered his apartment with the smallest, weakest spring in his step imaginable, to see his girlfriend spread out on the couch. Candy was similarly sprawled gem-down on the coffee table, kicking her legs- her arms..?

    Kicking two of her appendages, while another loosely gripped a crayon. Drawing? That¡¯s cute.

    ¡°Hey Casca,¡± he greeted, and she turned away from the television. Don¡¯t freak out. This is going to- it¡¯s going to be fine.

    ¡°Hoshi! There you are, you had me worried sick ¨C are you alright? You look kind of green.¡±

    He licked his lips as she made room, tasting only the thinnest aftershocks of vomit. He sat in the offered space somewhat stiffly ¨C his limbs didn¡¯t seem willing to bend quite as smoothly as he wanted them to ¨C and simply watched the staryu colour for a moment. Solid black? No, those gaps are probably meant to be stars; the night sky, then. ¡°I¡­¡± he began, but then trailed off. ¡°Are you religious?¡±

    Casca frowned at the question. ¡°No..? Well, I believe there¡¯s something out there, but if it¡¯s Arcus or our ancestors or something else, I¡¯ve got no clue.¡± Her eyes drilled into his face. ¡°Why do you ask? Is this about that¡­ medical issue?¡±

    He was silent for a moment more, and as the tension built he could feel his girlfriend¡¯s trepidation. Or can I? Is this¡­ Is this what normal empathy is, or do I really..? Even without the dregs of the headache, today had really fucked with his head. ¡°I think¡­ I mean Hypno thinks¡­¡± He swallowed. ¡°I might be a psychic.¡±

    Casca¡¯s brows climbed almost into her hair, and even the starfish sensed the change in atmosphere, turning away from her drawing to fix the pair of humans in her gem¡¯s reflection. ¡°Psychic?¡± Casca repeated.

    ¡°Yeah. Kiribo¡¯s alakazam noticed and¡­ apparently my brainwaves match, or something. The actual tests didn¡¯t seem to go well at all, but Hypno said I¡­¡± He trailed off again.

    His girlfriend¡¯s eyes continued to stare intently, but after another brief silence they softened. Are her eyes really the shade of sky-blue I see them as? Or is she like Kiribo, and they¡¯re actually dull..? ¡°Oh, Hoshi. You know that even if I was a secret nun or something, I¡¯d still make an exception for my man, right?¡± She hugged him, and he put his arms around her. He¡¯d thought that all his catastrophising on the way home had prepared him, but as they squeezed each other tears slid from his eyes regardless. ¡°I know you¡¯re not the Dexus¡¯s plaything ¨C those old stories are bunk.¡±

    He continued to cry, very softly, letting out a surprised laugh as he felt rubbery arms join the mix. ¡°Thanks, Candy¡­¡±

    Some of the tension he felt went away, and then even more as Casca spoke again. ¡°Hoshi¡­ You don¡¯t believe that, do you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he answered. ¡°I- I haven¡¯t been to church in years. But¡­¡± I don¡¯t want to be¡­ different. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about what my parents would say.¡±

    ¡°Hoshi¡­¡±

    ¡°Mom was- she was religious, I think. I don¡¯t even know what dad would say ¨C he wasn¡¯t traditional, but he was traditional, you know? Fuck, what will Bob think..?¡±

    ¡°Hoshi,¡± Casca said, more firmly. ¡°Bob will still love you. And if he doesn¡¯t, I¡¯ll kick his ass until he changes his mind.¡± Hoshi snorted, the image of his girlfriend menacing the seven-going-on-eight-foot-tall air force captain flashing through his mind¡¯s eye. ¡°This doesn¡¯t change anything, especially not us. Right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± he answered softly. ¡°Yeah, of course¡­ Maybe I should go to church, though, just to make sure I don¡¯t burst into flames.¡±

    She huffed, his joke landing, and the three pulled apart after one last squeeze. ¡°Well, it¡¯s the right season for it, stud. Seriously, and you okay? You look sick.¡±

    ¡°Hypno injected some kind of star-gunk into me, but I¡¯m not feeling too bad anymore. Ugh, he¡¯s a fucking asshole, had his hypno¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t too bad, I guess. But he wants me to come back, and I¡¯m not sure if¡­¡± He swallowed again. ¡°If I actually want it, you know?¡±

    Once again Casca examined his face. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s not make any big decisions just yet, okay? You should sleep on it.¡±

    He let out a shaky breath. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll do that¡­ Do you think you could take care of dinner?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± she replied with a nod, and Hoshi made himself more comfortable on the couch as she stood. ¡°Soup again?¡±

    ¡°Something a bit more, please; that fucking slime made me throw up.¡± As his girlfriend got to work he absentmindedly released his own Pok¨¦mon, Crow flapping over to a surprisingly intact cat stand he¡¯d dragged home from the dump while Guts bounded around the apartment. Ha, never actually got any training done with them¡­ Maybe tomorrow. Despite the aftereffects of the astral-whatever-juice being almost as short-lived as advertised, Hoshi was still wrung-out and limp. As his rat retired to her own nest ¨C a cardboard box full of bunched-up newspapers ¨C he toyed with Venus¡¯s ball, debating releasing her as well. She didn¡¯t break anything when I let her out yesterday night, but¡­ no, I¡¯ll take her to a park tomorrow or something.

    He wasn¡¯t entirely sure a mankey could be an indoor Pok¨¦mon, and he didn¡¯t feel like testing fate after the day he¡¯d had.

    Fate¡­ Arc, this is gonna stick in my brain for a while, I can just tell.

    Time passed as he dragged himself together. He finished the action movie Casca had been watching, then switched to the news.

    More shit about the Moltres¡­ Oh, here we go, something new. ¡°And we¡¯ve actually managed to get an exclusive interview with Minister Jitsu to speak about the League¡¯s response to the crisis,¡± the anchorwoman narrated. ¡°Minister, how are you feeling about things at the moment?¡±

    The professionally-dressed woman in her immaculate newsroom disappeared as they cut to somewhere much more casual: a backdrop of darkly stained wood, the wall held up by a more modern white-carpet floor. A man in robes was centered in the camera, sitting at a low, ancient-looking table with his arms crossed. His house? I guess when you¡¯re that high in the government, you get the media to come to you.

    ¡°Thank you for having me, Sarah,¡± the man replied. He was old, with a short face and stout body; Hoshi¡¯s first impression was that he looked like a politician, in some ephemeral way that was completely divorced from his monk-like robes and buzz-cut. When he spoke his voice was soft but firm, as though admonishing a misbehaving grandchild. ¡°To be frank, I¡¯m feeling slightly put-out. While we here in Provincial Ministration are, of course, always happy to expend every effort for the betterment of Indigo, we feel that the response from League higher-ups was sluggish at best. We were forced to move forward with the emergency measures before they were completely ready, something that shouldn¡¯t have happened ¨C in the future, I would hope that such measures could be taken right away, with greater¡­ follow-through.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure many of our listeners agree, Minister. But of course, there are always those who feel wary of allowing the provincial government too many freedoms from League oversight; how would you respond to the criticism that you and your fellows overstepped? Acts of God are traditionally a matter for the Champion to resolve, after all.¡±

    ¡°I simply cannot agree, Sarah. While the Champion and Elite Four spent weeks completely fumbling the crisis, the people of Kanto suffered. And while Clair did eventually solve things, that is little help to the multiple cities that spent two months under siege from this unnatural storm ¨C the worst since the New Island incident. This crisis has uncovered something abundantly clear: the conjoined Indigo League is simply too small to deal with both Johto and Kanto. Either the number of seats must be increased, or the power to act must flow down to I and my fellow ministers. The alternative is that things will remain as they are; with a slow-witted bureaucracy allowing the suffering of the people through its inaction.¡±

    ¡°Bold words, Minister. I¡¯m sure that the League will have a suitable response shortly. Do you have any closing words?¡±

    ¡°Only this,¡± the man said, and uncrossed his arms. Hoshi¡¯s eyes narrowed as he saw what was revealed: a small patch over the politician¡¯s heart, ¡®FTL¡¯ written in block letters. A Minister wearing a Free the League symbol? Huh¡­ ¡°The government exists for the good of the people ¨C and as history has shown time and time again, weakness will always be caught out. If the League¡¯s Elites are unable to protect the people, then what good are they?¡±

    The news moved on, and Hoshi was distracted from some feel-good, rescue-a-puppy type story by his thoughts. Jitsu¡­ Familiar, but not a name I know off the top of my head. The man¡¯s words had been an obvious provocation, the kind that Hoshi wouldn¡¯t have expected to see on the news. It feels¡­ kind of good, actually, to see that there are a few people with their heads on straight. Hopefully this minister wouldn¡¯t mysteriously disappear the moment the public eye blinked¡­

    And then he was distracted from further thought as Casca slipped a plate into his lap, planting a kiss on his cheek as she returned to her place on the couch.

    ¡°Rice and peppers?¡±

    ¡°Stuffed peppers. I¡¯m trying something new, so speak up about the taste!¡±

    They ate dinner, Hoshi showered, and as evening settled into night the last lingering bits of headache drifted away.

    And as the two of them prepared for bed, Pok¨¦mon safely sleeping in their balls, Casca turned to give him a soft smile. ¡°Hey. I really meant what I said earlier.¡±

    ¡°About?¡±

    ¡°About this not changing anything. About us.¡± She slipped into bed, and he followed a moment later after turning off the lights. In the dimness of the room, with only slivers of light coming in through the blinds, Hoshi could almost imagine he was looking up at a dark, endless, empty sky.

    ¡°Thanks, Casca,¡± he whispered. ¡°I needed to hear that.¡±

    Minutes passed as his heart slowed, the darkness under his eyelids gradually being replaced by a soft, slow kaleidoscope of stark white and black. He drifted down, down, and then-

    ¡°Hoshi?¡± Casca asked, voice small, and he was roused from the edge of sleep, dragged back onto dry land.

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡± he asked back, voice equally small.

    ¡°¡­Sorry, it can wait ¡®till morning. Good night.¡±

    ¡°Night¡­¡±

    <hr>

    Hoshi dreamt.

    Or at least, he assumed he was dreaming¡­ but something about it felt just slightly too real. Below him was a bed of soft tan, and above him was a great black void. Each was cold, lifeless, completely empty ¨C but there was another colour. A mixture, rather than the stark monotones above his head and below his feet.

    A thin band of red and blue and pink stretched between the sky and earth, a horizon line that was¡­ not warmer, necessarily, but alive. Slowly it dripped down, nourishing the sand, and from that genesis green plants sprouted. Then insects, and fish, and mammals¡­ So many colours that he felt like his eyes would melt.

    Hoshi floated upwards as the land beneath became larger. The further life spread, the further he ascended, until the only thing below his feet was a riotous dot of many colours, that thin red-blue-pink band dripping down like rain.

    This¡­ isn¡¯t the same nightmare I¡¯ve been having. He continued to float, higher and higher, and as he went he could see the band was not a single piece as it had seemed close-up, but two distinct rings interweaving with each other ¨C one red and blue, the other pink. He went up, floating into space until¡­ there was nothing. Black void surrounded him on all sides, empty and cold.

    But not a¡­ bad cold, no. It was comforting ¨C almost¡­ motherly? That didn¡¯t seem like quite the right word, but Hoshi had no other. He continued to ascend, moving without reference, and then¡­

    Another band, this one of gold. Another, then another, then another, descending from on high and passing down below. More, and more, and more¡­ Until eventually the golden bands, too, faded away.

    Again Hoshi was enclosed by darkness, the cold void cradling him. Shouldn¡¯t there be¡­ stars? Anything at all? But no, there was nothing.

    Nothing, at least, until he hit the top. He struck it like a comet, digging a crater into the nothing which was colourless, textureless, featureless. And then¡­ a strange sensation. Something he had almost entirely forgotten.

    A warmth entered Hoshi¡¯s core, seeping in from this new flavour of darkness. More and more, and more and more, until-

    He woke up.

    <hr>

    Hoshi opened his eyes to a bright light ¨C and more than that, a bright sound.

    His half-asleep brain flailed for a fraction of a second, before he eventually placed it: his telephone was ringing. Huh? What?

    Another moment of confusion as the long dream sloshed around in his skull, and then Hoshi cleared his thoughts with a shake. He stood as the phone continued to ring, semi-coordinated steps taking him from one side of the bedside table to the other ¨C and then he picked it up.

    ¡°Hoshi!¡± roared the familiar voice of his uncle. ¡°Finally! I¡¯ve been calling twice a day all week ¨C what, did you lose your phone bill in the mail or something?¡±

    ¡­Phone bill? asked the last dregs of sleep in his head, before another shake brought him fully back to reality. ¡°Hey Bob,¡± he replied, voice rough. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve been out of the house a lot. Doing trainer stuff, you know? Trying to make up for lost time.¡± Why the fuck is it light outside? Where¡¯s Casca?

    ¡­Did I fucking sleep in? As incredulous as the notion made him, it seemed it was true; a glance at his alarm showed the bright red digits of 10:12 AM merrily shining away in a sea of black glass. Black¡­ Why does that feel nostalgic..? Already the dream was only cinders, burned away by the morning light. Did I have that nightmare again? No, I wouldn¡¯t have slept in if it was that¡­

    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s the Champ¡¯s son I know! But listen, Hoshi, I¡¯ve been holding your badge for a whole week now! When are you gonna come down and pick it up? You avoiding me, kid?!¡±

    ¡°No, Bob.¡± Am I? I don¡¯t think I''ve been, but¡­ Maybe it was like the Route 6 thing, and he¡¯d just been¡­ shying away from all the lies he¡¯d been needing to tell his uncle. ¡°¡­Sorry, maybe. I¡¯ve had a lot on my plate, and it feels fucking weird to finally be a trainer after wanting it so long. I¡¯d¡­ kind of given up, you know?¡±

    ¡°Hey kid, don¡¯t talk like that! You¡¯re never too old to become a trainer ¨C I¡¯ve got octogenarians coming in, and they¡¯re as good as any wet-behind-the-ears toddler!¡±

    Hoshi snorted. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯d love the comparison. I¡¯ll¡­ come over today, alright? Sorry it took so long.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t apologise, soldier! I want actions, not words!¡± The tinny filter the phone lines set over his words washed some of the emotion out, but Hoshi could easily imagine the scene on the other end: Bob yelling into his receiver, the blue of his eyes flashing in time with his pearly teeth, the latter bared in a savage grin. ¡°I¡¯d better see you here at fifteen-hundred sharp! Your lady too, and the blond guy, and that punk girl! And wear something classy!¡±

    Huh? Nerine too? Hoshi dug for something to reply with, but before he could speak the line went dead. He stared at the phone for a moment, expression blank, then returned the receiver to its stand with one hand as his other came up to sweep back his hair ¨C only to clonk himself in the forehead with his cast.

    ¡°Ow. Damn it all, Bob¡­¡± I just had a super-emotional Saturday, I wanted my Sunday to be relaxing¡­ Well, whatever. Where¡¯s Casca?

    A brief inspection revealed a note stuck to the fridge, partially obscuring the thick black scribbles of the crayon drawing below. ¡°Hey stud,¡± he read aloud, fondness and disquiet fighting for space in his chest. ¡°Gotta do something at the academy real quick¡­¡± ¡®Be back before lunch! Also, sorry I didn¡¯t wake you, but you were dead to the world! Hope you feel better!¡¯

    The short message was signed with a kiss, sticky red lipstick vibrant and cheerful against the yellow paper. He smiled, fondness winning out, and removed the note. I guess I¡¯ve got a couple hours to myself.

    ¡­And I do feel better, actually. There weren¡¯t any lingering effects from yesterday, and he didn¡¯t even feel like he¡¯d overslept. Yeah, actually, today¡¯s going to be great ¨C partying with Bob sounds good. Another little vacation before I get down to my next job.

    Now, how the fuck am I gonna get ahold of Ryan before three PM? He¡¯s probably already back in Viridian¡­ I guess I¡¯m going to the academy too, heh.

    <hr>

    In a spectacular reversal of the scene he¡¯d become gradually used to, the Battlegrounds were packed. Men and women young and old filled the four massive fields, a multitude of different Pok¨¦mon battling for supremacy.

    Hoshi saw not only the bumbling efforts of the year¡¯s second wave of new trainers, but also the exponentially more powerful attacks of fully evolved Pok¨¦mon; there were old hands mixed into the crowd, veterans and Route Rangers acting as towering mountains for the new generation to climb. The sight made his fingers itch to close around a Pok¨¦ball ¨C not just his left, but also his newly-freed right. Glad I thought to check the med centre before leaving; explaining the broken hand to Bob would have been awkward.

    His fist wasn¡¯t entirely back to normal yet, but the bone wasn¡¯t in danger of rebreaking either ¨C so long as he avoided any machamp. Yeah. I think I¡¯ll be sending Kenny down to talk with Dabi¡­ It¡¯s his own Pok¨¦mon all this fuss was about, anyway.

    Speaking of Kenny, the man was obviously feeling his own itch ¨C and Ryan as well. It seemed his grunts had caught the same battle-fever that he had.

    The girls, in contrast, were a bit more sedate¡­ or at least Puce was; Casca was her usual energetic self, while Nerine seemed anxious.

    ¡°Hey Boss, think we could get a few fights in? I bet Savage¡¯d rock a bunch ¡®a these little shits.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be daft, Kaneth," Ryan broke in. "We couldn¡¯t possibly keep the Gym Leader waiting.¡±

    Kenny snorted. ¡°You just want your badge now, yeah? Ya can do that without me ¡®n the girls.¡±

    Hoshi shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be plenty of people still here after the party, Kenny¡­ Also, cool it with the boss stuff, okay?¡±

    Another snort, but the man shut his big mouth. Kind of surprised I could get the whole gang together on such short notice. He still wasn¡¯t at all sure how Ryan was getting to Viridian and back so quickly, but whatever it was was at least convenient. ¡°You sure you three don¡¯t want to try and challenge the Gym? Last chance for us to all get our badges together.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Nah,¡± Casca answered. ¡°Let¡¯s not put it off ¨C if I decide to come back it¡¯ll be when Candy¡¯s evolved.¡±

    Nerine clicked her tongue. ¡°That dugtrio would clear a first badge challenge easy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m a revenge kinda girl. And it¡¯s not like I need the money right now, so¡­¡± She shrugged.

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Hoshi concluded. ¡°Puce?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready for a real Gym battle just yet.¡±

    Kenny just shook his head, and he grunted in acknowledgement. The path through the numerous trainers was twisting, but they made it through in what seemed like an instant ¨C and then they were through the doors.

    And much like the Battlegrounds, the reception area was much livelier than Hoshi had grown used to. Finally back to normal. Seeing the space full of people brought a smile to his face, and his steps were firm as he made his way to the front desk. On the way he looked to Nerine. Wow, she¡¯s kind of freaking out, isn¡¯t she? ¡°I can¡¯t believe you went off and got the badge while we were all still at school,¡± he sent the fidgety teen¡¯s way, pitching his voice high in an attempt to raise her mood.

    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t make a big deal out of it.¡±

    He frowned. Wonder what¡¯s up with her. I know she passed out from exhaustion the first time we were here, but everything went off without a hitch. What, did she offend Surge yesterday or something?

    ¡°Can I help you sir?¡± questioned the receptionist as they stepped close ¨C today it was an older gentleman manning the desk, his white hair and papery skin contrasting a fine red suit.

    ¡°I¡¯m Hoshi. I believe the Gym Leader is expecting me?¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, please wait a moment; Lieutenant Surge has a small matter to resolve. I¡¯ll call you up when it¡¯s your time to go in ¨C are you all together?¡±

    A nod. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re together.¡±

    ¡°Very good, sir. As I said, I¡¯ll call you up.¡±

    Hoshi stepped to the side, and right behind him came a man maybe a year or two younger. ¡°Hello! I¡¯d like to challenge the Gym Leader!¡±

    His smile didn¡¯t dim as he made his way to a string of unoccupied seats, the receptionist¡¯s aged voice carrying over the low din of visitors inspecting the pictures and other displays. ¡°Of course, sir. Today¡¯s a bit packed, as you can see; I can pencil you in for seven, or would tomorrow be a better time?¡±

    He sat, and drew his eyes across the room as the challenger futilely attempted to wrangle a better time. Yeah. Back to normal.

    <hr>

    Bob Surge didn¡¯t think of himself as a negotiations kind of guy ¨C but working the job he¡¯d had for going on nineteen years, even a slugma would¡¯ve picked something up.

    So it was obvious that the guy in front of him was yanking his damn chain. ¡°Shut it down? Now listen here, the Gym¡¯s just got back up to where it should be! I ain¡¯t shutting down crap!¡±

    The weedy-looking pencil-pusher frowned, adjusting his nametag as if he thought the League symbol in its corner was somehow enough to intimidate a Gym Leader. Fat chance! I¡¯m a public servant ¨C my office is directly under the Vermilion Mayor, not you League fatcats!

    ¡°Sir, there¡¯s obviously some sort of leak from the gas pipes. In the interest of public safety-¡±

    His fist made contact with the sturdy surface of his desk, sending a jolt of vibration up his arm ¨C and a jolt of satisfaction down his spine as the lackey winced. ¡°I told you like three times now, that was no damn gas leak! It was enemy action!¡± You think I¡¯m dumb? I¡¯ve had my people combing around all week; if it was a leak, why¡¯d it hit one guy ¨C and maybe a civilian ¨C then stop?

    The wince continued until the man found a hint of resolve. ¡°Gym Leader, I¡¯m sorry, but I simply can¡¯t see how. Nothing was stolen, no files were tampered with¡­ no fingerprints, hairs, or anything. We even scanned for Pok¨¦ball radiation, and found nothing.¡±

    Surge¡¯s fist met wood again, louder the second time. ¡°I know what fuel gas smells like, pencil-neck! That was a Clear Smog attack, or I¡¯ll eat my boots! Your own man was injured, show a little comradery!¡±

    At that, the man¡¯s spine straightened. Oh, hit a nerve did I? Good! Grow a damn backbone! ¡°Surge, you¡¯re walking on thin ice. I can¡¯t compel you to take a more thorough look at the gas lines, but if we take our grievances to the Mayor, what do you think the outcome will be?¡±

    Hah, you don¡¯t even understand the difference between you and him, do ya? I actually respect the Mayor, unlike you, grunt! ¡°So do it, then,¡± Surge dismissed. ¡°While you¡¯re wasting your time, I¡¯ll be tracking down the actual culprit. Get outta my office!¡±

    The man left, and Surge took a moment to cool it down, grumbling to himself before he hit a button on his office phone. The steadily blinking light went solid, and he spoke before his old war buddy could get a word in. ¡°Hey Olson, this what I¡¯m hoping it is?¡±

    ¡°I assume so, sir. Your nephew has arrived with his entourage; shall I send him down?¡±

    Ha! Right on time! ¡°Go ahead.¡± He clicked the button again, the light dimming, and then stood. Damn kid¡¯s always off doing his own thing. Can¡¯t believe I had to drag his ass in to get his Thunder Badge¡­

    The thought was, despite all the sleepless nights and other crap he¡¯d had to put up with over the years, one that caused his smile to widen. The Gym Leader stepped towards his office door ¨C but then took a detour, swinging to the side to stand before a large photo hung at eye-level on the wall.

    Shenja Mutsu, seventeen and already wider than most professional bodybuilders, stared back at him. His blue eyes sparkled, and his cheeks were rosy ¨C probably on account of the woman on his arm. Dani Mutsu, who¡¯d taken her new family name just minutes before this very photo, looked equally happy. She was the polar opposite of her husband; thin-boned and short, her face pale where his was ruddy, her eyes large where his were small and squinted. Her green hair was long and straight, where his was a curly purple that resembled steel wool more than anything.

    Just about the only thing they had in common was the bright blue eyes, and the expressions of joy.

    ¡°Your kid grew up pretty damn okay, Champ, Dani,¡± Surge muttered. ¡°No thanks to me. Ha!¡±

    He adjusted the frame slightly, turned, and left his office.

    <hr>

    For the second time in as many weeks, Hoshi walked down the challenger¡¯s tunnel with five Rocket Grunts on his heel ¨C but this time, there was no tension dancing under his skin. Well, maybe just a bit¡­ Still not sure if I wanna bring up the psychic thing or not.

    Casca had urged him to wait for the right moment, but Hoshi wasn¡¯t sure. There were a lot of bits to his present life that he needed to keep secret from his uncle, and revealing a genuinely uncomfortable truth might just sooth his conscience a bit.

    ¡­I¡¯ll think on it during the party, he thought as the end of the tunnel came up, dismissing the issue with a light shake of his head. Darkness transitioned to light as the group walked out into the heart of the Gym, the floodlights at full intensity, and as his eyes adjusted Hoshi called out.

    ¡°Ha, Bob! Are you fucking with me?¡±

    Strung up above the battlefield was a novelty banner, the kind you¡¯d get for a child¡¯s birthday party. In large block letters was a message that drew a guffaw from several people behind him: ¡®CONGRATULATIONS ON BECOMING A MAN, HOSHI!¡¯

    The scene below the banner wasn¡¯t much better, with his uncle standing beside a pikachu-themed cake.

    ¡°You think I¡¯d dare, little man?¡± the giant replied, voice booming. ¡°This is completely sincere!¡±

    A blush on his cheeks and a slightly sharp smile on his face, Hoshi went forward to receive a hug. ¡°You¡¯re an old bastard,¡± he spoke into his uncle¡¯s chest.

    ¡°You¡¯re damn right!¡± Bob chuckled, and then the two released each other. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you Hoshi.¡± Then he turned to his ¡®school friends¡¯ and waved them in. ¡°Hey, you lot! Come on in here and get some cake!¡±

    And so the festivities started.

    ¡°Fine showing, Mister Mutsu!¡± congratulated another aging veteran ¨C once, years ago, Hoshi would have known them all by name, but in the present those memories were too faded. ¡°It isn¡¯t often we see a young rattata solo a fully-grown pikachu!¡± Now the bulk of the Gym¡¯s employees were only familiar faces, old soldiers who didn¡¯t feel like putting their skills to pasture after the war¡¯s end, and had found a place with the younger Lightning Lieutenant. Less of them than I remember. I guess that¡¯s to be expected; it¡¯s been a few years since I came around regularly, and pretty much all these guys are around retirement age.

    But despite not recalling every name, Hoshi knew these people. ¡°Thanks, sir. I¡¯d like to take credit as her trainer, but honestly I think it was just Guts being Guts.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short. Fighting spirit comes from the bond between a trainer and their Pok¨¦mon, and that isn¡¯t something that one can fake.¡±

    The handshake ended, and someone else approached. ¡°How you holding up, stud?¡±

    Hoshi bumped shoulders with his girlfriend. ¡°Just fine so far. Are the others behaving themselves?¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Well enough. Puce has tripped, like, three people, but Kenny¡¯s actually acting half-way respectable.¡±

    ¡°Well, he was a pro wrestler. That¡¯s a kind of celebrity, right?¡± The two of them shared a chuckle. ¡°But speaking of the others, do you know what¡¯s up with Nerine? She¡¯s super tense.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I noticed.¡± Casca¡¯s eyes subtly gestured to the surrounding crowd. ¡°Probably something we¡¯ll have to ask about later.¡±

    Got it ¨C Rocket stuff. He took a sip of his soda. ¡°And how are you feeling? I saw you talking to Bob earlier ¨C I hope he wasn¡¯t grilling you too hard.¡±

    ¡°Oh, just the usual concerned-parent things. Where do you work, how¡¯d you meet, if you break my baby boy¡¯s heart they¡¯ll never find the body, that sort of thing.¡±

    He half-snorted, fizz threatening to shoot up his nose. ¡°The usual, huh?¡±

    For a minute the two lapsed into silence, watching the party ¨C maybe gathering was a better word, actually; it was a pretty sedate affair ¨C move around them.

    Then a sharp, repeating tink sounded out, and Hoshi¡¯s head turned to see Bob tapping a spoon against a glass. ¡°Okay soldiers: cake¡¯s all done, so break time¡¯s over! Let¡¯s end this thing off with a bang ¨C Hoshi, Sampo, Rose! Get on up here!¡±

    ¡°Here we go,¡± Hoshi whispered to himself as he handed his drink off to Casca, receiving a quick peck on the cheek before he walked towards the towering Gym Leader.

    He and the other two successful challengers lined up, and Lieutenant Surge scrutinised them with a frown as he marched to each of them in turn. When he spoke his voice wasn¡¯t quite as loud as usual, with a solemness that Hoshi rarely heard.

    ¡°Usually I¡¯d only do this for my eighth badge challengers, but I¡¯m feeling mushy today, so you get the whole spiel!¡±

    To Hoshi¡¯s left Ryan stood perfectly straight, his eyes facing unerringly forward, his powder-blue suit fit tightly to his frame. And then to his left stood Nerine, hair damp with sweat, also dressed up in a nicer blouse than she usually wore. The girl was obviously uncomfortable with the situation, averting her eyes as Surge looked her over. Seriously, what¡¯s up with her? She didn¡¯t have stage fright at the Rocket tournament, unless I¡¯m misremembering¡­

    Maybe she¡¯s scared of Surge, specifically?

    He tucked the thought away as the Gym Leader continued. ¡°The roots of Kanto¡¯s Gym Challenge come from way back in the First Shogunate Era, when each city-state had to defend itself from its neighbours! The leaders of each state, the Daimyo, were men and women who held incredible power, second only to the Shogun himself! And how do you think they held onto the power? That¡¯s right, Pok¨¦mon! There wasn¡¯t anything like Pok¨¦balls back then, so people had to do it the old-fashioned way: beat ¡®em up and train ¡®em by hand!¡±

    Surge paced from side to side, like he was giving the speech to real military recruits ¨C which, technically, they actually were. ¡°Even as the times changed and we entered the Second Shogunate Era, the system endured! In fact, the power the Daimyo wielded grew! As apricorns were shipped in from out west, the number of Pok¨¦mon any one person could control went from four or five, to dozens! It got to the point where there were so many, the Daimyo''s families couldn¡¯t handle them all! So where did those extra Pok¨¦mon go? That¡¯s right, to their most loyal soldiers!¡±

    Despite knowing Kanto¡¯s history front-to-back, Hoshi listened intently; some things were simply sacred. ¡°As the second Shogunate fell apart and wild samurai turned to banditry, who was there to defend the cities? That¡¯s right, the Daimyo! But they didn¡¯t do it alone! They had their guards, their Pok¨¦mon Trainers, out patrolling the countryside! Trainers from different states met up, battled, and gained each other¡¯s respect!

    ¡°And so when Oak and the rest formed the Pallet League, that respect became an institution! You there, Sampo!¡± Ryan twitched as the Gym Leader called his name. ¡°Where were you born?¡±

    The blond continued to stand tall, belting out the answer with a volume to match Surge¡¯s own. ¡°Viridian City, sir!¡±

    ¡°Viridian! You¡¯ve come a long way, soldier!¡± From his pocket the Gym Leader drew a wooden case, opening it and plucking something from inside. He got up right in Ryan¡¯s face, his expression intense. ¡°As the Vermilion City Gym Leader, a man who a hundred years ago would have been called Vermillion Daimyo, you¡¯ve earned my respect! This badge, the Thunder Badge, is a symbol of that respect! Wear it with pride!¡±

    Ryan was silent as Surge pinned the badge to his chest, his eyes shining like polished topaz.

    ¡°Rose! Your turn! Where you from, soldier?¡±

    Nerine didn¡¯t twitch, though her face was turning a strange shade of pink. ¡°F-fuchsia, sir.¡±

    ¡°Fuchsia! Knew a lot of good men from there in my heyday, more loyal than anybody else! You beat me fair and square, and earned this badge!¡± He bent down and, like with Ryan, pinned the badge to her chest. ¡°And third¡­¡±

    He turned and moved to stand in front of Hoshi. ¡°Hoshi Mutsu. Where were you born?¡±

    Hoshi wet his lips. ¡°I was born in Viridian, but I consider myself a Vermilion native, sir.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re damn right.¡± Surge plucked a Thunder Badge from the case, and Hoshi took it in; an eight-pointed sunburst, yellow flames surrounding a red gem, the symbol of the Sunset City. ¡°With this badge, the three of you are official members of Indigo¡¯s Pok¨¦mon Trainer Corps.¡± Thick but dextrous fingers slid the pin through the shoddier blue of his own suit, securing the badge in place. ¡°You¡¯ve earned this. No matter where you got your Pok¨¦mon from, or how trained they were when you did, never question that.¡± Surge¡¯s solemness lightened, his wild, savage expression returning. ¡°You¡¯re a real trainer. Be proud.¡±

    He didn¡¯t cry, but it was a near thing.

    <hr>

    Later, after the furniture and decorations and refreshments had been cleared away, his uncle approached Hoshi again. ¡°So, kid. How¡¯d you like it?¡±

    He snorted softly. ¡°I¡¯ll get you back for the banner. Becoming an adult¡­¡± But then Hoshi¡¯s voice turned sincere. ¡°It was great. No idea why I put it off.¡±

    ¡°Your old man was the same way, y¡¯know. I had to basically drag the big lump to his own wedding.¡±

    The two stood, watching the other guests mingle with the remaining Gym personnel. Ryan and Puce were schmoozing with the old folks with Nerine in tow, while Casca and Kenny stood among the younger employees.

    ¡°Speaking of weddings¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t even start. My answer hasn¡¯t changed; talk to me when I¡¯ve got a house and a car.¡±

    Bob ¨C and he was back to being Uncle Bob, now, not the Lieutenant ¨C ruffled Hoshi¡¯s hair. ¡°Fine,¡± he said as his nephew sputtered. ¡°An easier question, then. How far you gonna go, this season?¡±

    Hoshi didn¡¯t need to think too much before answering. ¡°I think I¡¯m done for the year. Only a month left before the tournaments start.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s enough to get a second and third badge. You could compete in some of the low-level events ¨C even if you don¡¯t win, those things are valuable experience.¡±

    This time, he did put some thought into his response. ¡°I think that¡­ If I¡¯m going all the way to Viridian anyway, I want to go all the way. Champion Series or nothing.¡±

    ¡°Ha! Cocky little shit! You think you¡¯re Champion material?¡±

    Enduring a second hair-ruffling, Hoshi shot back. ¡°Did you think you were Gym Leader material when you started?¡±

    Bob blew out a laugh. ¡°Ha! I did, and I was a cocky little shit back then, too! Seriously little man, you probably won¡¯t be ready for that kind of challenge for years. It¡¯ll go faster if you pace yourself.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ I dunno. I can¡¯t explain it; it¡¯s just a feeling in my gut, telling me it isn¡¯t time yet. Maybe next year I¡¯ll change my mind, take some time off and see if I can¡¯t knock out a few more Gym Leaders.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡±

    The two continued to people-watch as the afterparty broke up, the Gym employees getting back to their jobs. Hoshi¡¯s group eventually wandered back together, and Bob gave them a nod.

    ¡°Well, I should probably be getting back to work. Take care of those badges, you three ¨C and as for the rest of you, I¡¯d better see you in here at some point for your own challenges! Ha!¡±

    They took the cue, and Hoshi, his girlfriend, and his grunts put on their fancier-than-usual jackets and made for the exit ¨C but a step from the door Hoshi stopped.

    ¡°Hey guys, wait up one second, alright?¡± he asked, then turned back around.

    He found Bob polishing off the last scrapings of cake, and called out. ¡°Hey, Lieutenant!¡±

    His uncle turned. ¡°Huh? What is it, kid? I thought you were already gone!¡±

    ¡°One last thing ¨C you said you usually gave that speech to the eighth badge challengers¡­ Well, I¡¯m gonna make it true.¡± Hoshi pointed. ¡°I don¡¯t know when ¨C next year, the one after, a decade from how ¨C but I will fight your real team. When I¡¯ve done my circuit around Kanto, gotten all seven other badges¡­ I¡¯ll come back here for my eighth. Be ready!¡±

    Surge grinned his bloodthirsty grin. ¡°Ha! I accept your challenge, little man! Don¡¯t make me wait too long, now!¡±

    <hr>

    On Monday, October 4th, 2010, Hoshi Mutsu woke up to find his bed empty. Huh, that¡¯s weird ¨C I didn¡¯t sleep in again, so where¡¯s Casca?

    He slipped out of bed, and almost immediately his question was answered: Casca was eating breakfast, bleary-eyed and uncoordinated as she spooned cereal into her mouth.

    ¡°Morning babe. You woke up before me two days in a row.¡±

    ¡°Uhh,¡± she replied, and he chuckled as he went towards the bathroom.

    After he showered off the lingering results of yesterday¡¯s trip to the park, he returned to find she¡¯d moved to the couch ¨C though the television was off. Hoshi prepared his own breakfast with a strange twinge on the back of his neck, and as he slid in beside his girlfriend the twinge became a shudder. Wait¡­

    ¡°You smoking?¡± he asked, eyeing the unlit cigar she was turning over in her hands. ¡°You only do that when you¡¯re stressed. What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Oh, no, I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m stressed.¡± The cigar flipped this way and that, as if she was examining a strange alien object. ¡°Just¡­ thinking.¡±

    ¡°About?¡± he asked, cautious. Did she change her mind? Maybe the psychic thing is too much after all¡­

    Before she answered the woman gave him a soft bop on the nose with the stick of perfume-infused tobacco. He reared back, momentarily affronted as she smiled softly at him. ¡°Don¡¯t think anything weird, stud.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m perfectly rational.¡±

    She giggled, the sound¡­ Oddly sad. Fuck, what¡¯s wrong? ¡°I was just,¡± she continued, ¡°Remembering something your uncle asked me yesterday.¡±

    Oh, come on Bob. ¡°If he said something about marriage, he was just teasing. That¡¯s the kind of guy he is; he likes to poke and prod until he finds a spot that sinks deep.¡±

    Casca hummed, then tossed the cigar down on the table. ¡°Yeah, but¡­ I¡¯m realising that I don¡¯t have an answer to what he asked me.¡± She leaned back. ¡°Hoshi¡­ What¡¯s it look like at the end? What are we aiming for, with us?¡±

    Oh. This is¡­ good? Maybe? ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve been trying to live my life one day at a time. Not stress out too much about stuff that might not happen.¡±

    ¡°I love you,¡± she said, and the three-word sentence bowled him over like a train had crashed into his forehead.

    ¡°Oh,¡± was all he could say for a full second. Fucking talk, dumbass. ¡°I¡­ I love you too.¡±

    Is this the first time we¡¯ve said that to each other? I think it is¡­

    The apartment was silent for a moment, and then Casca blew out a breath. ¡°I¡­ I think love comes easy to me. The shallow kind, the kind that makes me a good listener and people person and all that. But¡­ this feels different. I think I¡¯m really in love with you, Hoshi Mutsu.¡±

    His mouth was dry, so he swallowed. ¡°I feel the same way. Not about loving easy ¨C I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever really loved since my parents, not in the same way, not even Bob¡­ But about this feeling different, yeah.¡±

    Another lingering silence before she spoke. ¡°I should¡¯ve done this yesterday, after the party. You need to get ready for work¡­¡±

    Hoshi shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve got time. Please, talk to me.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯d like to hear your answer. Your real answer, because I don¡¯t have one. What¡¯s the endgame? In a world where Hoshi Mutsu has won, what do things look like?¡±

    He leaned forward, moving his breakfast from his lap to the table, then sunk back again. ¡°That¡¯s a big question.¡±

    ¡°It is. I¡¯ve been living day-to-day too ¨C for a lot longer than you have, I think.¡±

    Maybe. The silence returned as Hoshi pondered ¨C and then it was explosively shattered as his Arcus damned alarm went off; he¡¯d forgotten to turn the thing off in his haste to solve his girlfriend¡¯s disappearance.

    ¡­Well, that kind of answers some of it, at least, he thought as he angrily pressed a sequence of buttons embedded bone-deep into his muscle memory. I care enough to panic when I wake up and the bed is empty.

    He returned to the couch in a slightly fouler mood, but in a way that was a good thing; the tension had been cut, and his thoughts felt clearer. ¡°I¡­¡± he began, but then Hoshi paused and reversed direction. ¡°In a perfect world¡­ Well, first thing¡¯s first, Kanto is back in Kantonian hands.¡±

    Casca rolled her eyes. ¡°Hoshi, I asked about us.¡±

    ¡°Let me build up to it, okay? In that fantasy world where everything goes right¡­¡± He chewed on his words for a moment. ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m not sure what kind government we¡¯d end up with. Go back to the Shogunate and try for a third time? Whatever; the important part is that Johto¡¯s out, and¡­ the work is done.¡± Another pause as he gauged Casca¡¯s mood, but all he got was a raised brow. ¡°And I¡¯m¡­ My parents left me some land, right in the outskirts of Viridian, near Route 1. There used to be a house there, but it¡¯s gone now. Got wiped out when the war started, right after I was born¡­¡±

    ¡°It was a miracle,¡± the memory of his father spoke unbidden. ¡°If we¡¯d left for groceries ten minutes later- it was a miracle.¡±

    Hoshi wet his lips. ¡°In a world where everything is perfect¡­ There would be a house there, again. I would¡­ raise tauros, maybe.¡±

    ¡°Not thinking of becoming Champion?¡±

    He smiled. ¡°No. I¡¯m not¡­ Maybe challenge the Champion. Maybe beat the Champion. But I wouldn¡¯t want to be the Champion, or the Shogun, or the Emperor or President or whatever. I don¡¯t have the head for that.¡±

    ¡°Hoshi,¡± Casca interrupted again, voice caught between amusement and exasperation and that still-lingering sadness. ¡°You¡¯re obsessed with history and economics and nerdy shit. Where does Kanto ranch most of its beef?¡±

    His lip curled at the non-sequitur, but he couldn¡¯t help but answer. ¡°Pallet, but actually most of it we import from Johto. What¡¯s your point?¡±

    She only shook her head, lips quirking. ¡°Never mind. So¡­ The perfect version of my man is a cowboy. You know, that kind of makes sense.¡± The quirk turned into a smile, and a block of ice in his chest melted. ¡°I can see it, a little bit. Keep going.¡±

    Oh, just keep going, like this is easy or something¡­ ¡°It would be a big house. Big enough for¡­¡± He swallowed again. ¡°My wife. And¡­ kids, I think.¡±

    ¡°You think?¡±

    ¡°...Yes. Yeah, in a world that¡¯s completely perfect for me, there would be kids. But¡­ Perfect is hard, right? Expecting everything to turn out the way I¡¯d want¡­¡± He didn¡¯t know how to finish the sentence, so he let it die.

    Casca¡¯s fingers fidgeted, obviously restraining themselves from reaching for the cigar. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not quite ready to think about getting married. Or¡­ trying for kids.¡± Hoshi held his breath. Please, came that old-feeling prayer, an unknown request to an unknown god. Please¡­ ¡°But I can¡¯t imagine waking up in someone else''s bed anymore. Flirting with a guy as part of a job, yeah, seducing somebody maybe¡­ But I think I¡¯m ruined for one-night-stands.¡±

    She looked at him, not quite crying. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m with you. Let¡¯s try and get that cowboy home, stud.¡±

    They leaned against each other, silent and too comfortable to move, too emotionally exhausted to even hug. Eventually Hoshi groaned and forced himself up for work, and as he slipped his jacket on Casca ghosted a kiss along his chin that felt¡­

    Just a little bit like the future.

    He wasn¡¯t even late for work ¨C and, he found, having a second hand made everything easier.

 Interlude - The Original PokÃ©maniac

    ¡°Ooh! And the challenger¡¯s blastoise takes a brutal knockdown from our host¡¯s arcanine! That looks like it hurts!¡±

    Blaine watched placidly as the bulky turtle attempted to stand, his arms crossed and his jaw set. Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena, his opponent was in the exact opposite state of mind ¨C she was all but pulling her hair out.

    ¡°Tuddle! You need to get up!¡± the young woman cried. ¡°Think of how far we¡¯ve come! It¡¯s just here and Fuchsia to go ¨C we can do this! You have the advantage, you just need to stand up!¡±

    ¡°You know what that means folks!¡± the announcer continued, his excitement contrasting with the challenger¡¯s lament. ¡°Time to spin the Penalty Wheel! And since it¡¯s a seventh badge challenge, we¡¯ll be using the hard mode selection!¡± The giant screen encompassing the entire wall opposite the stands let out a cheery tone, and the live audience roared. ¡°Let¡¯s see what¡¯s in store!¡±

    Five columns of differently coloured boxes appeared on the screen, each bearing a stylised symbol, and with a cavalcade of beeps and boops the roulette started. The woman finally seemed to realise what was happening, her eyes widening as she turned from her still-downed Pok¨¦mon to the screen. ¡°Wait! Please, not another one! T-Tuddle¡¯s belly never hit the floor, he caught himself with his arms!¡±

    The roulette went on, each box lighting up in sequence. The volume of the beeps increased as the speed slowed, until¡­ ¡°Ohh! Bad luck!¡± Her fate was sealed with a happy trumpet as the box bearing a lightning bolt blinked. ¡°Electrified terrain! Oh well, it could be worse ¨C this one effects both sides, after all!¡±

    ¡°Arcanine,¡± Blaine quickly ordered as the ceiling opened, a deliberately-cartoonish lightning rod descending together with a puff of confetti. ¡°Stay off the floor.¡±

    ¡°Woof!¡± his Pok¨¦mon replied, moving before Blaine had even finished speaking. Extreme Speed took him directly up the textured surface of the safety glass enclosing the battlefield ¨C meanwhile his opponent could only struggle, its trainer sending panicked shouts down as the blastoise managed to just get up on its knees.

    ¡°Tuddle! Hydro Pump before it hits! You have one more, I know it!¡±

    The turtle¡¯s cannons swivelled upwards as it raised its head in defiant determination ¨C but then the last razor-thin chance of an upset victory died as it hesitated, eyes unable to focus on the orange blur Blaine¡¯s arcanine had become. Arcs of electricity came down, blanketing the arena and shocking the vulnerable water type¡­ and then, as if to add insult to injury, the giant dog ceased jumping from wall to wall to land directly on Tuddle¡¯s back.

    The blastoise reflexively let loose its attack, water spraying from its twin cannons with incredible pressure, and the glass in front of Blaine¡¯s face cracked.

    Hmm, not the worst attack. Arcanine might have been in trouble¡­ Too bad the trainer couldn¡¯t handle the heat. The dancing tines of electricity ended a second later, and the announcer cheered as the blastoise stayed down. ¡°Oh no, it looks like that¡¯s a knockout! With all six of her Pok¨¦mon unable to battle, I¡¯m afraid that means Challenger Joyce is out of the game!¡±

    A sad trumpet accompanied the words ¡®Game Over!¡¯ flashing on-screen, and as the safety panels retracted to let the distraught young woman return her Pok¨¦mon ¨C which Arcanine was triumphantly using as a seat, to the audience¡¯s amusement ¨C Blaine huffed in annoyance. Pah, the quality of my challengers has gone down since the Pok¨¦mon Professor passed. Can the youngsters really not stand to open a textbook anymore, unless it has the name Oak written on the front? Affecting a more vicious demeanour than he felt for the cameras, he returned his own Pok¨¦mon and gestured to the five unused balls embedded in the left arm of his chair. We didn¡¯t even make it to the mid-battle quiz¡­ Then he flicked a toggle on the other arm, moved the joystick forward, and began making his way to the centre of the field.

    A moment of sulking, and then the young woman pulled herself together to take the loss with grace. She joined him in the centre, and the crowd continued to cheer as she bent down to accept his offered handshake.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you next year, Gym Leader,¡± she promised, and he huffed out a laugh.

    ¡°Then you¡¯d better burn the midnight oil and study hard! Really, getting four of the five quizzes wrong on the way up ¨C I¡¯m surprised you had three Pok¨¦mon left for the finale!¡±

    She grimaced. ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡± Unable to come up with a response, she simply ended the handshake and turned away. ¡°Next year!¡±

    After the brief, customary round of showboating, Blaine wheeled himself back into the innards of his Gym-slash-recording-studio. ¡°So how¡¯d it look, boys?¡±

    Quinn, his top editor-slash-intelligence-agent, replied with an absent-minded thumbs-up as he reviewed the footage. ¡°Looks pretty alright, Boss. Hmm, lot of challengers for a Monday¡­ might have to cut this one to just the top highlights if it keeps up.¡±

    ¡°Pah! As if there were highlights to cut!¡±

    The man shook his head. ¡°Nah, she absolutely smashed Zac on the first floor. Like I always say: the audience loves a good reversal. Just gotta find an angle where the cannons don¡¯t block the shot¡­¡±

    The former burglar cycled through a number of shots, and Blaine left him to his work and continued deeper. As he went, the tunnels carved into Cinnabar¡¯s volcanic stone ceased to be filled with the controlled mess of a TV studio, instead transitioning to the differently controlled mess of a government-funded science lab. ¡°Doctor,¡± one of his underlings greeted as he entered.

    ¡°Zac. Poor showing today! Completely sputtered out!¡±

    The black-haired man scratched the back of his head. ¡°Come on, she landed on the double-battle space and sent out two water types¡­ Besides, isn¡¯t it better for ratings if more challengers make it through to you?¡±

    Blaine hit a button on his chair¡¯s armrest, and a loud, negative buzzer issued from the overhead speakers. ¡°Eh! Wrong answer! Taking a dive is one thing, losing in the first ten seconds another! You need to get fired up ¨C Junior!¡±

    His successor sighed from the corner, where he was hunched over a desk. ¡°Really, again? Can you not do it yourself?¡±

    The buzzer sounded a second time. ¡°After hours, I want you to take Zac up and go a few rounds in the test chamber!¡± Blainetwo sighed again, and the old Gym Leader responded by jamming the wrong answer button a half-dozen times. ¡°No complaining! You still aren¡¯t up to where I was at your age!¡± Kids these days¡­ Pah, I¡¯ve got no idea where he gets it from! ¡°You should be taking every opportunity to train ¨C I¡¯m not going to be here forever, you know!¡±

    ¡°Arcus willing,¡± the twenty-year-old shot back, and a different, more positive tone played.

    ¡°There we are! Good comedic timing! We¡¯ll make a Gym Leader out of you yet!¡±

    His successor opened his mouth to retort ¨C but before he could speak a third sound issued from the speakers, this one a more serious, down-to-earth klaxon. Then it was Blaine¡¯s turn to sigh.

    ¡°Darn it.¡± There goes the Maniac Alarm. I was hoping we could go another month or two before hearing it again, but that¡¯s just how the dice fall, I suppose¡­

    ¡°Do you want me to get that for you, sir?¡± another scientist asked, and Blaine waved him off.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll need something to occupy my time before the next challenge anyway. Everyone back to work ¨C the future of scientific entertainment isn¡¯t going to build itself, you know!¡±

    As the assorted geneticists, robotics engineers, data analysts, and miscellaneous researchers went back to their tasks, Blaine wheeled himself even further into the facility. He thumbed a button to mute the alarm for the minute it took to reach one of his rest-stations-slash-sealable-bunkers, and pulled over next to a brightly-painted telephone.

    A moment to grab a drink from the fridge, another to brace himself, and then he picked up the receiver. ¡°Hello Bill,¡± he greeted enthusiastically. ¡°What do you need?¡±

    <hr>

    When Tamara had gotten herself hired by Bill Sonezuki ¨C three years ago now ¨C she had braced herself for the unpleasant prospect of being the servant of a sexual deviant.

    After all, who else would hire personal maids in this day and age?

    But very soon, she realised her mistake; Bill did not give her a single care, sexual or otherwise. And so she revised her opinion; the man must, she decided, be an even more deranged flavour of pervert: a pok¨¦filiac. After all, he was obviously obsessed with them; nine-tenths of the mansion¡¯s employees were mr. mime, the walls were festooned with framed paintings of his many prized eevee and clefairy ¨C two Pok¨¦mon whose Johto population could be traced back entirely to him ¨C and even the furniture was Pok¨¦mon-themed.

    But, again, she was proven incorrect. Bill, it seemed, was truly pure. Over those three years she had gradually, haltingly uncovered the truth¡­

    Bill Sonezaki, the greatest genius in Indigo, almost certainly the greatest genius on Earth, perhaps even the greatest genius in human history¡­ was as naive and well-intentioned as a child.

    That truth was more terrifying than any perversion she could imagine.

    ¡°Hello, Bill,¡± she was just able to make out, the voice of Cinnabar¡¯s Gym Leader distorted and muffled by the long distance between their cities, then the thick walls of the Sonezaki manor, then the stretch of hallway between her and the door. ¡°What do you need?¡± Tamara would have loved to have pressed her ear directly to the rich wood, but Mr. Bon and Ms. Chu were helping clean the section of hallway just a few metres away, and the two mimes were canny ¨C they all were.

    So she was forced to strain her ears to the breaking point, causing the soft sounds of shifting cloth squeaking against glass and stone to become near-deafening by their relative proximity. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just terrible, Professor!¡± Bill replied, his voice youthful despite being nearly forty. ¡°Mister Pink has passed away! Everyone is so distraught, I could barely get out of bed this morning¡­¡±

    The Gym Leader, TV celebrity, scientist, and spymaster sighed. ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± he said, voice flat under the put-on sympathy. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me about it.¡±

    Tamara listened, ears beginning to ring as she polished a life-sized bust of Bill¡¯s grandfather¡¯s ninetails. The long, long monologue her employer gave was nearly completely vapid, but there were a few small nuggets of gold among the pyrite ¨C small details about what the man had been doing with ¡®Mister Pink¡¯ in the sealed vault of his home lab.

    Blaine replied with the occasional hum or comforting remark. Anyone else would have been able to tell the octogenarian was going through the motions, but Bill¡¯s emotional intelligence was directly inverse to his academic abilities. ¡°¡­So you¡¯ll be needing a new ditto, then,¡± he eventually said as the man who single-handedly catapulted technology forward a full century sniffled, genuinely distraught.

    ¡°Yes, I was about to get to that,¡± Bill replied. ¡°But first, I was wondering if you¡¯d be able to attend the funeral? I know you haven¡¯t seen Mister Pink for years, but I¡¯m sure his spirit would rest easier with his creator sending him off¡­¡±

    ¡°No, Bill. You know I see most of my challengers near the end of the season.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± Her employer cleared his throat. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll have to do the eulogy myself, then. Same price as last time?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Very good, I¡¯ll have my accountant take care of things. When can I expect..?¡±

    ¡°Between one week and two, Bill. Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Well, since I have you on the line¡­¡±

    Another monologue, equally long and even more vapid, this time about Blaine¡¯s television show ¨C or rather the Pok¨¦mon featured in Blaine¡¯s show. Part of the painfully mundane stream of words was drowned out by Ms. Chu bonking into an invisible wall set up by the other mime, and Tamara was almost thankful for the interruption ¨C this conversation contained not a single speck of gold. Blaine eventually hung up after excusing himself, and the next moment she heard Bill¡¯s footsteps approaching. Her senses dulled just in time to avoid the screech of the study door against its frame.

    Bill walked out into the hall ¨C and bonked into a different wall. Oh- I didn¡¯t even see them set that one up. The thought was filled with self-admonishment; with family business taking her away from the mansion more and more, she was becoming less able to predict its inhabitants¡¯ movements.

    He recoiled, held his nose for a moment¡­ and then laughed.

    ¡°Oh, thank you for the effort, Sir and Miss. I¡¯m in sore need of levity today¡­¡±

    The mimes responded by passing an invisible ball back and forth ¨C whether they were merely miming or actually juggling balls of psychically-stilled air, Tamara could not tell. ¡°Ma?¡± one of them ¨C Ms. Chu ¨C croaked, and Bill waved his hand sadly.

    ¡°No, no. You get on with your work. I have to make¡­ preparations.¡± Tears sparkled in the corners of his eyes, and once again Tamara¡¯s gut twisted at the sight.

    This is the most dangerous man in the entire world. The weapons Johto cajoled out of him kept us in the war, and I don''t think he even remembers they exist ¨C if he ever decided to do it on purpose, he could turn the continent into a smoking crater within an hour.

    He passed, clasping the mimes on their shoulders as he went, doing the same for Tamara after a moment of hesitation ¨C as if the human figure were corrosive. ¡°Pardon, I didn¡¯t think to ask; will you be joining us for the funeral?¡±

    Tamara nodded. ¡°Of course, sir. Mister Pink was a member of the household.¡±

    Bill¡¯s smile was guileless. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll appreciate it.¡± He continued down the hall, and Tamara rubbed down the marble as quickly as she could without risking damaging it under the watchful eyes of Mr. Bon and Ms. Chu.

    <hr>

    The Sonezaki manor was a strange place ¨C not necessarily for any quality of the grounds themselves, but moreso the location. Bill¡¯s mansion stood along Goldenrod¡¯s coastline, its surrounding greenery a sharp contrast to the towering buildings that were visible in the distance. Once, the residence had been a single house among many; now it stood alone, apartments and strip malls replaced by rolling hills and forest, countryside so pristine it was difficult to believe any human had ever touched the land.

    It was surreal; even after years worth of familiarity, she still sometimes looked at just the right angle to spot a piece of familiar city in the distance, causing her brain to go we should be seeing  buildings here and short-circuit.

    The amount of money Bill had poured into the reserve had been astronomical, almost ten times as much as he¡¯d ever spent on his former lab north of Cerulean ¨C and that was before counting the new lab itself, whose surface was only a tiny shed adjacent to the home, but which Tamara knew descended down into the earth for a startling distance.

    She eyed said lab as she carried the ditto''s casket together with another mime, Mr. Peggle. Most likely he¡¯ll be going there after the ceremony ¨C now, what are the odds that the password has changed since last time?

    Her gait was slow, the pace of the short train being set by Bill. The man was dressed in his ceremonial robes ¨C pure white with voluminous sleeves ¨C and he brandished his wand with every step. The jangling of the attached chain accompanied a chant in the old tongue, giving the slow-moving group a solemn and, dare she say it, holy air.

    Behind Bill walked a pair of jynx, dressed similarly to their master, who were whistling softly in time with the chain¡¯s percussion. Then came a pair of umbreon, silent, their heads tilted up where the other mourners¡¯ were lowered. Then a pair of misdreavus, then her and the mime with the casket, two more maids, a second pair of ghosts ¨C and finally, taking up the rear, Bill¡¯s wife. Lady Miu was garbed identically to her husband, though she waved her chain-bedecked wand in a mirrored pattern and her chant was modern Kantonian.

    ¡­I probably shouldn¡¯t risk it. While he¡¯s probably too distraught to think about security, probably is enough to get me killed. Better to wait until I can confirm things with my eyes. It was always frustrating that the most simplistic way of entering the sealed area ¨C slipping in unseen the moment Bill himself opened the door ¨C was impossible; two of her sisters had paid with their lives to discover the motion sensors covering the entrance.

    The train continued to move, going from mansion to forest to clearing, and eventually they came to a small sign of humanity: a graveyard, large stones arranged in a pattern that was just artificial enough to draw the eye. A pit had already been dug, the gravestone and shovel made ready, and a crude wooden altar built nearby.

    As Bill reached the altar he turned aside, the jynx and umbreon following while the ghosts, Tamara, and her fellow pallbearer continued straight ahead. This would usually be the part where the body was removed to be sanctified, but given the tight wax seal already applied to the casket ¨C and the sloshing she could feel as they moved ¨C the sequence had obviously been modified to account for the deceased¡¯s¡­ nature.

    So she simply set the casket upon the altar, turning to join the other mourners to the side with Bill. Most would consider the Johtonian genius¡¯s formal training as an Arcean priest to be an interesting factoid at best, but from the way he carried himself, the steadiness of his chanting and the precision he put into each movement, it was obvious the man considered this an important part of his life; equal if not superior to his greatest inventions.

    The chant paused as Miu took up the other side of the altar, the priest and priestess bowing towards the deceased as the ghosts cavorted above.

    ¡°Mister Pink,¡± they each said, voices entwined. ¡°Please rest easy, so that your body may return to the earth, and your spirit be born anew. So that the great creator might reach His many hands down and embrace you as His child. So that enmity and corruption do not follow you, and cause your spirit to linger.¡±

    They each reached down, drawing earthen pots from under the altar. At this point they finally de-synced; Lady Miu moved to anoint the casket in seawater, then after she finished her husband did the same with pure springwater. The ghosts dancing above grimaced, their faces contorting into hideous expressions that made even Tamara¡¯s pulse slacken.

    The four misdreavus flew off, and their departure marked the ceremony¡¯s success. Tamara and Mr. Peggle stepped forward to lift the casket together, depositing it into its grave with swift, clinical motions ¨C the both of them had performed this ceremony many times, after all.

    Despite his very genuine compassion, Bill¡¯s laboratory discharged a steady stream of corpses; this was far from the only cemetery hidden among the trees.

    She swiftly filled the grave in with the aid of the shovel, and then Mr. Peggle levitated the stone up, across, and down, sweat dripping from his jowls from the strain. It made only the softest sound of shifting earth as it settled in its place, and with that her part was complete.

    Now¡­ the eulogy. The thought was tired; while it was impressive that Bill was able to contort a life spent mainly in a tube into an hour-long account of the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s quirks and virtues, it was not particularly interesting. She sighed internally as the man stood in front of the stone.

    ¡°I have known Mister Pink for two years, and though that is only a fraction of my life I cannot put to words the-¡±

    Tamara was jolted back to awareness at the sudden pause, raising her eyes to see her employer frowning as his wife whispered in his ear.

    Then her eyes flicked to the umbreon. Damn. She would greatly like to eavesdrop on the private conversation happening less than five metres away, but the cemetery¡¯s guardian Pok¨¦mon would detect even the faintest hint of her ninjutsu should she use any in their proximity. Something that can make Bill pause his routine ¨C it must be important.

    After a minute of whispered discussion Bill huffed, stepping around his wife to address the mourners. ¡°Apologies, but could you please return home for now? Something urgent has come up; I will of course inform you when the rest of the funeral is ready to take place."

    The assorted employees looked at each other, and then as one turned to leave. The only figure not moving with the crowd was Makoto, the most recently hired maid.

    ¡°Do you require assistance, sir?¡± she asked, and Lady Miu shook her head.

    ¡°No, darling, please return to the house.¡±

    <hr>

    The young maid took a sip of her tea, nodding to the mime as it departed. ¡°They are cute together, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Shojiko, the third maid in the funeral trio, waved away her junior¡¯s statement. ¡°Not at all; I¡¯ve never seen them so much as hold hands. It was obviously an arranged marriage.¡±

    Makoto frowned. ¡°I hope you¡¯re wrong. Lady Miu is so beautiful, it would be such a waste if she were stuck in a loveless marriage¡­¡±

    ¡°They do love each other,¡± Tamara broke in, her mouth moving on autopilot as she debated the various actions open to her in her head. Do I try it? They sent the umbreon away, but I don¡¯t know where they are ¨C if they catch me, that¡¯s a big mess I¡¯ll have to clean up. ¡°You can tell by the way they look at each other, it¡¯s obvious.¡±

    Makoto brightened, while Shojiko only rolled her eyes. ¡°Sure, Tamara, sure. It¡¯s definitely not just a cover while he canoodles his harem of jynx.¡±

    The younger girl made a sound of disgust, scandalised. ¡°Sho! You can¡¯t say that!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be naive. Men only keep jynx around for one reason, and it isn¡¯t the singing.¡±

    But on the other hand, I¡¯ve been out of the loop for a long time. Extenuating circumstances keep drawing me away; I haven¡¯t seen the interior of the lab for almost a year now. Knowing what Bill¡¯s up to is important, for me, the family, and Johto¡­ Tamara shook her head lightly. ¡°You know, those stories are really overblown. Jynx look like women, but they¡¯re closer to clams in terms of anatomy; if he was screwing anything it¡¯d be the clefairy.¡±

    Makoto turned her scandalised look her way, putting her teacup down. ¡°Tamara, not you too! Seriously, you both need to get your minds out of the gutter!¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯m sure Bill and his wife are perfectly normal.¡±

    As the two maids continued to argue, Tamara made up her mind. I¡¯ll risk it; if I have to disappear a few umbreon afterwards, then that''s a consequence I¡¯m willing to shoulder. In the time it took to snap one¡¯s finger¡¯s ¨C and with that sheer speed producing a similar sound ¨C Tamara drew a Spore-coated needle, pierced each woman a single time in the thickest parts of their eyebrows, and caught their unconscious bodies before they could tumble from their chairs.

    A few minutes at least before the butler comes back with further refreshments. A single half-second to make sure neither woman would topple over from a stiff breeze ¨C and then she was off, wincing as her passage caused a soft rustling to follow in her wake, leaves and stems disturbed by the movement of the air her body displaced. Sloppy. I¡¯ve grown too used to urban environments, my forestry has gone dull¡­

    But despite the rustiness, she still made it back to the cemetery¡¯s outskirts within twenty seconds. She crouched in the shadow of an oak as the forest¡¯s low susurrus became a badly-played symphony, each musician substituting skill for volume.

    And then, over the wind and buzz of insects, she heard it ¨C three heartbeats, one slow and strong, one soft and quick, and the last both strong and quick. That third was Bill, the second his wife, the first¡­

    Tamara had not the slightest idea. Bill wouldn¡¯t pause the funeral for just anyone. So who?

    She listened, bidding any of the three to speak and reveal something, but none of them did. Frustration caused her muscles to tense as one minute passed, then another ¨C until finally Bill opened his mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you should trust him, Mister Tu.¡± Tu? Perhaps Two. Most likely a codename. Someone from a different family? ¡°That man¡­ I don¡¯t like to think poorly of people, but he¡¯s deceived you before, hasn¡¯t he?¡±

    Another silence, and Tamara¡¯s internal clock told her it was time to go. She cursed internally as she flashed away; she¡¯d learned basically nothing.

    A half-minute later she was back at the dainty table, rubbing away the tiny dried scabs caught in her fellow maids¡¯ hair. Next came the antidote ¨C administered orally through the gums ¨C and for a moment the two jerked, groggy and insensate, before the stimulant washed away all trace of sleep. Shojiko and Makoto blinked in-sync before their eyes focused, the moment of intense disorientation hiding the fact that they were suddenly in slightly different positions.

    ¡°Huh?¡± the younger grunted. ¡°What was I..? Oh, that¡¯s right!¡± She pointed a finger at Shojiko, frowning. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say that about our master! It isn¡¯t like you¡¯ve seen him act untoward, right? You can¡¯t just accuse someone of¡­ that so easily!¡±

    <hr>

    Bill looked between his wife and his wife¡¯s son, trying and failing to dredge up a series of words to dispel the tension. ¡°Please,¡± he attempted, ¡°Let¡¯s not get into that old argument again. Honey, even if he changes his name he¡¯s still-¡±

    ¡°I¡± Two interrupted, his voice deep and voluminous without being loud. ¡°Am not her son. She is no more my parent than Fuji. It was a mistake to come here¡­¡±

    He turned, beginning to stalk off, but the love of Bill¡¯s life raised her hand and Two stopped. ¡°You have not found the answer to your question, though.¡±

    ¡°And I doubt you have little to say to me. The human gave better advice than you, Mew.¡±

    She smiled. ¡°You did not come here for advice. Only a mirror, so that you might look upon your own thoughts. I will ask you a question: do you wish to forgive? Or to hold on to the past?¡±

    Two was silent as he stood, back turned to the pair. Then, without another word, his figure blurred and disappeared.

    ¡°¡­Honey, I think that might not have been the best thing to say. You know calling him by his old name makes him cross¡­¡±

    His wife¡¯s smile lingered as she swept to the side, brushing her hand against the stone of Mister Pink¡¯s grave. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯d like him to be cross. It makes him more honest with himself.¡± She shook her head, the soft pink of her hair dancing as one of the misdreavus came back to make a sharp loop around her neck, hiding in its crook.

    ¡°¡­Well, I suppose you would know him best.¡± Bill looked to the sky, and for the briefest moment something blue flashed in the distance. Then it was gone.

    ¡°Oh, not at all,¡± Mew conceded, stroking the ghost with slender fingers. ¡°He is of your people as much as mine. But come, let us draw back the crowd for Mister Pink¡¯s service; I wish to hear your thoughts on his life."

    Bill smiled, allowing the heavy emotions Two had brought with him to leave. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re completely correct. Oh, I can¡¯t wait to meet his brother ¨C do you think Blaine would let me come to his island to pick him up? He said I was banned, but that was weeks ago, so surely he¡¯s forgotten all about me lending a few Master Balls to those young ladies¡­¡±

 5.01 - Time Limits

    Hoshi strained, strained, strained ¨C and yet the needle stubbornly refused to move, even as nausea clawed its way up and down the inside of his body cavity. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do it, Doc¡­¡±

    Hypno scribbled on his notepad. ¡°No, you definitely can,¡± he murmured, voice nearly inaudible. ¡°These readings are quite good.¡± Then the doctor¡¯s voice rose, his hand doing the same to gesture at the man sitting despondently behind his back. ¡°Nephew, give him another demonstration, would you? Watch closely this time, grunt.¡±

    Hoshi sighed and the heavyset Rocket Hunter made a sour face, but they both still obeyed; Kiribo raised his hands to his temples, and ¨C this time without the dramatic moan ¨C imparted a telekinetic force upon the thick needle of the testing device. It shot to the right, stopping halfway between the centre and edge, and Hoshi did his absolute best to feel what he was doing.

    But as was becoming familiar, he couldn¡¯t make out any psychic ¡®colours¡¯ beyond the orange sparks floating off the man¡¯s sparkling eyes. Cartoons and movies always put some kind of visual effect on stuff like this¡­ I guess reality has a smaller special effects budget.

    His brows came together. It¡¯s the same as it always is¡­ I completely fail the test, Hypno says it was a good result, rinse and repeat. Even two weeks in, Hoshi had yet to do anything actually identifiable as psychic ¨C a surprisingly frustrating experience, given that he still didn¡¯t know if he actually wanted the prognosis to be true. Come on¡­ Activate! Psych on! Hoshi, use Foresight! Psychic! Confusion! Hypnosis! Agility!

    Though Hypno had explained multiple times ¨C mostly unprompted ¨C that human psychics operated under completely different mechanisms from psychic type Pok¨¦mon, yelling moves in his head still did one important thing: it released tension. Hoshi managed to ungrit his teeth as the needle slid slowly back to neutral, Kiribo¡¯s stamina depleted.

    ¡°Now your turn.¡±

    Okay, let¡¯s try again¡­ twice as hard this time. He stifled another sigh as he concentrated on the testing device, forced determination and bored disappointment warring as he lifted the bulky Psy-Wave Detection Tools to point at the needle. He pushed, attempting to move a muscle he wasn¡¯t sure he even had, all while Doc Hypno cooed distractingly at the numbers flashing across the screens jutting from the gloves¡¯ sides.

    An hour later, Hoshi exited the lab. He was sweaty, worn-out, and his head rang like a cracked bell ¨C but he knew the latter would be gone in an hour, and he had actually managed some progress: he hadn¡¯t thrown up a single time. ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± he groaned, cracking his neck.

    ¡°Hnnn,¡± Kiribo agreed. ¡°Are you certain you aren¡¯t sandbagging, Senior Grunt? I realise my reaction to the discovery of your talent was¡­ perhaps just slightly overblown, but I assure you I¡¯ve put it behind me.¡±

    ¡°Fuck no,¡± Hoshi replied. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m fucking sandbagging?¡± All that your freakout did was make me want to get stronger to spite you ¨C I didn¡¯t think for a fucking second about quitting. Well, Kiribo¡¯s tantrum hadn¡¯t made him think about quitting; the stardust injections had made a much more convincing, if still inadequate, argument. All because I apparently have a bigger psychic dick than you do. Fucking gradeschool-level shit¡­

    ¡°No,¡± the Hunter conceded. ¡°Pardon, that was an ill-thought sentence.¡± He raised his fist, voice regaining a touch of his usual vim. ¡°I¡¯m certain your powerful abilities will manifest themselves soon enough! In fact¡­ it might simply be that you¡¯re the type that learns best on the field of battle! Yes, the moment it becomes necessary, your psychic potential shall explode!¡± He punctuated the word with another pose, and Hoshi swallowed another sigh.

    Sure, and then Guts will spontaneously evolve into a never-before-seen super-raticate, Johto will be swallowed by the sea, and you¡¯ll start calling me by my actual name. ¡°I¡¯m sure. Hey, why don¡¯t you get any of this star-shit while we¡¯re testing?¡±

    ¡°Ah, you see¡­¡± Kiribo said, and Hoshi mentally kicked himself. Damn it, why did I make him talk more? This headache is gonna kill me if it keeps up¡­ ¡°The catalyst for my powers is simply different from yours! While you draw strength from the stars above, my telekinesis comes from motion; the more I move, the more force I can impart!¡±

    I¡¯m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that wasn¡¯t an intentional pun. ¡°So why don¡¯t you move around while doing the finger thing?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± For a moment the man looked embarrassed, but then Hoshi blinked and the expression was gone. ¡°I cannot exactly jump around while surrounded by fragile equipment, now can I?¡±

    Hoshi smelled bullshit, but with the pulsing in his head he didn¡¯t feel the need to root around for it ¨C especially as the stairs to the ground floor approached. ¡°¡­Sure. Anyway, I¡¯m gonna hit the showers and head home. See you tomorrow.¡± He lurched up towards freedom, but found that the conversation had yet to end.

    ¡°Actually, I believe this will be the last time we see each other for at least a fortnight; I have finally received a mission befitting my stature.¡±

    Hoshi looked back as he crested the stairs, his eyes narrowing in envy. ¡°Oh yeah?¡± And here the rest of us are, left high and dry for weeks ¨C I can only train so hard with nothing to train for. ¡°Think the instructors will be giving some action to the rest of us?¡±

    Kiribo¡¯s mouth opened, but then he hesitated. ¡°¡­Pardon, I should probably not speak of it. A higher-ranking grunt you might be, but you are still only a grunt.¡± He pointed upwards. ¡°Advance another rank, and I¡¯m certain Rocket¡¯s true heights shall open to you!¡±

    Hoshi grumbled back, then made for the showers. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll get back to you on that,¡± he muttered as the Hunter receded behind him. Senior Grunt only has three career paths: Agent, which I don¡¯t think I¡¯m cut out for; Executive, which I¡¯m not nearly strong or rich enough to try and break into yet; and Enforcer, which according to Casca is a dead-end for useless meatheads. His girlfriend wasn¡¯t exactly an academic, but he trusted her implicitly when it came to the social aspects of their shared career ¨C if she said Executive was what he should be aiming for, then Hoshi would take that longer, slower path.

    ¡­Though if I want to build up my name, it would really help to get a damn job. Hah, can¡¯t know what¡¯s going on ¡®till I¡¯m promoted, but can¡¯t climb the ranks while things are going on. Think I saw a movie with that premise, once¡­

    The dressing room adjacent to the pool was empty as he entered, which suited his current mood just fine. I¡¯m crankier than usual today ¨C I was really hoping for something to happen. But no, it had just been another lesson, and not even from the instructors, followed by the same tests he¡¯d been repeating since the start of the month. Hoshi pulled his clothes off, set them in a locker, and stepped over to the showers ¨C which were also empty. Not a lot of people going swimming with the heatwave over, I guess. Would have expected one or two heading for the hot tub, though¡­ whatever. It was probably just the hour; the tests had been getting longer with each visit, and if it kept up he was afraid Hypno would insist on him staying overnight.

    Bleh¡­

    A lightning-quick round of near-steaming water cleared his head some, and as he redressed himself Hoshi felt¡­ clean, in a way that had nothing to do with the thin coating of sweat he¡¯d washed off. He¡¯d started to notice the effect after his third round in the basement¡¯s torture chamber, as he was beginning to call it. Like... snow, almost. Everything going white and soft.

    I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s just a placebo, but¡­ It made him optimistic in a way the tests very much did not. Still wish I could actually do something, but at least the nightmares have stopped. He stood for a moment, luxuriating in the feeling of not having bile crawling up has throat, and then with a private nod to himself Hoshi reached for his jacket-

    ¡°Grunt Mutsu!¡± came a deep and feminine voice from behind his back. Hoshi¡¯s spine nearly exited his mouth from how hard he jumped, and he whirled to find the instructors sitting on a bench on the opposite side of the room.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am-!¡± he said, voice showing his rattled bones more clearly than he¡¯d have liked. This is the men¡¯s room! N-not that it really matters. ¡°And, uh, sir. Did you need something?¡±

    Jessie and James didn¡¯t look nearly as tired as they had on that day where Hypno had given his lecture, but there was a certain raggedness under their skin that came out despite their mostly-immaculate appearance.

    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you asked!¡± answered James. ¡°But first, a question for you¡­¡±

    ¡°What did you think of today¡¯s lesson?¡± Jessie finished.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± The day¡¯s class ¨C which had been centred on disguises, mainly using makeup to obscure one¡¯s facial shape ¨C had again been taught by a ¡®substitute,¡¯ for lack of a better word: Sierra Chispan, Rocket Agent. ¡°It was fine? I¡¯m sure knowing how to change my appearance will come in handy somehow.¡±

    Jessie hummed. ¡°You weren¡¯t too bored?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re sure this is all old-hat for Fuchsia¡¯s second-largest ninja clan, after all.¡±

    Hoshi blinked. Do they not..? No, they obviously would have investigated the non-Surge parts of my family, too. They¡¯re fishing for something ¨C though I can¡¯t imagine what. His lips tightened, but after a moment¡¯s thought he couldn¡¯t dredge up a reason to conceal something so simple. ¡°No, I¡¯m not really part of the ninja-bits of the clan. Dad was formally banned from practice after giving up the heir¡¯s seat and leaving Fuchsia.¡±

    The two scrutinised him with an intensity that made his lips curl, and again Hoshi had no idea why. There¡¯s no way they didn¡¯t know that already, it¡¯s not even slightly secret. ¡°¡­Is there a problem, sirs?¡±

    They turned to each other ¨C no doubt communicating something soundlessly, since when they turned back their expressions were less skeptical. ¡°It just so happens that we¡¯ve been having a bit of a ninja problem, Senior Grunt,¡± James said.

    ¡°Yes. I hope you don¡¯t hold it against us that we¡¯d¡­ double-check certain things.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s mouth was suddenly dry. ¡°Uh. Yeah, I¡­¡± Fuck fuck fuck fuck- ¡°I can see where you¡¯re coming from. Is there¡­ something I can do to..?¡± Are my fucking relatives going after Rocket? Arcus above¡­

    ¡°Oh, I know!¡± Jessie suddenly exclaimed. ¡°James, are you thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡±

    ¡°You mean, that little thing? It would free up our busy schedule some¡­ Yes, I agree!¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s own expression turned skeptical as the two Senior Executives smiled at him. I feel like I¡¯ve somehow walked into a trap without moving. ¡°Senior Grunt,¡± James said, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to be free this next week, would you?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I have psychic testing with Hypno, and my normal job, and..?¡±

    Jessie waved her hand, dismissing his answer. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure a word to the right people will get you a week of extra holidays. Assuming you¡¯re willing to do us a favour, yes? I¡¯m sure a go-getter like yourself is going spare from boredom.¡±

    ¡°Yes, unfortunately we don¡¯t have anything in the way of the traditional skullduggery we¡¯d give to a team of your level ¨C things are a bit stuffed up right now.¡±

    ¡°But we do have a special job, if you¡¯d like to earn a little extra credit¡­¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s confusion began to clear. Ah, so that¡¯s how it is. Scare me with the ninja thing, then push me to reaffirm my loyalty and all that. ¡°I¡¯m planning to go visit some family for the Harvest Festival, but I don¡¯t need to leave until the 27th. What do you need me to do?¡±

    Jessie smiled. ¡°Well, usually we try to keep our fingers on the pulse of every single baby Rocket that comes in¡­¡± she began.

    ¡°But, as we¡¯ve said, things are starting to come to a head.¡±

    ¡°So though we¡¯d love to give this season¡¯s new recruits the personal touch you and your peers received¡­¡±

    Hoshi read between the lines as they sent pointed looks his way. ¡°You¡­ want me to help set up another tournament?¡±

    ¡°Oh, not a tournament,¡± James corrected. ¡°We don¡¯t have nearly enough free hands for that.¡±

    ¡°We were thinking something along the lines of a wilderness camp ¨C there are a few other grunts with idle hands, and roughing it down in Route 14 or 15 for a week would help toughen you all up some.¡±

    ¡°And foster a stronger bond with your fellow Rockets! Ah, the fresh air, the verdant wilds¡­¡±

    ¡°The horrible swarms of venomoth!¡±

    ¡°Yes, those too! So, what do you think?¡±

    Hoshi blinked, still feeling as though he was being pushed into a corner. Oh, fuck off with the self-pity. You were literally just angry about not having anything to do. ¡°I guess I could put something together. How many people?¡±

    Jessie nodded his way, pleased. ¡°Your group of six, plus another group of three, plus the new recruits.¡±

    ¡°Which makes twelve in total! Here¡¯s all the contact information you need; feel free to bring the receipts for tents and other supplies up to Grunt Nak for reimbursement!¡±

    James shoved a slip of paper into his hands, and Hoshi sputtered from the speed the conversation had progressed. ¡°Uh, sure. But, where are we going? This isn¡¯t, like, a mission mission is it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry,¡± Jessie answered as the two walked out of the dressing room. ¡°As long as you¡¯re out of the city a few days-¡±

    ¡°Along with the rest of the grunts!¡±

    ¡°-Then we¡¯ll be happy to pay you for your time. Don¡¯t worry about talking to Mister Everheart ¨C and try not to step on any nidoran while you¡¯re out there, they hate that!¡±

    They turned, blue and red hair swishing like they were the stars of a shampoo commercial ¨C an impression that was only enhanced by the bathroom-adjacent aesthetic of the locker room. James met his eyes as he paused at the threshold ¨C and for a single sliver of a moment Hoshi thought he saw a sparkle of something brighter, dancing in the black of the man¡¯s pupils. ¡°We¡¯d prefer you took the rookies straight out of the academy-¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow at two, sharp!¡± Jessie interjected.

    ¡°-But if you can¡¯t make it¡­ well, that¡¯s life!¡± And with those closing remarks, they were gone. Hoshi looked down, unfolding the slip to find a list of names, addresses, and a lesser number of phone numbers than he''d have hoped in quite possibly the smallest text he¡¯d ever seen ¨C it was less legible than the most inconspicuous of warning labels on a sketchy pillbottle.

    ¡­Well, I guess I¡¯m going camping? His expression twisted as he read the names, attempting to memorise them in anticipation of actually meeting these people. Damn it, I could¡¯ve put off buying good boots and had Rocket pay for them¡­A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    <hr>

    ¡°¡­And then they just left,¡± Hoshi finished. Casca spooned some more fried mushrooms into her mouth, chewed, swallowed, and then paused for a few extra seconds of thought before replying.

    ¡°Huh. It¡¯s hard for me to imagine them doing it that way ¨C it seems, like, out of character? Not the appearing from nowhere bit, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I was mostly just confused. You know any of these guys?¡±

    Hoshi put down his fork to dig in his pocket, passing the slip over before taking his own bite of their supper. I''m glad she thought to wait for me to get home. Eating together feels¡­ better, somehow.

    Casca hummed. ¡°I¡¯ve known Mimi for a long time, but not the other two. Or maybe..?¡± Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she stared at the miniscule text. ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard the names ¡®Clifford Moon¡¯ and ¡®Kaz Kazubara¡¯ before? Give me a minute to think.¡±

    Hoshi nodded, and the two went back to their food as the apartment¡¯s ancient DVD player beamed Castelia 1999 into their eyes and ears. It got kind of weird at the end too. ¡®As long as you¡¯re out of the city,¡¯ was that meant to be ominous as shit? Hoshi didn¡¯t know how to feel, and he wasn¡¯t able to break the thought spiral before Casca spoke again.

    ¡°Oh! I just realised!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Kazubara ¨C that¡¯s probably Big-Haired Bart. Guy¡¯s got, like, the biggest pompadour you¡¯ve ever seen. If he put his hair down I¡¯m sure it¡¯d go all the way past his knees.¡± She twirled her fork, satisfied. ¡°The other guy¡¯s an Enforcer; worked with him once when I was just starting out, if it¡¯s who I¡¯m thinking about. Big tall guy, face like a block of granite, never shuts his mouth. Again, if I¡¯m thinking of the right person.¡±

    Hoshi returned the list to his pocket, grunting in affirmation. ¡°Thanks for the info. Nothing for the other three?¡±

    Casca shook her head. ¡°Nope. I don¡¯t really look into anyone who¡¯s lower than me on the totem pole, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied, and for a few minutes they watched the old movie, polishing off their plates. ¡°So, tomorrow,¡± he eventually said as the credits rolled. ¡°I¡¯m thinking we could go house-to-house together? I¡¯m a lot more stable when I¡¯ve got your hand on my back.¡±

    His girlfriend twirled her fork again, her fingers turning the utensil into a weightless blur of silver. ¡°I was gonna hit the Gym¡¯s battle courts, but yeah, this is way more important. Let me see the addresses again?¡±

    He passed the paper back over, then gathered both their dishes and made for the sink. ¡°I looked at it for a bit before leaving the academy. Shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find the places.¡± Why does nobody own fucking phones in this city? Okay yeah, we''re criminals, but come on.

    ¡°Yeah, I can already see the path in my head ¨C start with our people, or end with them?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking we¡¯d start on the east side with Puce, then go west and end with Kenny.¡±

    The two debated lazily for a few minutes, eventually ending up with a south-to-north-with-a-few-detours path through the city. Get the others on board first, have them pick up the supplies while we¡¯re making contact with these other three Rockets. The Enforcer might take some convincing¡­ From Casca¡¯s laconic description of the man, Hoshi was already bracing to deal with an overly-macho ass.

    And then there are the new recruits. The fact that he was now no longer considered a rookie felt strange ¨C but when he thought about it, Hoshi had to admit it was true. We only did the one big job, but it was a pretty big job. Three months into working with M&S, I pretty much had everything down¡­ so why do I feel like I¡¯m still only starting out?

    He pondered the question all the way to bed, and as he drifted to sleep Hoshi had only come up with the unsatisfying silhouette of an answer.

    I guess I¡¯m comparing being a Rocket to being a Pok¨¦mon Trainer, when really the two skillsets only overlap at the edges¡­

    <hr>

    Sunday was basically perfect; warm with a cool breeze, not a single cloud in the sky, with a certain pleasant tang to the air from the bay. The contrast only made it extra frustrating when things hit a snag almost immediately. ¡°She¡¯s not home?¡±

    ¡°Afraid not,¡± Mauve, his underling¡¯s massive father, answered. ¡°She should still be out at Vermillion Gym. Oh, I should thank you for introducing her to Mister Kimigawa! He¡¯s an absolute delight!¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s brain attempted to go in several directions, ¡®She¡¯s training on her own?¡¯ pulling against ¡®Kiribo came to her house?¡¯ grappling with ¡®I¡¯ve only got six hours, there¡¯s no time for this, I should¡¯ve come by yesterday despite only getting home after sunset.¡¯ He closed his eyes for a moment, banishing the competing thoughts.

    ¡°Well¡­ thank you for telling us that, Mister Gracile,¡± he said, and Casca continued without pause.

    ¡°We hope stealing her away for a surprise trip isn¡¯t messing with your holiday plans.¡±

    The man waved them off. ¡°I¡¯m just glad she¡¯s finally found something she enjoys. Even just a few weeks back, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have been able to imagine her challenging someone to a Pok¨¦mon battle!¡± Yeah, that was my thought too. She¡¯s been a bit more assertive since we pulled off the Gym job, but going out to the Battlegrounds is almost uncharacteristically bold. ¡°Though we should probably keep this hush-hush from her mother ¨C Mint can be a bit of a helicopter parent!¡± Mauve laughed, the sound comparable to an exploding voltorb, and sent Hoshi a wink.

    ¡°Er, sure. Well, I¡¯m on a bit of a time limit, so..?¡± Another wave, this one of physical dismissal. ¡°Thanks.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be sure to visit after the trip!¡± Casca tacked on as they departed, heading west down the street.

    Damn it. I know this is hypocritical, but is it too much to ask for people to answer their damn phones? Or to own a phone, in Kenny and Nerine¡¯s case. Well¡­ it could be worse. At least we know where she is. ¡°Nerine next?¡±

    ¡°Lead the way.¡±

    A brisk walk to the outskirts of the Young District saw the two of them to Nerine¡¯s apartment without incident. Hoshi led the way up the stairs and knocked on her door, almost feeling each second peeling away. Calm down. We can afford to skip Kenny and Puce in favour of picking up the new rookies if we need to, then tell the others what¡¯s happening after. There¡¯s no reason to-

    The door opened, and an absolutely wretched-looking teenager greeted him with bleary eyes. ¡°Hoshi? It¡¯s like, ten AM¡­¡±

    ¡°Nine. Look, the instructors dropped an emergency job on us last-minute; we need to take a batch of new recruits out for a¡­ camping trip sort of thing. It¡¯s probably more important than I¡¯m making it sound.¡±

    Nerine blinked at him. Her eyelids were heavily discoloured with Sleep Powder, and the dark purple even bled into the whites of her eyes. That''s not normal. How much is she using? ¡°Wha..? Camping? Like, now?¡±

    ¡°After lunch, yeah,¡± Casca answered. ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯ve been looking kinda zombie the last week, but it wasn¡¯t this bad.¡±

    Nerine was silent for long, painful seconds. Hoshi¡¯s feet wanted to move, to get to Kenny¡¯s house in the Old District as soon as possible in case something blew up in their collective faces, but a shoulder-bump from his girlfriend quieted the urge to do something¡­ harsh. ¡°Lunch?¡± the girl eventually said, and Hoshi felt more than saw the familiar red filter descend over his vision.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he choked out. Arcus, is her drug problem really this bad? This can¡¯t just be her ¡®having trouble sleeping,¡¯ right? ¡°Can you get to the academy today? Like, about¡­¡± His watch said 8:40, which calmed his nerves some. ¡°Five hours from now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah..?¡± Nerine replied. ¡°Wait, we have lessons today? Since when?¡±

    Hoshi swallowed down the panic-born anger as Casca swept in front of him. ¡°Hey stud,¡± she whispered back. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go get Kenny? Nerine¡¯s obviously not up to buying any supplies; I¡¯ll get her to the academy, try and get her sobered up, and then you can meet me there.¡± In a more normal volume she continued, ¡°Nerine, honey, you have got to learn to pace yourself on the weekends, girl. Lemme come in here and get you some water¡­¡±

    Casca gently but firmly pushed her way into the apartment, and nodded Hoshi¡¯s way as she took control of the situation. With great reluctance he nodded back, and the door closed.

    The anger ceased, all at once, leaving him with just the vague panic of the strict timetable. Okay. That¡¯s¡­ not a bad plan. Hoshi took a deep breath, held it, then let it out. Then he descended the stairs, and exited back onto the busy morning streets.

    Zero for two, his subconscious supplied, and he took another breath before turning west.

    <hr>

    Okay, I¡¯m going to need to not freak out, Hoshi thought to himself as he crested the steps to his final Vermilion-living underling¡¯s home. He¡¯s going to have broken his leg doing stunts on his bike, or his granny¡¯s in the hospital, or they¡¯ve gone away on holidays early. That¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen, and I need to not. Freak. Out. I can do that, right?

    He was¡­ pretty sure he could. So Hoshi braced himself for a third failure in a row, and knocked on the door.

    Thirty seconds passed, and just as he was about to knock again the door opened. ¡°Yes? Who¡¯s there?¡± The tanned face of Kenny¡¯s grandmother poked out from the door, her expression distinctly annoyed.

    Okay, cross off disaster scenarios two and three. Progress. ¡°Hello, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m Hoshi, Menard¡¯s work friend. Is he home at the moment?¡±

    ¡°Of course, we were just about to go to church. Come in, come in¡­¡±

    Hoshi managed to keep the reflexive grimace the word church instilled in him from reaching his face, stepping inside and removing his boots. The old woman led him to the kitchen, and then her voice raised a startling degree as she called up the narrow stairs. ¡°Menard! You have a guest!¡±

    Impressive set of lungs for her age, yeesh¡­

    A moment later footsteps sounded out, and Hoshi was treated to the sight of Kenny in an old-fashioned white suit. ¡°Boss?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Kenny,¡± he greeted. ¡°You, uh, gonna be at church for long?¡± Fucking- ugh. Zero for fucking three, calling it now.

    Kenny frowned. ¡°Probably? Why?¡±

    ¡°The bosses dropped an emergency job right on my head as I was leaving yesterday. All of us have to come in and pick up a group of newbies, then cart them out to the woods for a week.¡±

    ¡°The woods? Fuckin¡¯ why?¡±

    Hoshi gestured towards the old woman ¨C who looked to be preparing tea ¨C with his eyes. ¡°A¡­ team-building exercise, I guess.¡±

    The muscular skinhead¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°¡­When?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to leave today at two. I was hoping you could take some money and bike down to that camping supply place for some tents and shit, but¡­¡± Arcus, could they have not given me one more day of advance warning? ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s not on the table. I can stall things if I need to, but ¨C are you even okay to leave town suddenly?¡±

    Kenny¡¯s face went thoughtful for a moment, an expression Hoshi wasn¡¯t used to seeing on the wide, acne-ridden expanse. ¡°Actually¡­ You said a week, right?¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s heart dared to inject some hope into his chest. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m planning to be back by next Sunday at the latest. Is that..?¡±

    Kenny smiled. ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯ll work. Me ¡®n Nana are goin¡¯ up to Pewter to visit my uncle, but we don¡¯t need to be there until, like, Wednesday. I can totally do some camping ¨C lemme talk to Nana real quick.¡±

    Hoshi let the bulky man pass, and as he had a muttered discussion with his grandmother the Senior Grunt felt a cool wave of relief pass down his body like static. Thank Arcus. I¡¯ll have to go get the supplies myself with Puce, but the two of us should be able to carry everything and get it done on time. Huh, weird coincidence that we¡¯re both going to Pewter for Harvest¡­ Or not, it¡¯s not exactly the small town it used to be.

    ¡°Yo Boss,¡± Kenny sent his way, voice raised. ¡°I can totally drive you to the shop and get back before Nana leaves, probably. You want a ride?¡±

    ¡°Can you drive me to the Gym first? Gotta pick up Puce.¡±

    His naked brows raised. ¡°Puke¡¯s at the Gym? That¡¯s weird.¡±

    Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought. ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess. Let¡¯s go get the bike outta the secret base.¡±

    <hr>

    Riding the hoverbike down a busy street was a different experience from an empty stretch of beach ¨C or even a non-busy street, for that matter. Hoshi was almost glad that Kenny¡¯s bulk obscured most of the view; if he¡¯d been able to see the pedestrians they were forced to weave around coming, he was sure he¡¯d have some kind of attack.

    But against all odds, they reached the Vermilion City Gym without incident ¨C and, even better, they found Puce almost immediately.

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s her there fighting that guy ¡®n his pidgey. Wow, it¡¯s really going at it.¡±

    Hoshi looked over and winced. ¡°Wow.¡± Right for the eyes. That¡¯s gotta be doing some damage¡­

    But despite the thought, even as one second turned to the next and the bird continued to savagely peck, the slowpoke gave no indication that it felt a single thing ¨C there wasn¡¯t any blood, either. Huh. ¡°Let me just grab her. Be back in a sec¡¯.¡±

    Hoshi dismounted, making his way through the entrance pavilion at a hurried pace. ¡°Hey Puce!¡± he called, and the large woman turned his way.

    ¡°Hoshi!¡± she called back. ¡°Are you here to battle?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he replied, voice returning to normal as the distance between them decreased. ¡°I¡¯ve got a job for us, actually. Can you wrap this up?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes. Um¡­¡± He saw a touch of uncertainty pass over Puce¡¯s face, but it quickly hardened into determination. ¡°Bear, Yawn!¡±

    Hearing her order, the slowpoke¡¯s jaw opened as a massive ¨C and massively sleepy ¨C sigh erupted out of its throat. ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±

    Even without being the target of the attack, Hoshi couldn¡¯t resist yawning in sympathy, his eyelids drooping. The man she was battling did the same, and the pidgey broke off its attack as its wingbeats slowed.

    ¡°Pidgey! Don¡¯t fall asleep!¡± her opponent ordered as he physically held his eyes open ¨C but it was no use. ¡°Darn it!¡± he cried, brandishing both a Jet Ball and his teeth as the tiny bird plopped down, asleep before it hit the ground. ¡°Return!¡±

    The sleeping pidgey disappeared, and Puce smiled. ¡°Good job, Bear! You come back too!¡± With another, less soporific sigh, the slowpoke returned to her own ball. Puce went forward, shook hands with her opponent ¨C without money changing hands, Hoshi noted ¨C and then came back. ¡°So, we have a new mission?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you on the way.¡± Wait, will all three of us fit on the bike? It was pretty tight with Kenny, me, and Casca, and Puce is like three Casca¡¯s so¡­ Whatever, it¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s basically impossible to fall off with the weird gravity shit anyway. ¡°Kenny¡¯s waiting with his bike.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I see him waving. Oh, I¡¯m so excited! The last one went super well!¡±

    <hr>

    Another trip east and west across town went smoothly, and Hoshi was beginning to feel pretty good about the day ¨C despite being crushed between two walls of muscle, he had a subdued grin on his face.

    Kenny pulled over at the gate, and as he dismounted with Puce Hoshi noted the time; 10:40.

    More than enough left to find Casca and go see these three other Rockets, Arcus willing. Despite the setbacks, it seemed they would pull everything off. ¡°Thanks Kenny. You¡¯ll be back by two?¡±

    ¡°Should be. I¡¯ll have to skip out in the middle, but that¡¯s how it is ¨C ¡®m really only there for Nana, anyhow.¡±

    Puce said her own goodbye as Hoshi arranged the multiple bags of supplies they¡¯d bought, and as Kenny rocketed away the two of them gathered the Moonside-branded canvas up and went through the gates.

    Still three hours to go. If I was Casca trying to get a hungover teenager on her feet, then I¡¯d be¡­

    He headed for the cafeteria, Puce in tow. ¡°So,¡± she chirped as they walked, seemingly much less weighed down by the bags despite his more physically demanding career. ¡°Where are we going? I asked on the way over, but I think the engine drowned me out.¡±

    ¡°Route 14, or maybe 15.¡± I¡¯m going to assume that the instructors didn¡¯t direct me there for no reason. Though maybe I can get away with moving the trip to Mount Moon, and just stick around in Pewter after..?

    ¡­No, let¡¯s not change up the plan last-minute.

    ¡°That¡¯s near Fuchsia, right? Oh, maybe we can pop over to visit the Gym? Or maybe Nerine¡¯s family, she talks about her uncle a lot when we train together.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Hoshi conceded. ¡°Let¡¯s actually get everybody together before making extra plans, okay?¡±

    The large doors to the ground floor cafeteria opened, and the steak of good luck continued as he immediately spotted a head of bright orange hair among the partially-filled tables. ¡°There she is. C¡¯mon, Puce.¡± Approaching perhaps more quickly than was wise while loaded down with so many supplies, Hoshi took in more details of the scene: Nerine was sitting across from Casca, sipping from some giant plastic cup ¨C likely coffee, though he didn¡¯t recognise the logo on the side ¨C while another woman was beside her.

    ¡°Hey Casca,¡± he called. ¡°Kenny says he¡¯ll be here by two, so it¡¯s just Ryan and the three randos we¡¯re missing. Any news on that front?¡±

    She gave him an OK sign as she answered. ¡°He¡¯s on his way. Seemed excited for the job ¨C oh, sorry, this is Mimi. Mimi, Hoshi.¡±

    The woman sitting next to her gave him a wide grin, but Hoshi struggled to return the expression as he took in her appearance. ¡°So you¡¯re the mysterious boyfriend!¡±

    She was older than him, late twenties or early thirties ¨C or maybe the unhealthiness of her person was throwing him off. She had the unmistakable paper-thin look of a junkie, the whites of her eyes turned yellow and the skin of her face so pale it looked like she¡¯d been completely drained of blood. Her hair was a cheery yellow and she didn¡¯t look starved, at least, but that could only do so much to obscure the obviously permanent damage. Her teeth are terrible. Arcus, she must¡¯ve been on the streets for a long time¡­

    ¡°Not too mysterious, I hope,¡± he replied, shaking her hand with the most confident smile he could muster. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose the other two came in today, make things easy for us?¡±

    Casca shook her head. ¡°Nope. I checked around, and both of them are between jobs ¨C which we already knew, I guess, but I thought it was worth asking.¡±

    ¡°Well, good to know anyway. Now¡­¡± Hoshi turned to Nerine, who was looking slightly less catatonic. ¡°You alright?¡±

    The girl groaned, sipping at her drink ¨C which was actually hot chocolate, if his nose wasn¡¯t playing a trick on him. ¡°I¡¯ll live. Why Sunday, though?¡±

    Hoshi shrugged. ¡°No idea. Puce, you fine staying here while me and Casca go root around for these last two guys?¡±

    ¡°I can do that,¡± the woman replied. She gently set her load of tents and other camping gear on the table, and Hoshi did the same as she sat down beside Nerine. ¡°Hello Miss Rose. Are you still not sleeping well? You should really take real sleeping pills, not just powder¡­¡±

    Casca stood ¨C and Mimi stood as well. ¡°Ooh, don¡¯t forget me! Orange here won¡¯t say shit about the juicy details, so I¡¯ve gotta pester ya.¡± She had a strange accent, not strong but definitely present.

    ¡°You from Cinnabar?¡± Hoshi asked as the trio made their way to the exit, leaving Puce and Nerine to their conversation. Mimi blinked, surprised for a moment before the grin returned.

    ¡°Woah. Orange said you could do that, but I wasn¡¯t sure if she was exaggerating. She just oozes Cerulean, you know?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely. So I guessed right, then?¡±

    ¡°Yup! Came up to Celadon to try for the College. Got pretty into it too for a while, but then some bets went sour and the bills came in and¡­¡± She gestured with her head. ¡°Now I¡¯m here.¡±

 5.02 - Blasting Off Again

    The Rocket named Kaz Kazubara lived, if Hoshi was interpreting the address correctly, right near the centre of town. Clifford Moon, on the other hand, was on the northernmost, easternmost tip of the city.

    It was annoying; they were roughly equidistant from the Electric Academy, which meant they''d have to backtrack for the second one.

    Could always split up, but¡­ Nope, fuck that. There was time enough to do it the slow, sensible way. Only question left is, what order do we go in? The plan he and Casca had made last night said Kaz first, but Hoshi was second-guessing himself. Would the Enforcer take it as an insult he was left for last? I would¡­

    The opulent halls of the academy flashed past as he debated it, green and gold an absent blur on the edge of his vision. ¡°Hey Casca,¡± he eventually said as they approached the entrance, ¡°I¡¯m thinking we go up for Enforcer Moon first. Might be good to not leave the higher ranking guy for last.¡±

    ¡°Ol¡¯ Cliff?¡± Mimi broke in before his girlfriend could answer. ¡°Ooh, that guy¡¯s hot! Maybe we could mysteriously lose a tent on the way?¡±

    She giggled, the sound younger than her face, and Casca rolled her eyes. ¡°Mimi, c¡¯mon. At least try to put on a professional veneer for my man here ¨C you¡¯re making us aspiring Agents look bad.¡± She sent him an amused smile. ¡°But yeah, that works. His address is an apartment, right?¡±

    Hoshi didn¡¯t need to look at the slip to reply. ¡°It is. Kazubara''s is just a street address, so I¡¯m assuming house.¡± There aren¡¯t very many apartments in the Central District, so that isn¡¯t a surprise. It also implies that he¡¯s a local, which could be either good or bad.

    ¡°Bart, too? Man, this camping trip is getting stacked. Are you sure we¡¯re not secretly hitting something?¡±

    He looked the blonde¡¯s way, both annoyed and curious. ¡°You know him?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, was one of the guys who did my¡­ resume jobs, is what I think of ¡®em as. Pretty dude, most ridiculous hair you¡¯ve ever seen. Strong Pok¨¦mon too ¨C I think he got a couple experiments from the lab boys.¡± Experiments? More hyper-genius Pok¨¦mon? ¡°Also, pretty good with his tongue. You wouldn¡¯t think it from how he looks but-¡±

    ¡°Okay, did not need to know that part,¡± Hoshi interrupted. ¡°Arcus.¡±

    <hr>

    Vermillion wasn¡¯t really a car city, the way Cerulean, Saffron, and Celadon were. Its streets were too narrow, only the two main roads ¨C North-South from Route 6 to the docks and East-West from the Gym to Route 11 ¨C having proper lanes. A consequence of the swampy terrain, historical precedent, and a deliberate effort to distance its architecture from that of Kanto¡¯s Dueling Capitals.

    No, the Sunset City was built for pedestrians ¨C and for bikes. ¡°Woah, look¡¯it those guys. Arms bigger¡¯n my thighs! Orange, we should come ¡®round here some time, pump our recruitment numbers up.¡±

    Hoshi glanced at where Mimi was looking. Huh, don¡¯t recognise the symbol on their jackets. Almost every gang had a patch they¡¯d wear on their back, an evolution ¨C or devolution, some would say ¨C of the expressive clan markings samurai had tattooed directly on their skin in the old days. It was a point of pride, of status; if a gang couldn¡¯t afford to get patches done, then it was too shit to be worth anything.

    Even kids had them sometimes.

    ¡°Red gyarados,¡± Hoshi noted, choosing to ignore the woman¡¯s comment about casually seducing gang members. ¡°Not very unique, but I haven¡¯t seen that particular one before. Hyper-local, you think?¡±

    Casca hummed. ¡°Saffron is heating up; could be guys pushed out from their old territory?¡±

    ¡°Could be. They do look a bit roughed up.¡± Though that might just be a local skirmish ¨C with the Night Folk cleaned out, I¡¯m betting there are a bunch of new players trying to throw their weight around. Vermilion was also not a gang town like Saffron ¨C the southern parts, at least. Unless you count the sailors as a gang. They stick together like one, at least¡­

    The trio passed a few other groups that smelled of violence as they went, but the balls displayed openly on Hoshi¡¯s belt ¨C or maybe the hungry, brittle-toothed smile Mimi sent towards anything with a dick ¨C kept them from being hassled.

    ¡°This should be the place,¡± Hoshi said as he fished the paper out to double-check the address. ¡°Apartment number two-one-two. Second floor, then.¡±

    A flight of stairs, one hallway, and they were there. Hoshi¡¯s watch read 11:15; plenty of time, and so he did his best to expel his anxiety. He¡¯s higher rank, so be deferential ¨C but also, don¡¯t act like you can be pushed around. Chin up, spine straight. The door was solid as he knocked, the sound heavy and carrying.

    Huh. I guess this part of town isn¡¯t as bad as I¡¯d assumed from all the bikers; the construction isn¡¯t cheap at all. Good paint, good floors, no trash in the halls.

    The sound of a bolt unlocking cracked softly through the wood, and a second later Hoshi got his first impression of Clifford Moon.

    He was tall and broad, his skin dark in a way that had to come from blood as well as time in the sun. I¡¯d assumed from the name, but that cinches it; this guy¡¯s from up north. Pureblooded Mount Moon. He was handsome, too, with a square, heroic jaw partially covered by a Pok¨¦ball-pattern goatee. The rest of his face was equally strong; narrow eyes, a flat nose, and crisp black hair in a one-step-from-military buzz cut tied his look together as rock hard. He¡¯s not bulky in the way Puce and Kenny are, but he¡¯s still fucking jacked, even under the baggy sweats he¡¯s wearing.

    Reminds me of Bob, actually. Though his face is a lot less sharp¡­

    ¡°Hello, sir. I¡¯m Hoshi Mutsu; I¡¯ve just come from the Electric Academy.¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes narrowed further, his swooping brows lowering. ¡°Cliff. The faculty need anything?¡±

    Hoshi nodded, bearing his teeth with a contrition that was only partially put-on. Nobody likes having to come in on a Sunday. ¡°Afraid so. Things are happening that necessitate the instructors¡¯ full attention ¨C they need us to get the new students settled in. A survival camp down in fourteen or fifteen, they suggested.¡±

    ¡°New students¡­ That¡¯s today.¡± Clifford Moon looked down at what were obviously his staying-home-all-day clothes, his lips twisting. Hoshi braced himself for the coming telling-off ¨C but the man only expelled a breath through his nostrils, stepping to the side to gesture them in. ¡°Let¡¯s take this inside for a minute.¡±

    The inside of Cliff¡¯s apartment was decorated differently than Hoshi had been expecting; the television was small, obviously an afterthought, while the pictures hung on the walls were large and well-cared-for. The only place to sit was a new-feeling couch, which the three guests were monopolising while their host changed.

    Unlike Kenny¡¯s room there was no home gym, but there was something Hoshi took a second to place: a dusty area that, after thinking about it, he labeled as artificial mountain.

    He must have a geodude or graveler that hates the climate around here. It was actually something that the Senior Grunt had been thinking about in the back of his head; if he caught anything that wasn¡¯t local, what would he do to keep it happy? His girls were fine with Vermillion¡¯s routes and parks, and brief stays in his apartment, but most ground types ¨C and he did still want a ground type ¨C hated moisture with a vengeance.

    Diglett is an exception, rather than the rule. I¡¯ve been considering a geodude, but they¡¯d be cranky twenty-four-seven from the sea air.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Cliff¡¯s voice sounded out, drawing Hoshi from his thoughts. ¡°Let¡¯s do this properly.¡± As he exited what was probably his bedroom the enforcer revealed himself to be dressed in proper day clothes, a tight black t-shirt and worn jeans.

    ¡°Beef with a side of cake, holy shit,¡± Mimi muttered from the side, giving Hoshi¡¯s ribs a light elbowing which he resolutely ignored.

    If the Rocket Enforcer heard the comment, it didn¡¯t show on his face. ¡°I¡¯m Cliff Moon, but you can just call me Cliff¡­ assuming you are who you say you are.¡± He crossed his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll need a little bit of proof you¡¯re from the academy ¨C I haven¡¯t seen your face before, and we¡¯ve been having trouble with people skulking around. So?¡±

    Hoshi was momentarily blindsided, but then a voice in his ear provided the answer. ¡°Show him a Rocket Ball,¡± Casca said, and he nodded. Right, that¡¯s as good a sign of membership as any.

    He drew Guts¡¯s ball, expanded it, and popped open the case to reveal the purple, evil-eyed thing hiding inside. ¡°That enough proof, sir?¡±

    Cliff was silent for a moment, then he nodded as well. ¡°Enough to get me out of the house at least.¡± His voice was deep and authoritative, but slightly softer than Hoshi would have assumed ¨C he¡¯d been having a lot of his assumptions about what Rocket Enforcer meant challenged, in the last minute. ¡°Alright, so ¨C the instructors need me to go out with some kiddies for a while?¡±

    ¡°A week. They were light on details, but I¡¯m assuming it has something to do with those security issues you just mentioned.¡±

    He nodded again, just a quick up-and-down motion of the chin. ¡°Makes sense. They put you in charge?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Hoshi replied, with more confidence than he felt. There was a certain aura exuding from the man; solid, immovable, like a sheer rock wall. His parents named him right ¨C man feels like a damn cliff, somehow. ¡°I¡¯ve already bought the supplies we¡¯ll need for a week or so, and gotten most of the team together; it¡¯s just you, another guy named Kazubara, and then picking the rookies up from the academy.¡±

    Cliff unfolded his arms. ¡°Well, that¡¯s straightforward enough. I¡¯ll be meeting you there.¡± Though it was framed as a question, there was no doubt in Hoshi¡¯s mind that the sentence had ended with a period.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. We¡¯ll show ourselves out, then.¡±

    Hoshi stood, the women following a second later, but as they made for the door the enforcer stopped them. ¡°Wait,¡± he ordered, and Hoshi paused. Please don¡¯t be yet another ass, I¡¯ve got more than enough of those in my life. ¡°One last thing. It¡¯s weird that Oakley and Kidd wouldn¡¯t let me know what¡¯s going on; they¡¯ve get a softer touch then the boss over in Viridian. What¡¯s your rank, Hoshi Mutsu?¡±

    His teeth ground against each other for a fraction of a second before he turned around. ¡°Senior Grunt, sir.¡±

    ¡°Senior Grunt,¡± Cliff repeated. His eyes looked down, calculating, and then he smiled. ¡°Oh. Yeah, I think I know what¡¯s going on. You go do your part, I¡¯ll see you at the academy.¡±

    Great ¨C that makes one of us. Hoshi nodded in deference, then turned away to properly leave.

    <hr>

    ¡°That went well,¡± Casca said as they returned to the streets. ¡°He didn¡¯t do any big speeches; I was afraid we¡¯d be stuck there a half-hour.¡±

    Speeches? ¡°Is that something he does?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s why I remembered the name ¨C he went on this big spiel about Rocket saving our lives before the job, and then there was another one after. Hardest day¡¯s work in my entire life, just from the boredom alone.¡±

    Damn, I was hoping he¡¯d be normal. He seemed normal enough ¨C more than most Rockets, anyway.

    ¡°Ha!¡± Mimi laughed. ¡°He isn¡¯t that bad. He¡¯s pretty short-winded while on the field ¨C and at least there¡¯s something to look at while he monologues.¡± She wolf-whistled, and Casca snorted.

    ¡°Girl, what¡¯s with you today? You¡¯re, like, twice as horny as usual.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t heeelp it,¡± the woman whined. ¡°All my girlfriends are settling dowwwn. June¡¯s engaged, and I can smell the ring growing on your finger, Orange. Cudgel wants to settle down with this office lady¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait, Cudgel¡¯s gay? I mean she¡¯s definitely butch, but like¡­ It feels too stereotypical, you know?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s gay as fuck, Casca, and her girl is so boring. I don¡¯t wanna be the only one who has fun anymore, it sucks!¡±

    Hoshi let the banter between his girlfriend and her girl friend wash over him, feeling¡­ kind of weird about it, actually. Casca knows a lot about me, but I don¡¯t really know anything about her. Should I¡­ ask?

    The thought was foreign; for a long time ¨C most of his life, it felt like ¨C people asking about his personal business meant somebody was leaving with a bloody nose. Casca was, so far, the one exception to that, someone he could talk to about his parents and politics and shit without being afraid of judgment. Well, there¡¯s Danny too, but that¡¯s¡­ less serious.

    But going the other way with it still felt wrong.

    ¡­Bah, I¡¯ll have plenty of time to think about this shit while out in the woods.

    <hr>

    If Cliff¡¯s apartment could be said to be a good building on the bad side of town, then their last remaining Rocket to recruit lived in the exact opposite.

    Hoshi squinted his eyes at the slip of paper James had given him, then moved them up to re-read the copper numerals affixed above the door. But to his mixed relief and dismay, they continued to match perfectly.

    ¡­Well, whatever. Who cares if it looks like a run-down ghost house, it¡¯s where we need to be.

    ¡°Yeah, this is the place.¡±

    ¡°Bleh, looks like a drug den.¡±

    Hoshi stepped forward, going from the well-maintained tiled street to wooden, paint-flecked steps. He knocked on the door, and the flimsy screen produced a dry rattle which was both underwhelming for how much force he¡¯d put in, and vaguely sad-sounding. Arcus, is this guy destitute? I thought Mimi said he was strong; stronger Pok¨¦mon should mean better jobs, which means better pay¡­ Right?

    Or did the instructors pad out my first job to make Rocket seem better? No, Casca¡¯s been a grunt for twice as long as me, and she¡¯s never complained about-

    His catastrophising was thankfully halted by the house¡¯s owner answering their door ¨C and Hoshi immediately understood why Casca had called the man ¡®Big-Haired.¡¯

    ¡°Arcus, that¡¯s a lot of hair,¡± he said, only realising he¡¯d voiced the thought aloud a moment later. ¡°Uh, sorry. I¡¯m Hoshi Mutsu, can we come in for a second?¡± What the fuck, that thing goes out like a foot and a half. It must be like wearing a milk jug strapped to his forehead¡­

    ¡°Hm? Oh, is this a work thing?" he answered with a question. "Jay and Jay said there wouldn¡¯t be much for a while.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they dropped an emergency job on me ¨C sorry, can we do this inside? I know there¡¯s nobody around, but it feels weird to talk about it out in the open.¡±

    The man gave a lazy half-roll of his eyes. ¡°Sure. House Kazubara, open to the public.¡±

    Unlike Cliff, ¡®Bart,¡¯ as he introduced himself, was dressed for a night on the town. Wow¡­ The hair is obviously the main attraction, but this guy¡¯s kind of the whole package. Black motorcycle leathers and a bandaged midsection hid an otherwise bare torso, while the gangster¡¯s face was, as Mimi had said, damn pretty. The man actually looked a lot like James ¨C not in any particular facial feature, his eyes were black and his chin and cheekbones much softer, but in the fact that he could have been a K-Pop star.

    Yeah, this guy isn¡¯t hurting for money ¨C he must just not give a shit about how his house looks.

    ¡°So, what was that? Something about Rocket business, I¡¯m assuming.¡± The man spoke with a hyper-cultured accent, so anti-punk it wrapped around in a paradox of irony. Arc, yet another weirdo. Hopefully this one just looks strange.

    ¡°Yeah. Like I said, I¡¯m Hoshi Mutsu, and this is Casca and Mimi. The instructors want us to do the orientation for the new grunts; we¡¯re taking them out for a wilderness survival thing. We leave at two, can you make it?¡±

    Hoshi winced internally. He probably should have finessed that a little more, but he¡¯d been running across the city since he¡¯d woken up, and his well of patience was being emptied a lot faster than it could refill.

    ¡°Two o¡¯clock?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Short notice, I know, but¡­¡± He shrugged, palms raised and fingers spread.

    The man¡¯s black-painted lips drew down into a frown. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ need to think about it. How long will this ¡®survival thing¡¯ take?¡±

    ¡°One week.¡±

    He hummed. ¡°I suppose I could participate. By the by; are you an out-of-towner? I¡¯ve never seen you before, but I doubt you¡¯re a new recruit yourself.¡±

    Hoshi nearly gnashed his teeth ¨C and Casca¡¯s own well must be looking pretty dry too, because she did nothing to stop him as he grimaced, his voice lowering. ¡°I¡¯m Bob Surge¡¯s fucking nephew. I¡¯ll ask one more time: will you be there at two? If the answer isn¡¯t yes, sir then you can fuck right off.¡±

    Bart¡¯s thin, plucked eyebrows rose, but after a moment of incredulity his expression turned to something more in-line with his greaser aesthetic: cocky determination. ¡°Will we be battling with our Pok¨¦mon as part of this trip, my fellow Rocket?¡±

    ¡°Obviously. I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡± Before any retort could present itself Hoshi turned, tugging the ancient screen door open with a final sentence before he left. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about supplies, Rocket¡¯s paying for everything.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Ah, man,¡± Mimi groused as they headed back northeast. ¡°I was hoping to get laid.¡±

    Casca scoffed. ¡°You didn¡¯t even make a pass at either of them.¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d let me do some of the talking! I¡¯m, like, your senior and shit.¡±

    Again, Hoshi let the banter wash over him ¨C but now there was no uncomfortable feeling lurking in his skull. After a minute¡¯s thought he spoke up, ¡°Casca.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Oh hey, you look fired up! Got an idea?¡±

    ¡°Something is obviously going on here, something more than what the Senior Executives said. I don¡¯t know what it is, but it doesn¡¯t really matter, does it? Stronger Rockets will be there, forced to be around us, so we should use this as a training opportunity.¡±

    She laughed, the sound subdued. ¡°Always training with you, Hoshi. But I¡¯m in; not like there¡¯ll be much to do out there in the sticks anyway.¡±

    ¡°I could think of a few things,¡± Mimi suggested with wagging brows, and this time Hoshi snorted along with his girlfriend.

    The feeling of fire in his blood only intensified as, a few minutes later, a man with a gigantic pompadour sped past on a motorcycle.

    <hr>

    Okay¡­ Time to have a little drama of my own.

    Negotiating compensation with Nak had been exactly as painful as he¡¯d imagined, but only that amount; he¡¯d be getting all his money back when he returned, along with whatever amount a week-long training mission paid out.

    Ryan and Kenny had shown up on time, so the last potential disaster was averted. They were down in the cafeteria with the others, no doubt making the Sunday afternoon a hard one for the staff.

    It was just him now, returned to Nak¡¯s room an hour later. Casca had obviously wanted to come with him, but in this moment he wanted to see if he could do it alone ¨C he felt halfway like a leader, so it was time to see if that was something real, or just a delusion of bravado. Deep breath. You had an hour to cool off, you feel good, you feel cool. You¡¯re in charge; don¡¯t even think about it, just¡­ do.

    Through the door came the bland, suicidally nihilistic drawl of Nak the Rocket Grunt. ¡°So that¡¯s the Pok¨¦mon sorted. Better crop than you lot deserve, I¡¯ll say that much. Now usually there¡¯d be Pok¨¦-orientation, but the bosses have all got some major shit going down, so you little fucks¡¯ll just have to-¡±

    And there¡¯s the cue. Hoshi pushed open the door, four heads bearing that iconic black cap turning his way. ¡°Actually, there is something planned. Congratulations you three; you¡¯ve got an all-expenses-paid training trip to look forward to. Line up and follow me ¨C don¡¯t fall behind, this place is a fucking maze.¡±

    He turned, beckoning the two men and one woman to follow as he left the door open behind himself. He heard the soft sound of those rubbery grunt boots on rich carpet, and it was a struggle not to look back. Trust it. Trust the aura of authority that comes with just saying shit and expecting it to happen.

    It was a solid thirty seconds before an uncertain voice sounded out from behind. ¡°Uh, hey. I¡¯m Tor. This training trip ¨C is this happening, like, now? ¡®Cause I¡¯ve gotta be in Saffron in a week for Festival, and-¡±

    ¡°Trust me,¡± Hoshi interrupted. ¡°You¡¯ll love this. It¡¯ll be way better than my initiation was, at least.¡±

    There we go, ominous undertones achieved. Fucking nailing it.

    <hr>

    Tor Yuriyama walked through the stupidly expensive-looking halls in something of a daze. At his side walked his best friend and his girlfriend, both of them with similar looks on their faces.

    Despite having been flirting with Rocket for almost a month now, it didn¡¯t seem quite real yet. The uniform was stiff and scratchy, the hat felt weird on his head, and¡­

    I didn¡¯t think this whole Free the League thing would go this far. I thought like, we¡¯d do some marching, hold up some signs, and then¡­ that would be that? Even in his own head it sounded juvenile, so he discarded the thought. Arcus, mom¡¯s going to kill me if she learns I¡¯ve joined a gang¡­

    The tall, angry looking man with the deep voice led them downstairs, then towards something he vaguely recognised as the cafeteria even before they entered. Inside were more Rockets, each looking much more comfortable in their uniforms than him and his friends.

    The man turned, and introduced himself. ¡°Hoshi Mutsu, Senior Rocket Grunt.¡± His smile was downright malicious, each dark purple eye seeming to burrow into Tor''s soul. There were five grunts behind him.

    To his left sat a fair-haired man with a dragon at his heel, while on the right there was a large-boned woman bedecked in an ostentatious amount of sapphire jewelry, a staryu perched on the table behind her. Then beside them were two extremely muscular people, a wide-faced man whose cheeks were scarred with acne with a sandshrew, and the largest woman he¡¯d ever seen, each of her arms wider than his head, a koffing bobbing slowly around her cap. Finally, a girl with vibrant blue hair sat behind them all, playing a handheld video game with an ekans curled around her neck.

    There were other Rockets in the room, but Tor¡¯s eyes were locked on the lead figure ¨C Hoshi Mutsu. There was something about him, about his hard eyes and sharp smile, that made his hindbrain say danger; don¡¯t move. His knuckles were scarred, more than anyone Tor had ever seen before.

    ¡°This is my crew. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll all get acquainted over the next week, but right now¡­ Let¡¯s see what we¡¯re working with. Show me your Pok¨¦mon.¡±

 5.03 - Across the Land

    A meowth, a mankey, and a spearow stared back at Hoshi as he scrutinised them, the Pok¨¦mon standing with a level of discomfort seemingly equal to their trainers. Realistically they were probably just reacting to the stronger Pok¨¦mon around his grunts, but it was gratifying nonetheless.

    Well, that¡¯s not bad. Arguably better than what we got, Jormungandr excepted. ¡°Not bad. Any of you done any training before? Trips into the woods with grandpa and the family growlithe, Little Cups, anything like that?¡±

    His eyes went back up to the three newborn Rockets, just in time to receive a trio of shakes. Damn, did we look that unsure during the tournament? I swear we didn¡¯t, and it was less than a quarter of a year ago¡­

    ¡°Well, this¡¯ll be your first time then. Listen up¡­¡± Hoshi began to pace, aping his uncle¡¯s drill sergeant shtick. ¡°These are baby Pok¨¦mon; they¡¯ll be battlers pretty soon, but right now they¡¯ll need short, simple instructions. We¡¯re going to be going out into the proper wilderness, halfway to Fuchsia, so you¡¯ll need to know what these three can do.¡±

    From his pocket came his Mini-Dex. ¡°Luckily, Team Rocket¡¯s got some of that covered. This little baby can tell you your ¡®mon¡¯s moves, plus its condition and some other stuff that isn¡¯t as important.¡± He softly tossed the thing underhanded, lobbing it to the grunt who seemed least likely to fumble ¨C the middle boy, a clean-shaven sporty-looking type with buoyant, spiked-forward brown hair sticking out from below his puffy cap.

    ¡°Return your Pok¨¦mon, stick it in the front lens, check the moves with the buttons, then pass it around.¡± Kind of a pain that we don¡¯t have three extras to just give them, but that¡¯s life. Also a pain was the lack of fake licenses; they¡¯d have to be extra careful not to bump into any rangers or whoever, who¡¯d think to check their credentials on the road.

    As the three did as they were told, Hoshi gestured with his chin to Casca and Ryan. They were the most personable of his grunts, so it would be them doing the actual training lesson. The two went forward as he sat, and Hoshi let out a breath as subtly as he could. Wow, that¡¯s actually kind of stressful¡­

    Pretty fun, though. I can see why the instructors do it all the time. With the rookies¡¯ focus drawn away, he took the opportunity to examine them without seeming creepy or too intimidating.

    It was pretty easy to match names to faces, with that one kid ¨C bah, why am I saying kid? They¡¯ve gotta be closer to twenty than anything, all of them ¨C having introduced himself. Tor Yuriyama was the one he¡¯d tossed the Mini-Dex to, and he was pretty obviously the leader-figure of the group. He¡¯d been the only one to speak up on the way down, and as the trio received instruction he was the one who took it the most seriously, asking questions without being a dumbass about it.

    As for the other two¡­ The woman, almost certainly Lilian Sukashi unless both her and the third grunt¡¯s parents had weird ideas about gendered names, was a tall, slim woman with dark red hair. She was a lot more hesitant than Tor, and Hoshi mentally labeled her as the Puce of the group. Then there was Mojo Concolor, who didn¡¯t have a clear analogue; he was also on the taller side, but stood with a slouch, and there was a certain scruffiness to his face that made him seem older than the other two. He probably isn¡¯t actually older; it''s just the shape of his eyes and the stubble. He¡¯s got a cynical-drunk-uncle kinda face.

    Reminds me of an old dog, somehow. Not a lot of bite, stays out of the way, but knows a trick or two. Maybe he would end up being the Nerine, quiet but competent, though the very basic questions he was asking didn¡¯t inspire confidence.

    Over a few minutes the grunts got their Pok¨¦mon to dodge in the correct directions, do a move or two, and block a very subdued Rapid Spin from Candy. ¡°Alright,¡± Hoshi said, standing up as the brief lesson concluded. ¡°The rest will have to be on the road.¡± The rest of the senior Rockets came in from the sides, their expressions ranging from amused to stony. Glad they didn¡¯t butt in. I was half-expecting Bart to undercut me, but maybe he isn¡¯t as much of an asshole as my first impression of him implied.

    ¡°On the road?¡± Mojo, the grunt who looked older and street-wiser, asked. ¡°Right now? Man, it¡¯s October. I¡¯m wearing a damn felt suit.¡± He scratched the stubble covering his jaw, expression bored with a hint of sour ¨C but his eyes were aware, calm and sharp and sparkling.

    Hoshi smiled. ¡°Good segue, thanks for that. Obviously, we aren¡¯t going out in our uniforms ¨C or at least, not just the uniforms. Puce?¡±

    The large woman reached back and hefted an equally-large canvas bag into view, lifting it one-handed. ¡°We¡¯ve got good hiking coats for everyone,¡± she said. ¡°Everybody line up¡­¡± He could feel her suppressing the urge to um or uh. ¡°Tallest to shortest, I think would be the best way to do it. So, Enforcer Cliff first.¡±

    Hoshi sent her a ghost of a nod. Good work. Keep up the competent facade, at least until we¡¯re a few days in and they¡¯ve gotten used to taking orders.

    Cliff received his large coat without speaking, smoothly putting it on over his uniform ¨C which looked like the evolved form of Hoshi¡¯s own Senior Grunt uniform, skintight black fabric with white lines and what he was sure were armoured sections at the shoulders, chest, groin, and shins. The most aberrant part was actually the footwear; where every uniform he¡¯d seen up to that point had tall boots, while Cliff was wearing runners. High-quality runners, though. And thick enough that they might be armoured, too.

    Hoshi went next, and then the other grunts in the appropriate order. The bulky, warm hiking gear fit over his clothes just fine, thick brown-and-orange leather and dark grey wool covering the black felt. The coat sported numerous pockets and loops where ropes ¨C or whatever else ¨C could be attached, and the weight was reassuring; the thing felt durable, like he could take a Poison Sting point-blank and be fine.

    Not that I¡¯ll be trying that.

    Having the uniform on at all out in public was going to make his teeth itch with paranoia, but Cliff had insisted.

    Next came the rest of the supplies, handed out by Kenny. Everyone got a knife and compass, and were then split into pairs; one got their tent, the other food and other heavy shit. Hoshi and Casca were of course together, then Ryan with Kenny and Puce with Nerine.

    Two of the rookies were in a relationship, so that made the rest of it conveniently easy; Mimi insisted on bunking with Bart ¨C who rolled his eyes, but didn¡¯t protest ¨C so that just left Cliff with Mojo.

    The twelve Rockets got their packs packed up, their Pok¨¦mon returned, and were out the door before the clock struck three.

    Everything¡¯s gone smoothly so far, Hoshi thought as they passed through the gate, looking like nothing more than a group of university students taking a trip for the holidays. Hopefully I¡¯m not tempting fate, but¡­ Whatever bullshit is about to happen, I think we¡¯ll be able to handle it.

    There¡¯s a full dozen of us, after all.

    <hr>

    They were, obviously, not wearing their Rocket caps out in the open. Those were safely tucked into the depths of their giant camping bags; instead, they had soft leather hats. Their various footwear had been similarly swapped out for hiking boots.

    And even without all that, Hoshi was sure there wouldn¡¯t have been any problems making it through Route 11 to the guardhouse that separated it from the real wilderness.

    No, the problems only started to happen afterwards, as that final structure faded into the distance.

    ¡°Eep!¡± Lilian squeaked as a goldeen flew past her face. ¡°Mankey, Leer!¡±

    The pig-nosed ape screeched and pounded its chest, and the numerous orange-and-white fish leaping over the bridge¡­ slowed, maybe, cowed just the slightest bit. The red-headed woman¡¯s lips curled down. ¡°Darn it.¡±

    ¡°Just walk through!¡± Hoshi called back. ¡°They won¡¯t hit you on purpose!¡± Unless the weird weather is inducing a second breeding cycle¡­ but nah, me and Ryan made it through fine. ¡°Nerine, show her!¡±

    The teenage grunt walking near the back of the group looked up, and once again her condition made him wince. She didn¡¯t look dead on her feet like that morning, but she definitely wasn¡¯t anywhere near peak performance. She scowled, but a second later began shouldering through the tight confines of Seaking¡¯s Crossing.

    Hoshi grit his teeth as she calmly walked across the narrow stretch of land, Tomato the ekans wrapped around her neck like a massive scarf; despite just reassuring the other girl, a tiny part of him couldn¡¯t help but anticipate one of the riled-up goldeen aiming its finger-length horn towards her pallid face.

    But it didn¡¯t happen. The fish avoided the slow-moving obstacle as they hopped over the thin spit of land separating the two stretches of brackish, half-sea water, and Nerine arrived safely on the large not-quite-an-island marking the middle of Route 12. ¡°This is a lot worse than it should be this time of year,¡± she remarked as she turned back to watch Lilian take tentative steps, the young woman¡¯s tongue clenched firmly in her teeth.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ryan replied, ¡°I imagine the heat convinced them it was still summer for far too long, and now they¡¯re frantic to make it north for the winter.¡±

    ¡°You know the migrant paths of goldeen?¡± Hoshi asked, watching the other two rookie grunts cross as Casca and Puce goaded them forward. Tor was, surprisingly, the most nervous of the three; Mojo had to basically push him forward step-by-step. The athletic boy¡¯s spearow circled tightly overhead, obviously considering trying to pluck one of the leaping Pok¨¦mon from the air.

    They¡¯re just goldeen man, come on. What, you scared of fish?

    ¡°I¡¯ve been reading up on the local Pok¨¦mon,¡± Ryan answered. ¡°At first I¡¯d assumed that I would be transferred back to Mister Archer¡¯s jurisdiction shortly, since the instructors seem to¡­ not care for me.¡± He smiled without mirth. ¡°But since that hasn¡¯t happened, I should probably stop gallivanting back and forth between here and my home. It may not be the proper season, but it looks like I¡¯ll have to acquire a beach house.¡±

    Hoshi snorted. ¡°Well, that¡¯ll make dragging you to team shit easier at least.¡±

    ¡°Quite.¡±

    The trio reunited on their side of the Crossing, and then the rest of Hoshi¡¯s grunts took the precarious journey as well. Casca walked without a hint of fear ¨C she must have been plenty familiar with goldeen, since Cerulean was where they liked to nest for the winter ¨C and Puce did shockingly well, crossing with Potato the koffing held securely in her arms.

    But then the good luck finally ran out. Kenny grit his teeth, wavering for long seconds as he eyed the twenty-metre walkway teeming with jumping fish. Then his expression settled. He stepped forward ¨C and Hoshi¡¯s heart sank as he realised the ex-wrestler was trying to sprint for it. ¡°Slow it down, man!¡± he called, but it was too late.

    A goldeen, unable to account for the suddenness of a roided-up human striding into its path, impacted Kenny¡¯s shoulder. He started to go down, and was only saved by his sandshrew clinging to his ankle ¨C if Bubbles hadn¡¯t been able to get his claws into his trainer¡¯s pant leg, Kenny would have gone over the fence and right into the drink.

    Cliff started forward, shouldering Bart aside, but the downed grunt called out. ¡°No worries! ¡®S not even bleeding ¨C jus¡¯ need to get back on my feet. Thanks, Bubbles.¡±

    He walked the rest of the way properly, his sandshrew sending Poison Stings out towards any fish that got close ¨C which all missed horribly, but Hoshi supposed it was the thought that counted.

    But once he and Bubbles were on the other side, Hoshi could see Kenny had been lying.

    ¡°Need a bandage?¡± Not a lot of blood, but it definitely got through the gear.

    I was hoping we¡¯d at least get to the campsite before taking an injury, but I guess that was naive. There¡¯s a reason people still die out here, every now and then¡­

    ¡°Need..?¡± Kenny looked down, seeming to notice the hole in his thick leather coat for the first time. ¡°Oh. Naw, ¡®s just a scratch. Don¡¯t feel shit.¡±

    ¡°Good thing it only hit you with Peck,¡± Casca noted, and Kenny¡¯s eyes turned back to the land bridge.

    ¡°Yeah. Horn Attack¡¯d probably fuck a guy up pretty bad¡­ Oh hey, Pompadour¡¯s changin¡¯ his Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    Hoshi followed his subordinate¡¯s stare, and found it was true. The man¡¯s electabuzz went back in its ball, and a different ¡®mon was released ¨C something Hoshi didn¡¯t recognise.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    What materialised looked like nothing more than a golden-brown half-oval with two beady black eyes, but then it lifted itself to reveal four much brighter legs ¨C simple things, just articulated claws coming to a point ¨C and a black underbelly sporting two large, round, red eyes. Are the ones on top decoys? Or maybe it just has four. Some sort of bug type ¨C or maybe water? It looks kind of like a crab, and kind of like a beetle¡­

    ¡°Kabuto!¡± Ryan exclaimed, and Hoshi again grit his teeth. Damn it, I¡¯ve got to start hitting the books more. It¡¯s embarrassing when my underling knows more about a Pok¨¦mon than I do¡­

    He swallowed the emotion for the moment, instead opening his mouth to simply ask about it. ¡°Kabuto?¡± Actually, I think I¡¯ve heard the name¡­ ¡°Aren¡¯t those extinct?¡±

    ¡°Not entirely; I believe Pewter has a very small population. But I doubt that is where he acquired it, they don¡¯t- ooh!¡±

    The tiny beetle-crab ¨C trilobite? No, those had segments like a cockroach, he was pretty sure ¨C skittered into the water, and the moment it was submerged it rocketed forward, blasting goldeen out of the way as it went. The school began jumping harder, riled up, but when the kabuto repeated the manoeuvre they were pushed around again. Then a third time, and the angry fish backed off. Bart slipped past Cliff to cross the Crossing with his hands in his pockets, chin angled up and black-painted lips in an admittedly flattering pout.

    Okay, I¡¯ve got to concede; that¡¯s a little cool. Still don¡¯t like you, though.

    The man once again swapped his Pok¨¦mon ¨C the water bug was probably glacial on land ¨C and nine of the ten Rockets looked on as Mimi went next with her vulpix.

    Ryan, of course, was pestering Bart about his Pok¨¦mon. Hoshi elbowed him and mouthed ¡®At camp,¡¯ causing the blond to shut his mouth with a scowl.

    Mimi crossed without incident, and then Cliff did the same. Much like Bart, the goldeen didn¡¯t jump at him at all ¨C probably because of the fully-evolved poliwrath strutting in his shadow. The Pok¨¦mon, like its master, was tall and broad; nearly five feet tall, a full foot above average.

    Cliff gave him a wordless nod as he joined the group, and once again Hoshi was thankful that the dark-skinned man was letting him give the orders. He seems pretty chill ¨C and hasn¡¯t tried to give any long speeches, either. Think I¡¯ll get along with this guy.

    They took a moment to reorient. Nerine forced Kenny to take his upper clothes off so she could bandage his shoulder, and everyone took drinks from their canteens and bites of various food bars.

    Then the group turned, collectively eyeing the skeletal scaffolding that made up basically the entirety of Route 12.

    ¡°Yknow,¡± Kenny said, squinting in consideration, ¡°I¡¯m maybe not feeling this whole rickety docks goin¡¯ out into the ocean thing. Maybe we just go back a bit, cut through the trees?¡±

    Hoshi shook his head, joined by several of the others. ¡°Nope. Did you even look at the forest while we were coming here? It¡¯s basically solid wood.¡±

    ¡°The woods east of Vermilion are impassible,¡± Cliff reiterated. ¡°Too dense, too many Pok¨¦mon. If we didn¡¯t have the recruits then maybe we could cut through in about the same time, but this whole thing is for them.¡± He stepped forward, his Pok¨¦mon ¨C a roughly human-sized tadpole that Hoshi, for whatever reason, felt was unsuited to the man ¨C walking slightly in front.

    Hoshi started after, but then paused and gestured Bart and Mimi through. Try and keep the weaker members in the middle; that might be one of the simpler lessons the instructors taught, but that just means it should be easier to remember. He¡¯d let things slip a little while on the safest section of trail, but from now on he¡¯d be paying more attention.

    The newbies went next, and he nodded reassuringly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s sturdier than it looks.¡±

    <hr>

    Route 12 was, at one point, a major staging area for Kanto¡¯s navy ¨C and civilian shipping too, during the war. Lavender looked like it was on the water when you saw it on a map, but it was actually land-locked; that whole section of the coast was a sheer cliff, a lop-sided mountain whose highest point dropped directly into the ocean.

    Which meant that there weren¡¯t any actual settlements between Cerulean, Vermilion, and Fuchsia ¨C which was a serious problem when one was trying to move supplies through contested waters. Those large, uninhabited stretches of coast became easy pickings for not only Johto¡¯s navy, but also Kanto¡¯s dwindling-but-not-dead-yet pirate population.

    And so¡­ Route 12, a massive docking area that could serve as a lay-over between cities, and a bubble of safety from roving predators.

    Hoshi was sure it was majestic during its time, before a massive push from Johto had demolished the thing, and the end of the war had put any reason to rebuild in a shallow grave. Now it was only a precarious path for trainers looking to train while going down to Fuchsia, full of wild Pok¨¦mon and gruff, antisocial fishermen.

    Not that those are necessarily bad things, mind. ¡°Crow, Astonish-Supersonic.¡±

    His zubat swooped down, letting out a distinctly startling chirp at the wild horsea, the juvenile sea dragon choking on a mouthful ¨C snoutful? ¨C of wild blue fire. I am beyond fucking pissed ¨C I run into a horsea that knows Dragon Breath, and I completely forgot to buy a single damn ball. Motherfucker.

    It would be more accurate to say that he¡¯d deliberately decided against buying balls ¨C to avoid the temptation of overextending himself with a fourth untrained team member ¨C but at the moment accuracy could go for a long swim in the fucking ocean.

    His lips formed a snarling grin as Crow¡¯s chirp led into a long, high-pitched roar that forced the horsea underwater to escape, its movements uncoordinated. ¡°Good girl. Guts, use Swift.¡±

    Actually, he wasn¡¯t all that mad. The lost opportunity was made up for by the current situation: his three young Pok¨¦mon working together to beat something that would, if it survived long enough, turn into a legitimate dragon one day. Guts sent a tiny constellation of stars out, five or six ¨C they were too fast to count properly ¨C points of dazzling light emerging from her mouth to plow right into the water, barely slowing as they went from air to crystal-clear liquid.

    The Focus Energy she¡¯d used at the start of the battle sharpened the attack, turning each shooting star into a tiny horsea-seeking missile. The sea dragon released a cloud of ink, but it was no use; Hoshi felt the half-dozen impacts under the water, and the next second it was surfacing, snout full of an eerie blue flame-

    Only to meet a Leer from Venus and another combo-attack from Crow. The mankey¡¯s rancorous gaze was enough to rattle even the vastly stronger Pok¨¦mon, and after another battering from Swift the tiny, deceptively strong monster decided it was better off seeking easier prey. It dived away, taking refuge in the steel hull of a mostly-submerged wreck, and¡­

    And Hoshi¡¯s savage grin lost its edge as elation leeched strength from the other emotions swirling in his gut, the fury magically transmuting into joy like copper turned to gold. ¡°Yeah!¡± he roared, pumping his fist. Venus joined in, snorting and hooting, while Guts stared at the water despondently. Hah, she wants to finish it off. Sorry girl, it¡¯s too smart for that. ¡°Amazing job, girls! That thing had to be close to evolving ¨C so I figure you must be pretty close, too!¡± Like a lot of dragons ¨C or pseudo-dragons, in this case ¨C horsea evolved quite late into its life; rattata, on the other hand, evolved early ¨C and zubat wasn¡¯t far behind.

    I could have a raticate and golbat before the week ends.

    The thought was sweet, and it was with a touch of reluctance that he returned Crow and Venus; Hoshi wanted to train them all, all at the same time, but the rational part of his brain knew that it was important to cycle his Pok¨¦mon in and out to rest.

    They still had the rest of the day¡¯s hike to go, after all.

    <hr>

    The tail end of Route 12 disappeared behind them as the sun inexorably dropped closer to the horizon. Hoshi fought off a few more of the oceanic Pok¨¦mon that had reclaimed the smashed port, while the rookies battled a few fishermen for pocket change.

    They won as many as they lost, which said a lot more about how seriously the fishermen were taking things than the new Rocket¡¯s skills. They got magikarp and goldeen; Ryan and his bagon got octillery and thick-shelled adult shellder ¨C and, on one occasion, a twenty-foot-long gyarados.

    Hoshi patted the man¡¯s shoulder as they transitioned from wooden dock to dirt path. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get there one day.¡±

    Ryan bristled at the facetious tone. ¡°Oh, come off it. I didn¡¯t see you challenging their strongest Pok¨¦mon ¨C at least I made the attempt.¡±

    The back-and-forth continued for a minute, but as they continued further into Route 13 Hoshi became serious again. ¡°Okay,¡± he called out to the group. ¡°Let¡¯s stop for a minute. A few important things to discuss before we go further.¡±

    Here, unlike the long, twisting passages of Route 12, they could spread their legs and not be forced into a line. The Rockets and their Pok¨¦mon gathered into a circular huddle, the various cliques staying mostly together.

    Gotta do this before we go into the maze proper¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s the holdup?¡± Kenny asked. ¡°We¡¯re burnin¡¯ daylight, Boss.¡±

    Ah, another perfect segue. Thanks for that. ¡°Who here knows anything about Route 13?¡±

    Hoshi got a mix of responses; bewildered looks from Kenny and Mimi, a blank stare from Puce and Casca, Bart joined Mojo in looking mostly just bored ¨C but Nerine and Lilian both opened their mouths.

    ¡°This is where the ninja from Fuchsia do their training, right?¡± Lilian spoke first.

    ¡°It is,¡± Nerine confirmed. ¡°But it isn¡¯t the season for that. They¡¯ll be up in Viridian, making sure the Nationals don¡¯t get sabotaged.¡± The girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and half-turned away, but was drawn back into the conversation by another rookie.

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Tor asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard anything about the tournament grounds being guarded by ninja.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to see ninja,¡± she muttered, just loud enough for Hoshi to mostly understand, before actually answering. ¡°I was recruited in Fuchsia. Had an uncle who used to work in the Pok¨¦mon Gym before he retired, and he was pretty¡­ gung-ho about me getting into the family business.¡±

    ¡°Of being a ninja?¡±

    ¡°Of being a¡­ Fuchsia Gym Trainer. So¡­ yeah, kind of a ninja. Not, like, ninjutsu.¡± Her head lowered in embarrassment. ¡°So I know some stuff that most people don¡¯t. Nothing special or anything¡­¡±

    Hoshi raised his voice, taking back the spotlight. ¡°Like you said, Tor, it¡¯s the Doksu Clan training grounds. Which means that it¡¯s practically a maze.¡± He reached up to pet Crow, who was clinging to his shoulder. ¡°Now I was hoping to get to Route 14 before making camp, but in hindsight that was a little too optimistic.¡± Wanted to completely dodge any chance of running into actual ninja in the middle of the night ¨C Nerine was mostly right, but I doubt they¡¯re leaving the area completely unguarded. ¡°So we¡¯ve got a choice to make: Camp here, or try and push through.¡±

    ¡°Camp here,¡± Nerine immediately said ¨C at the exact same time that Cliff answered ¡°Push through.¡±

    Oh, for fuck¡¯s-! Well, it had to happen eventually, I guess¡­ ¡°Cliff,¡± Hoshi said, pointing to the man. ¡°Why do you think that¡¯s better?¡±

    The Rocket Enforcer crossed his arms, his poliwrath imitating him. ¡°This is a survival exercise. Running the gauntlet in the dark is literally what it¡¯s for ¨C what we¡¯re out here for.¡± Hoshi blinked as Cliff paused. Well shit, I can¡¯t actually think of an argument to that. ¡°It¡¯s also probably the only place we¡¯ll be able to actually do any safe night training ¨C Route 14 is wilderness, while this place is simulated wilderness.¡±

    Nerine winced. ¡°Not that simulated¡­¡±

    Hoshi nodded at his superior, then turned to the group¡¯s youngest member. ¡°Reasonable, but let¡¯s hear the other side. Nerine?¡±

    She winced further, her shoulders curling in. What the fuck is up with you since the Gym job? Hoshi didn¡¯t ask. Arcus fuck, it¡¯s like Puce stole your confidence.

    ¡°¡­I might run into people I know if we go through,¡± Nerine eventually said. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t exactly want to explain to people where I¡¯ve been, or who you are.¡±

    Bart smiled, speaking to a member of Hoshi¡¯s group for maybe only the second or third time since they¡¯d set out. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be alarmed, should such a thing occur. Simply tell them the truth: you are a student of Vermilion City¡¯s most prestigious academy, out on a training expedition with some other students. We can even say it was your idea to come here, since you¡¯re familiar with the area.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t actually know my way around, I just know what the place is for¡­¡± Nerine began, but she trailed off, the silence eventually broken by a huff. ¡°Do whatever you want, I guess.¡± She stepped away from the circle, loudly digging in her pack for a snack bar.

    Hoshi sent Bart the evil eye, and received a raised brow in return. ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°Am I wrong? This is far from a restricted area; being caught by Fuchsia¡¯s black ops isn¡¯t even an issue.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Mojo interjected. ¡°Not true? Me and my bros don¡¯t have licenses for these ¡®mons. Pretty sure ninja can arrest people.¡±

    Cliff spoke next, his tone soft in a way that didn¡¯t match his face. ¡°Kazubara isn¡¯t wrong ¨C the ninja clans tend to have as much respect for the Indigo League¡¯s laws as we do. They won¡¯t bother reporting you, even if they rifle through our wallets while we aren¡¯t looking.¡±

    Tor made to speak, but seemed to reconsider. He grasped his girlfriend¡¯s hand, and was silent as Kenny bitched about having to walk in the dark for a little bit ¨C but Hoshi kept an eye on the man, who seemed deep in thought. Oh? We gonna see a little backbone out of the rookies?

    Hoshi wasn¡¯t sure if he actually wanted that ¨C obviously obedience made for better underlings, which these three would be for the foreseeable future, but commanding a Pok¨¦mon took some level of assertiveness.

    In a way, the two sections of the career were at odds with each other. Like most jobs, I guess. You mouth off to the boss, you¡¯re a shitty worker; you need orders for every little thing, you¡¯re also a shitty worker.

    ¡°I want to become stronger,¡± Tor eventually said, bowling over the teasing Casca was sending Kenny¡¯s way. ¡°I¡­ I still don¡¯t quite know how we ended up here, but I, and my friends, are¡­¡± He chewed on his words. The man¡¯s eyes were brown, a darker shade than his fluffy hair, but in the light of the sunset they seemed to glow gold. ¡°Fighting for something more. I want to try doing this.¡±

    Bart gave a sarcastic clap, while Cliff nodded and spoke. ¡°That settles that, then. We¡¯ll go as far as we can, and bunk down sometime around midnight.¡± Then he eyed Hoshi. ¡°If that¡¯s fine with you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, works for me. As long as everyone¡¯s on the same page.

    Hoshi once again felt relief that the group¡¯s highest ranking Rocket was willing to let him take the lead ¨C yeah, the instructors gave him the job directly, but it was easy to imagine a scenario where Cliff took charge and he was left as a background character in his own ¡®special mission.¡¯

    ¡°Ah, but before we get going¡­¡± Bart said, his expression twisting into a Ryan-like haughty smirk. ¡°I believe you promised me a Pok¨¦mon battle, didn¡¯t you?¡±

 5.04 - The Pursuit of an Ideal

    ¡°I believe you promised me a Pok¨¦mon battle, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    For a moment Hoshi felt only annoyance, a rough red froth forming between his ears as the setting sun¡¯s light bathed Route 13¡¯s entrance in gold. Bart¡¯s eyes were as shapely as the rest of his face, with long lashes and black irises that had picked up a bronze hue from the ambiance ¨C and for a fraction of a second Hoshi imagined those eyes turned into a ruin to match the one they¡¯d just passed through.

    The man¡¯s ridiculous hair submerged in blood like a wrecked ship, bruises adorning his face in place of old bite marks from rampaging gyarados.

    But then a surprising chuckle emerged from Hoshi¡¯s throat, confidence breaking through the spectre of bubbling anger. ¡°You wanna battle right before running a Route in the dark? Alright.¡± Guts¡¯s ball almost jumped into his hand as Crow took to the air, the zubat sensing his intent and moving before he even needed to voice the order. ¡°I¡¯m game. Two on two?¡± You¡¯ve only got two, and if I beat them both you¡¯ll need to rely on someone else for the night while they recover. I know electabuzz, and that kabuto won¡¯t be able to function well on dry land. I¡¯ll knock that holier-than-thou smirk right off your fucking-

    His thoughts were interrupted by a meaty hand on his shoulder. ¡°Oi,¡± Kenny broke in both verbally and physically, stepping in to stand between Hoshi and the overly-pretty gangster. ¡°I call first dibs! You can take ¡®im down again right after, Boss, but I wanna fight first.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s brows came together in mixed emotion. ¡°Huh?¡± What the..? Where did this come from? ¡°What, did something happen while I was upstairs fetching-¡±

    Again, he was interrupted ¨C this time by Ryan snapping his fingers. ¡°Ah, I knew I recognised that haircut from somewhere! This is the man who knocked you out of that little debut tournament we had, wasn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Kenny growled. His fists came together a few times as he stepped further forward. ¡°I gotta avenge my loss! You ¡®n me are rivals, Pompadour! Bring out that weird beetle, and I¡¯ll show you how far Bubbles ¡¯s come!¡±

    Bart¡¯s eyes widened fractionally, his chin tilting up as his expression went from challenging to mildly disgusted. ¡°Pardon? Rivals?¡± His lips were flat, but Hoshi could feel the veneer of amusement wafting under his skin ¨C the boredom was an act. Fucker sure likes being a fucking drama queen. I guess it was already obvious from the way he dresses. ¡°I think I would recall if I had a rival.¡±

    The precise, articulate words were countered by Kenny¡¯s low growls. ¡°Well you do, so c¡¯mon ¨C bring out your Pok¨¦mon.¡± His bald head, much like Bart¡¯s eyes, was coloured bronze by the setting sun as he tossed his broad-brimmed leather hat to the side. The sturdy coat came off next, and Hoshi winced as the summer jacket that had been mashed between it and the grunt¡¯s uniform came into view. It was coated in blood, a long, crusty streak going from shoulder to hip. ¡°Or ¡®r you scared, pretty boy?¡±

    Am I getting blue-balled right now? Hoshi wondered as the two men glared at each other. His rattata¡¯s ball was heavy in his palm, the tool expanded and wobbling gently. For fuck¡¯s sake.

    But if Bart really was the guy who knocked Kenny out of the Rocket Little Cup, then he supposed the man had prior claim to the guy¡¯s throat. Hoshi rolled his eyes, stepping away. ¡°Whatever. You can take the first swing, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Thanks Boss, I¡¯ll kick his ass!¡± Kenny brandished his Pok¨¦ball, violence expressed in the glint of his bared teeth. ¡°Or are you chicken, Pompadour?¡±

    The man¡¯s expression went from projected annoyance to the genuine article. ¡°¡­Fine. I suppose I¡¯ll give you the honour of losing to me ¨C a second time, apparently.¡±

    The rest of the Rockets backed off, moving to the sides of the path as the two readied their Pok¨¦balls, banter complete. ¡°I¡¯ll serve as referee, if there are no objections?¡± Ryan projected, and nobody spoke out.

    ¡°Alright,¡± he continued, stepping between the men. ¡°This will be a one-on-one Pok¨¦mon battle. No mid-battle use of items, and returning your Pok¨¦mon to its ball shall count as a forfeit.¡±

    Kenny scoffed as the blond paused for dramatic effect. ¡°Get on with it, Suit.¡±

    Ryan stepped back, returning to the sideline with a bright smile and a raised arm. ¡°To knockout or surrender, then. Loose at the count of three. One, two-¡±

    As he shouted ¡°Three!¡± the two grunts tossed their balls, both aiming for the middle of the field.

    ¡°Fuck ¡®um up, Savage!¡± ¡°Beady, show this waste of a uniform a real man¡¯s fighting spirit.¡±

    Crow alighted on his shoulder once again, and Hoshi felt a momentary flash of irritation at being a spectator rather than combatant. But as the Pok¨¦mon coalesced ¨C nearly touching each other ¨C all his attention was dragged into analyzing the battle. Ah, he¡¯s sent out Savage, not Bubbles. That would be bad if Bart had decided to use his electabuzz, but I guess that was the point of goading him in the first place.

    ¡­Or probably not. Kenny isn¡¯t that canny.

    The frantic shouts of the trainers washed over his ears, turning into white noise behind the actions of the lickitung and kabuto. Savage¡¯s tongue extended, nearly snaring the beetle in the first second ¨C but a water jet shot out from the kabuto¡¯s underside, sending it into the air and away from the questing pink muscle. Not Water Gun ¨C Aqua Jet? It spun above the field, iridescent shell glowing gold as a wave of mud followed the water. The muck ¨C Mud-Slap and Sand Attack together, maybe? ¨C liberally coated Savage''s sticky tongue, and he gurgled in displeasure.

    ¡°Supersonic!¡±

    ¡°Retreat.¡±

    The kabuto ¨C Beady, Hoshi¡¯s brain finally processed ¨C landed heavily, but despite the rough crash it was only still for a fraction of a second before a second Aqua Jet blasted it away from its opponent. The waves of Supersonic sound stirred dust from the dry autumn ground as Savage let loose, but they failed to reach their target. Huh, I guess it can move on land¡­ Probably drains its stamina pretty hard, though. Candy only had so many Water Guns in her for any given battle, and while this Pok¨¦mon was more experienced, Hoshi figured the same logic still applied.

    "Oi, don''t just stand there!"

    ¡°Good dodge. Let¡¯s keep our distance from this smelly creature.¡± Bart¡¯s eyes flashed as Savage wrung his tongue out like a towel, more occupied with cleaning himself than Kenny¡¯s orders to pursue. ¡°Ancient Power.¡±

    The kabuto stilled ¨C and then, for long seconds, nothing happened. Huh? Is this a charge-up move like Solar Beam?

    It didn¡¯t feel like it. No, Hoshi concluded, it wasn¡¯t; the atmosphere was wrong. There was no premonition of power, no building tension beyond what the grunt¡¯s words evoked. When a white glow erupted from the beetle¡¯s shell ¨C and a spike of stone erupted from under its feet, which struck Savage in the belly ¨C it almost felt anticlimactic. Despite packing enough oomph to send the slowly approaching lickitung tumbling, something felt¡­ missing.

    That felt like when I try to make Crow use Bite. She can do it, but it¡¯s not¡­ done. Beady couldn¡¯t properly complete the move, which made it sluggish and weak.

    But did that really matter, when Savage''s only ranged option was Supersonic? It figures ¨C even if the beetle runs out of water, Kenny has the one Pok¨¦mon out of all of us that might just be slower than a crawling bug. Even Bear was faster on her feet, as long as she hadn¡¯t used Curse. I thought it was a clever move at the start, but Bubble might actually have had a better chance at winning with Sand Attack and some luck; Savage is tough, but on his own he struggles to deal damage.

    And as the battle progressed, Hoshi found that his thoughts mirrored reality ¨C for the most part. The battle turned into a slow, grinding affair; Beady swiftly became tired from using the incomplete attack, and it failed to knock the lickitung out before things were forced into melee. Savage, on the other hand, was unable to land any Licks ¨C the only damage he was doing was from confusing the kabuto, causing it to careen around when it used Aqua Jet. The beetle sent itself dashing against the ground as often as it struck its opponent, and with a few Defence Curls Savage was only taking bruises.

    Pretty soon ¨C in absolute terms; subjectively it felt like watching paint dry ¨C the battlefield was a mess of mud and churned earth. Hoshi looked speculatively over to where Puce had begun battling two of the rookies, Tomato the koffing facing Tor¡¯s spearow in the air while Bear the slowpoke was being beaten up by Lilian¡¯s increasingly enraged mankey.

    Those both look like more interesting battles at this point, but¡­ Kenny was his underling, and this battle had emotional stakes for the man, as drop-dead boring as it was to watch. Hoshi simply had to tough it out.

    This is like that double battle we had at the start of the month, but without a dragon to get quick knockouts. The kabuto is¡­ actually pretty similar to Savage in terms of strengths and weaknesses, probably. Slow and defensive, though Aqua Jet lets it make up for its stubby legs. Its attacks were definitely better than Savage¡¯s, but neither really had the ability to knock out the other ¨C this was going to come down to determination and stamina. Or rather¡­ fighting spirit. Hah.

    The battle dragged onwards like a metapod climbing a tree, but finally, as the sun dipped down below the treeline, Bart gave in. ¡°Ridiculous,¡± he muttered, his Pok¨¦ball¡¯s laser shooting out to return Beady. ¡°It¡¯s like fighting a training dummy. At this rate we¡¯ll still be pummeling you while walking back to the city; I concede.¡±

    Kenny pumped his arms, roaring and running onto the field. ¡°Yeah! Concede my ass, I fuckin¡¯ won! Get some!¡± He gave his lickitung a noogie, somehow energetic about the result despite the glacial, anticlimactic battle.

    Savage, for his part, blew a tired raspberry and keeled over. He was dead asleep before he hit the ground.

    <hr>

    ¡°Yo, time to wake up.¡±

    Nerine¡¯s eyelids split open with a great and lingering reluctance, the world appearing in blotches of blue and purple and black. Oh. Is it dusk already?

    Her glasses went back on her face, and as she rubbed the gritty gunk out of her eyes she found that she felt¡­ better. Not good, but better. The innocent man she might very well have killed had things gone a hair worse had apparently decided not to appear in her dreams today, for which she was grateful. Her ekans hissed and uncoiled slightly from around her neck, while her venonat made near-inaudible sounds as it nestled against her side.

    Hoshi ¨C why was it always him that woke her up like this? ¨C offered her a hand, and she stood. ¡°So¡­ can I ask about that?¡± he said, and it took her a moment to realise she¡¯d been given a question.

    It was starting to become properly dark ¨C how long had the battles taken? ¡°Huh? About what?¡± Did something else happen while she¡¯d been asleep?

    ¡°The¡­¡± he began, but then Hoshi paused as a frustrated look planted itself firmly on his face. His hand came up to gesture roughly. ¡°The everything. The sleeping and the drugs and the not showing up to training and¡­ all of that shit.¡±

    And suddenly, Nerine was tired all over again. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t wanna talk about it. It¡¯s complicated.¡± Her stomach growled ¨C though it was more from general distress than anything close to hunger.

    The Rocket looked at her with narrow eyes, displeased ¨C but after a second his gaze stopped being quite so piercing. ¡°Fine. You¡¯ve got your own shit going on, and I¡¯ll respect that ¨C to a point. But if you fuck up something important because of ¡®it¡¯s complicated,¡¯ then we¡¯ll be having a long, long talk. Understood?¡±

    Her lips were dry ¨C and her tongue, too. Fuck. When¡¯s the last time I drank something? She fumbled for her canteen. ¡°Okay.¡±

    The one-word answer seemed to be just satisfying enough, because Hoshi sent her a final squint before turning away. She leaned against the tree for a moment, filling her belly with water as the smog filling her head cleared. She was only forced to take a breath when a peel of thunder rang out, startling her enough for liquid to jump down the wrong hole.

    Nerine coughed wetly, and realised that another battle was happening not ten metres away.

    Wait, Hoshi is ¨C did Kenny¡¯s fight really take this long? She¡¯d assumed he would lose instantly ¨C that guy had no idea how to use his Pok¨¦mon effectively, and the fact he managed to win every now and then despite his lack of strategy was almost insulting. At least Puce tries to learn¡­ Ugh, no, I don¡¯t wanna think about that right now¡­

    Sherry rubbed her bristly fur against Nerine¡¯s ankle, and she came back to herself slightly. Fuck. I really am fucked up.

    I¡­ Didn¡¯t think it would be this hard. And it wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d been expecting it to be easy, but¡­ I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯ll do if I see someone from the clan. I¡¯ve gotten sloppy¡­ They weren¡¯t supposed to know I was connected to the Gym at all¡­

    She felt like she was breaking apart, long nights and conflicted days chipping away at her like tiny boring insects stripping the bark from a tree ¨C but then another peal of thunder rang out, and her expression firmed. She reached down, dragging her fingers through the venonat¡¯s thick fur. ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± she said to no-one. A ways away Guts the rattata dodged a Thunder Punch by millimetres. ¡°If it was easy, anybody could do it.¡±

    Even further away, on the other side of the path, the three new Rocket Grunts inspected a vacant-eyed lickitung as Kenny showed it off. Puce was sitting with Cliff, nattering away while the Rocket Enforcer occasionally grunted back, his eyes on the battle. Casca was nearby, and Puce was tending to her Pok¨¦mon with a Potion.

    For a moment, she looked at the scene as an outsider: a group of young adults were casually going through the motions of becoming Pok¨¦mon Trainers, hiking through the wilderness between cities. A normal, everyday occurrence.

    Then she blinked, and the illusion ended. Once more she was a low-level henchman among a group of criminals. Her Senior Grunt was putting an unruly underling in his place, while the Enforcer scanned the trees for hidden eyes. The three new recruits were uncertain, but in no time they would become accustomed to it ¨C the fights, the tension, the¡­ treason, all of it.

    Her stomach lurched, but she forced it down. If it was easy, anybody could do it. The thought steadied her as much as the slightly-warm snake around her neck, Tomato protecting what little skin was left exposed from the encroaching night¡¯s chill. I¡¯ve just gotta muddle through. There¡¯s a reason I¡¯m here ¨C there¡¯s a reason it¡¯s me here.

    She all but sidled along the dense treeline bordering the path, until she was close enough to the blonde woman ¨C Mimosa Kamoku ¨C that they could speak without it being awkward. ¡°Hey,¡± she said, and the Rocket Grunt¡¯s head turned. ¡°You want a smoke? Trade you for whatever you¡¯ve got.¡±

    <hr>

    Once again, Hoshi locked eyes with Kaz Kazubara ¨C and this time, nothing barged in to interrupt their battle. The only thing between him and his opponent was Puce, who was looking even larger than usual in her camping gear as she played the role of referee.

    ¡°Um, same rules as last time?¡± She asked, and Hoshi nodded.

    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±

    Guts¡¯s ball was once again already in his hand. She was the obvious pick; the fastest of his Pok¨¦mon, enough to hopefully equal a fully-grown electabuzz. And if her special ability is what I¡¯m hoping it is¡­

    ¡°Stick to the plan.¡± he muttered into the expanded Pok¨¦ball. ¡°Start with Focus Energy, and stay close.¡±

    Puce nodded back. ¡°Alright¡­ On three. One, two, three!¡±

    Her countdown was fast ¨C much faster than Ryan¡¯s had been, anyway ¨C and both he and Bart were caught off-guard. Then the shock broke, and their balls flew.

    Bart¡¯s struck near Hoshi¡¯s side of the darkening field, surprise flashing across his face as he saw his opponent do the same. The two monsters took the field less than a metre apart. ¡°Confident you can match Madder¡¯s Thunder Punch, are you?¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Hoshi didn¡¯t respond to the banter, focusing all his attention on the electabuzz already winding back its ¨C her, given the antenna length and the pattern of black stripes across yellow fur ¨C arm. This isn¡¯t a match I¡¯ll win by looking at the opposing trainer. No, this is a test of how much attention I¡¯ve paid to Bob over the years.

    Because while Lieutenant Surge¡¯s most iconic Pok¨¦mon was his raichu, Blitz, the ones he used most often in battle were Humvee the electrode, and Jackson the electabuzz. And while each Pok¨¦mon would obviously have their own way of fighting, influenced by their personality and trainer¡­

    You¡¯d have to be a fucking idiot not to copy what your city¡¯s Gym Leader does with the same Pok¨¦mon, at least to start out.

    He¡¯d seen just a hint of it during their trek through the ruined docks; this electabuzz, this Madder, fought very nearly identically to Jackson. But while Jackson would stomp ten Guts without breaking a sweat, Hoshi was confident this electabuzz wasn''t nearly as strong.

    The battle began well; Madder¡¯s fists sang with electricity as she followed the half-hidden order, a sputtering hiss of superheated air echoing around as it bounced off the dense trees on either side of the field. ¡°Stay low,¡± Hoshi ordered, and Guts spread her legs further as two things happened: the electabuzz punched with all her weight behind the blow, and the energy in Guts¡¯s body became sharp and focused.

    ¡°Now! Swift!¡±

    The stars erupted from her mouth, and for a moment Hoshi¡¯s muscles collectively clenched as Madder took one, two, three hits without flinching ¨C but then the fourth struck the electric type Pok¨¦mon in the eye, and her punch went wild. It smashed down, a shockwave of sparks dancing out and arcing into both her and Guts-

    But the tiny edge of the attack wasn¡¯t enough to deter Hoshi¡¯s rattata. She charged forward, darting under the larger Pok¨¦mon¡¯s round body to strike at its legs with Tail Whip.

    ¡°Shockwave,¡± Bart ordered, calm despite losing the first exchange, and the word caused Hoshi¡¯s jaw to clench. Damn, I was hoping for Discharge.

    ¡°Bite!¡± he ordered, forced to deviate from the plan he¡¯d set out only a single moment in. Shock Wave was weaker than Discharge, yes, but it also covered a much larger area ¨C there was no point in trying to dodge.

    His teeth grit even harder as Madder got her attack off first, a wave of diffuse electricity expanding so far, Hoshi had to take two steps back lest he and Crow be caught in it as well. Guts squeaked in pain, but her teeth found the Electabuzz¡¯s ankle.

    Bart¡¯s voice was tinged with a mix of superior smugness, and distaste ¨C it was obvious he thought he would win, and also that he should be winning more. ¡°Again.¡±

    ¡°Keep biting!¡± Damn it all, I misjudged him ¨C I thought he¡¯d be like Bob, and prioritise speed and power. Shock Wave was maybe the one move that he couldn¡¯t work around; it hit the whole field, so predicting the opponent¡¯s movements was useless. He only used Thunder Punch against those fishermen. ¡°Guts, Quick Attack! Aim high!¡±

    His rattata reared up, sinking her teeth into the enemy¡¯s thigh with quick-but-shallow nips ¨C and then its soft belly as the electabuzz turned. Electricity arced out again, but Guts was giving as good as she got-

    And before another Shock Wave could be released, Bart changed his order.

    ¡°Belay!¡± he yelled, raising his voice for the first time. ¡°Don¡¯t let it bite you ¨C grab this rat and crush it. Thunder Punch!¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s heart beat wildly in his chest, small stabs of pain prickling against his bare neck as he swept his arm out, forcing Crow to dig the tiny, near-invisible claws at the ends of her wings into his skin. Yes! That¡¯s right, use the attack you¡¯ve seen on television since you were a little kid! ¡°Dodge, under her legs! Tail Whip!¡±

    Guts managed to evade Madder¡¯s grab by a hair, but the electabuzz also dodged; she leapt over Guts¡¯s swinging tail, pivoting on her uninjured leg to aim her punch more solidly.

    Another Swift came out, but Hoshi was again surprised by a move he hadn¡¯t expected; Madder opened her mouth, another set of twinkling stars firing out of the ¡®mon¡¯s wide gullet. Seriously? Why the fuck would he have Swift and-

    The thought violently cut off as Hoshi swept his arm again. ¡°Dodge!¡± And miraculously, they held on ¨C the two attacks nullified each other, but Guts managed to leap to the side at the last possible moment.

    Against Lieutenant Surge, the best strategy is to match him ¨C to go for trades, and hope your offense can match his while your defenses nullify his speed. But that won¡¯t work here; Madder is built differently than I¡¯d thought. More technical, more able to handle an endurance match.

    He took a breath and bellowed as Guts missed a Bite attack, Madder retracting her arm before the Rattata could latch on. ¡°Full offence! Go for the eyes, Guts!¡±

    ¡°Paralyse it and retreat.¡±

    The electabuzz rubbed her hands together as Guts leapt, and again her attack came out first. A faint ripple of electricity went out, less violent than the Shock Waves but no less deadly in its own way. The Thunder Wave burrowed into Guts¡¯s body, her muscles turning jittery ¨C and Hoshi felt the ghost of a smile lurking under his snarl. ¡°Try and power through!¡± he yelled. C¡¯mon! It gave us the edge against Junior in the Gym battle ¨C I¡¯m pretty sure your ability is Guts, Guts!

    That was the theory, at least; it was shockingly hard to puzzle out in training, since the only Pok¨¦mon in the group that could poison with any consistency could also just fly out of range of his rattata¡¯s melee attacks.

    Come on, he repeated to himself as Madder backpedaled, spinning her arms to build up a faster charge. A few good hits ¨C if we can get it on the ground, the fight is done! We can win this!

    Guts charged forward, legs shaky, and the Shock Wave washed over her once, then again. She came within jumping distance ¡ª and the electabuzz calmly stepped back as the paralysis did its job. Even if her ability did amplify her strength, Guts had no special immunity to the nerve-disrupting electricity.

    ¡°Damn it! Swift, then close in! Aim low-!¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s teeth came together like a guillotine, cutting off the last moment of the order as red coloured his vision. We can win this! There has to be something..! And¡­ there was. Do I try it? Using an incomplete move¡­

    It was what had cost Bart his battle against Kenny, he was pretty sure. Beady had been on its last legs; Bart had only withdrawn because he wanted to save face. Without those Ancient Powers draining the kabuto¡¯s stamina, the result probably would have been different.

    There were three moves that the Mini-Dex displayed in warning-orange text when Hoshi inserted it into Guts¡¯s ball: Tackle, which had fallen to the side the moment she¡¯d learned Bite. Hyper Fang, which they¡¯d been training furiously. And Pursuit, which Hoshi had been mostly ignoring ¨C an attack that specifically countered a fleeing opponent. There were a few reasons they¡¯d been neglecting it; Guts was already fast, and Quick Attack was right there when they needed to get in a hit against a retreating Pok¨¦mon. Bite was a stronger dark type attack. Time spent learning the move, which Kantonian Rattata weren¡¯t entirely suited for, was time that wasn¡¯t going into Hyper Fang and general fitness.

    But in this situation¡­

    No. Hoshi let out a breath. It¡¯s an even worse option than what we¡¯re doing now.  I¡¯m imagining something that isn¡¯t gonna happen. I¡¯ll stick to what worked against Junior.

    The battle continued. Madder took the Swift on raised forearms, the Focus Energy-boosted stars drawing blood but failing to disrupt the building Shock Wave. It came out, Guts took the hit stoically, and she dashed forward as the electabuzz backpedaled. Two more exchanges were traded before Madder hit the tall grass, croaking in displeasure as her feet tangled in the forest undergrowth.

    There we go. ¡°Go in!¡±

    Bart¡¯s scoff reached his ears, only audible to his hindbrain as Hoshi¡¯s vision began to narrow. ¡°As if such an obvious strategy would work. Madder, grab it.¡±

    Guts dashed forward, sending a single star out to crash against her opponent in a spray of pure while light as she jumped ¨C and the electabuzz once again took the hit without flinching, grabbing the rat out of the air before her teeth could sink into the monster¡¯s face.

    A Thunder Punch smashed into the rattata¡¯s face, blackening her fur. And so as Madder wound up for a second one, and as Guts sent out another Swift while trying to pry herself free¡­ Hoshi hefted her Pok¨¦ball.

    ¡°Return,¡± he conceded before the final blow could land. ¡°Fuck.¡± The plastic shell felt cold in his hand ¨C no, it was cold, the night¡¯s chill finally creeping back into his awareness. ¡°Fuck.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Um, the winner is Mister Bart, by concession,¡± Puce announced for the benefit of no-one. ¡°But that was a good match, though! I bet that electabuzz is at a third badge level, at least!¡±

    ¡°At least,¡± Bart repeated. Then he returned his own Pok¨¦mon, swapping her for Beady the kabuto. The grunt walked forward, and it took Hoshi a second to realise he was waiting for the post-battle handshake.

    With gritted teeth, Hoshi met him in the centre of the field. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting that much from a rat,¡± Bart said as their hands clamped. The man¡¯s grip was loose, disrespectful, but Hoshi weathered both it and the faint praise without exploding. ¡°I can see why you made Senior Grunt. You should find a stronger Pok¨¦mon, to better utilise your skills.¡±

    His words might have sounded cordial ¨C or at least half-cordial ¨C but the smug tone and tilt of his chin turned them into a deadly insult. Hoshi bit his tongue, the minor pain and taste of blood steadying his wavering vision.

    ¡°Your Pok¨¦mon was stronger than mine,¡± was all he said before wrenching his hand from the grunt¡¯s loose grip. Then Hoshi turned, and raised his voice to call for the entire group. ¡°Five minutes, then we¡¯re heading out. We¡¯ll go as far as we can, then pitch our tents and sleep.¡±

    <hr>

    The woods are horrible, Tor thought as his spearow defiantly Pecked away at a larger, stronger noctowl. The buildup of Leers and Growls from he and his friends'' Pok¨¦mon meant that he was doing more damage and it less, but that could only account for so wide a gap.

    Worse, Mojo¡¯s meowth and Lily¡¯s mankey couldn¡¯t really do anything but layer on the weak supporting moves, and they were beginning to lose their effectiveness as the large owl realised that they were paper tigers. It swept its wings back and forward, swooping around Spearow¡¯s strikes like¡­ Well, like an adult stepping around a baby.

    Mojo tossed a rock with a cry of ¡°Fuck off!¡± the annoyance in his words at odds with the fear revealed by the backsplash of their collective flashlights.

    Fear, but not terror; the owl probably wouldn¡¯t kill them, even if it won ¨C just one of their Pok¨¦mon.

    Not that they weren¡¯t fighting like their lives were on the line. ¡°Spearow, stay low! Bring it close for the others!¡± Tor¡¯s fists clenched his bird¡¯s ball tightly, and he wished he had something equally solid he would be willing to lose ¨C Mojo¡¯s arm was okay, but he was a batter, not a pitcher. I should¡¯ve been picking up rocks like him. If I¡¯d known we¡¯d be going out on the first day, I¡¯d have¡­

    Well, he probably would have split, honestly. The current situation was just a little bit fucked up, holy shit. Spearow did its best to swoop low, but the noctowl matched its speed despite being larger and heavier, powerful wingbeats driving Tor¡¯s gifted Pok¨¦mon to the ground. Then it turned its head, catching Mojo¡¯s cat as it attempted to pounce from a low-hanging branch.

    The telekinetic shove sent it, too, to the forest floor. Then another rock beaned the noctowl centre-mass, and it sent out another Confusion ¨C this time, aimed at the annoying human.

    ¡°Gurk!¡± Mojo exclaimed as he was lifted and sent into a tree. His cat yowled, leaping again from the underbrush, and Lily¡¯s mankey also leapt from a tree.

    A screen of glowing light encircled the owl, both Pok¨¦mon bouncing off the protective film.

    ¡°It''s predicting our attacks! I didn¡¯t think wild Pok¨¦mon were smart like this!¡± Lily yelled, drawing a Potion from a pouch on her heavy vest. ¡°What do we do?!¡±

    Mojo rose out of the darkness like a zombie from loose-packed soil, clawing at the heavy foliage as he rooted around for his flashlight. ¡°I think¡­¡± Tor turned his way. Yeah? ¡°¡­This is poison ivy. Yeah, I¡¯m pretty sure.¡±

    Tor huffed out a panicked laugh. ¡°Fuck off! We¡¯re screwed here, man!¡± How is this even slightly reasonable? I have a spearow, a fucking baby spearow! I should be fighting pidgey at the beach, not evolved Pok¨¦mon in an Arcus damned secret-ninja-training forest maze! Where are the others?!

    Lily recalled her mankey, then released it again to get it within Potion range. Tor would have liked to do the same, but his fucking bird was somewhere under this stupidly dense nature. If they made it out of this, he was staying nice and safe in the city for the rest of his life.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic,¡± his girlfriend said, hypocritically dropping the medicine with a curse. "One of the Rockets should be here any second. We¡¯ve been screaming our heads off for like a whole minute here."

    Unless they¡¯re caught up with their own battles, his traitorous brain supplied. No, screw that, these guys are supposed to be strong. His hands shook in a way he hadn¡¯t experienced since his first professional game, Spearow¡¯s ball rattling with an soft, otherworldly sound as whatever technology was inside tried to keep the thing stable. ¡°Yeah,¡± he tepidly sent back, unable to muster any enthusiasm for the lie. ¡°We¡¯re gonna be fine.¡±

    Then, in a flash of blue light, the lie became true. Eerie fire struck across the noctowl¡¯s left wing, blasting away feathers and sending it down with a surprised ¡°Hoo?¡±

    It landed well, talons silently digging into the forest floor as it became half-obscured by greenery. Another inquisitive hoot sounded out ¨C and then it was gone, brown plumage melting into the darkness as it decided this particular meal wasn¡¯t worth the effort.

    ¡°Ho there!¡± came a distinctly upper-class voice from behind them, and Tor turned. Bright platinum curls flashed as two flashlights illuminated the approaching Rocket, and Ryan ¨C Tor thought his name was Ryan, at least; he¡¯d been introduced to like ten people today and he was freaking out ¨C raised his arm to shield his eyes. ¡°Ah, I had a feeling it was you three. Say, are the others nearby? I seem to have somehow wandered away from Mutsu and the rest.¡±

    Tor opened his mouth, then closed it. After a second of silence his best friend did what he¡¯d thought better of, cursing loudly.

    Yeah, we¡¯re definitely lost.

    <hr>

    The fire crackled with a perverse merriment as Tor stared into it, the flames dancing in glee while his girlfriend searched for a vein on his arm to inject the Antidote. Stop anthro-whatevering the fire, dummy. It¡¯s not happy you¡¯re hurt, you¡¯re just¡­ scared.

    His teeth clenched against the pain as the needle went in. Tor didn¡¯t know why nurses and doctors were always blatantly lying; there was no pinch, just a straight-up stabbing pain from being literally stabbed. ¡°There we go,¡± Lily commented as she withdrew the needle, the bulbous, thick-walled container now missing a fifth of its contents. ¡°No idea why they bought the stuff that needs to be injected. Doesn¡¯t the rubbing kind work just as good?¡±

    Mojo snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, man. I guess it¡¯s more gangster.¡±

    Hah. There¡¯s probably some actual reason out there, but I¡¯d believe it. That tall, ugly guy with the scarred knuckles was scary, even more than the over-muscled people he surrounded himself with. A rattata shouldn¡¯t be able to take chunks out of an electabuzz. That¡¯s not¡­ normal.

    ¡°They¡¯re probably made for humans specifically,¡± Ryan broke in. ¡°I believe Mutsu got your supplies from a specialty hiking shop, rather than a Pok¨¦mart.¡±

    Tor grunted. ¡°Well, it works well enough.¡± Already he could feel the cold, I¡¯m dying feeling in his veins warming up. Didn¡¯t think a Poison Powder from a venonat would feel so¡­ bad. ¡°Are we stopping for the night?¡± His eyes turned from the fire to the trees, fear still coiling in his gut despite the dragon heating itself by the fire ¨C where it was receiving its own, spray-on medicine.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s best,¡± Ryan replied. ¡°We might be able to find the others, but we¡¯d likely need to dig into our supplies of Repel to keep going. And while we have some leeway¡­¡±

    ¡°We should save it for sleeping, yeah.¡±

    Mojo groaned. ¡°Dumb idea to come out here after dark. You just had to open your mouth for all of us, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    The fire continued to crackle away. The feeling of eyes on his back was overwhelming, but Tor was doing his best to ignore the sensation ¨C if there were actually something watching from nearby, one of their four Pok¨¦mon would have noticed. Unless it¡¯s a haunter. Or any other ghost, for that matter. Or¡­

    He sent the thought away with a shake of his head. ¡°Is this what it¡¯s usually like?¡± he asked, just to break the silence. ¡°Being a part of this?¡±

    The grunt smiled, somehow peppy despite the bug bites, both from Pok¨¦mon and smaller insects, peppering his face. ¡°No, not at all. For the most part, it is¡­ very simple. Standing in the right place, behind the right man. Doing paperwork and moving cargo, not unlike many other professions. Today was¡­¡± In the flickering firelight, there was something almost draconic to his strangely-proportioned features. He didn¡¯t look like his bagon, not at all, but Tor suddenly felt sure that if he squinted, Ryan¡¯s tight platinum curls would look like scales. His large eyes would become slitted dinner plates, his long nose and small mouth transforming into a snout. ¡°¡­More like being a trainer.¡±

    Tor shivered. Don''t listen to the weird parts of your brain right now. You¡¯re tired, you¡¯re scared out of your gourd, you¡¯re probably some kind of high from the Antidote¡­ ¡°You talk like you¡¯ve been¡­ what we are, for a long time.¡±

    The Rocket Grunt continued to smile, staring into ¨C or maybe past ¨C the fire. ¡°I have been¡­ well, in spirit.¡± He made to continue ¨C but before he could, the dragon curled at his side raised its head. Everyone froze.

    And then a swooping shape flapped lazily across the treetops, passing over their heads seemingly without noticing their presence. It was the same size as the noctowl had been, but where that Pok¨¦mon had flown completely silently this one cut the air with two distinct sets of whisper-soft wingbeats. Silhouetted against the distant stars, all Tor could see was its general shape: a round, large body, and four wings shaped like those of a bat.

    He shivered again. A golbat? Something else? If there were Pok¨¦mon left undiscovered in Kanto it would be here, in the depths of these dark woods.

    The mysterious Pok¨¦mon went on its way, the small huddle remaining silent until Ryan again spoke. ¡°I was raised in a family that has¡­ very close ties to my current employers.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it.¡±

    Tor wasn¡¯t sure why he asked. Maybe it was the desperate need to listen to something other than the heartbeat hammering away in his ears, or maybe he was actually interested, somewhere under the semi-rational terror.

    Ryan¡¯s expression smoothed. ¡°I¡¯m not certain that¡¯s wise. This is shinobi territory; there could be any number of ears listening in.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for¡­ compromising stuff, or anything. Just,¡± tell me what this is. I came into this through FtL, but is it even related? Have we been tricked? ¡°The basics. The feel.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ryan licked his lips, eyes finally straying from the fire. ¡°I suppose I can do that. Nothing compromising¡­¡± The silence was deafening, full of imagined chitters and hoots and hisses. Tor¡¯s spearow turned its head lazily, scanning the ground, but despite that his pulse refused to return to normal.

    Ryan¡¯s eyes passed over the wall of trees, so dense it was hard to tell one from another. ¡°But what exactly is compromising? I am not ashamed of my heritage, nor have I ever done anything strictly illegal. So¡­¡± His smile returned. ¡°Let us be frank. The first time I met Mister Apollo, Viridian¡¯s current Gym Leader, I was five years old. My father was taking me to visit an old friend, Viridian¡¯s previous leader, a man named Giovanni¡­¡±

 Interlude - At the Speed of Light

    Archer Apollo may not have been born in Viridian City, but after living in it for over twenty years ¨C and being the Gym Leader for a fifth of those, besides ¨C he thought he¡¯d earned the right to consider it his city.

    In substance, at least, if not in spirit.

    ¡°Challenger Shinichi, approach the podium!¡± the announcer roared, and the crowd followed with a massive cheer. Archer smiled; the end-of-season battles were always the most popular, and a full Gym was a profitable one.

    On some days, they made fully twice the amount the mayor sent for the entire year ¨C more than enough to keep the largest stadium on the continent running, even after¡­ other expenses.

    Ten seconds passed as Archer let the challenger sweat it out. After all¡­ A lord does not move until he deigns to move. The sound of the crowd echoing into the tunnel, the announcer¡¯s exclamations, the rush of his own blood ¨C all of it melded together into a discordant symphony¡­ Or, perhaps, a marching song.

    His thoughts turned dark, mirroring the cool interior of his entrance hall. Today would tell if it was a triumphant song of victory¡­ or a bitter recounting of defeat. If they strike now, before things are ready¡­

    But no, it helped nothing to dwell on hypotheticals ¨C not when it was, finally, out of his hands. The dice were cast; they would fall as they would. He rose, armour softly scraping against itself, and at last strode into the light. The crowd roared again, louder, as the great screens on either end of the stadium showed his entrance.

    They displayed a slender man, clad in armour greener than any leaf. Not a single speck of skin was showing, even his eyes obscured by a ninjask-shaped mask. Other Pok¨¦mon features were evoked as well; the helmet curved up from the brow, becoming a crest not unlike the horn of a heracross, while the shoulders and thigh guards were obviously shaped like a scyther¡¯s chitinous exoskeleton.

    And this was not mere mimicry; the armour Archer wore, like that of Kanto¡¯s rulers of old, was crafted from genuine chitin. Each piece was worked meticulously by hand, the overlapping plates shaped with fire and fine tools until they fit together seamlessly ¨C something that could never be done on an industrial scale, as each giant bug left behind a subtly different husk. Not only was it functional ¨C stronger than steel, by certain measurements ¨C but it did the much more important job of evoking the correct image.

    Archer was the Great Green Shogun of Viridian ¨C the man who would turn the future into a recreation of a rose-tinted past, where the Evergreen City was king, and the rest of Kanto was forced to bow its head.

    Yes. Today, of all days, the image must be perfect.

    His eyes turned down from the screens as he took the first step up to his podium. The climb was long, narrow stairs taking him a full five stories into the air, but perched on the very top he was still only standing level with the middle stands. The challenger was clearly visible despite the large distance between them: a man in rough clothing, aged somewhere between late teens and early twenties.

    ¡°Richard Shinichi,¡± he spoke, the Gym¡¯s speakers carrying his voice to the entire stadium as he repeated the information his aide had fed him ¨C an absolute necessity given that he sometimes battled two dozen different trainers in a single day. ¡°This is the third time you stand before me. Are you prepared?¡±

    The man¡¯s lips curled into a wave, unable to be discerned as either a smile or a frown. ¡°I¡¯ll defeat you this time, Gym Leader.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± From a pocket in his armour came a small enamel pin ¨C Viridian¡¯s Earth Badge. Archer held it up for a moment, then placed it delicately on the console in front of him. ¡°The prize, should your soldiers defeat mine. I assume you are familiar with our customs by now, so¡­¡± His voice rose. ¡°Send out your Pok¨¦mon!¡±

    For the eighth badge, there was no referee; he, the Gym Leader, would call the match, and if his opponent forced their Pok¨¦mon beyond their limits¡­ Well, that was their decision to make.

    Two balls arced down to the recreation of Viridian Forest far below, and Archer turned his attention to the podium¡¯s console where a set of screens gave him ¨C and his opponent; the two sides were, at least where visibility was concerned, afforded the same advantages ¨C a close-up view of the action. The balls struck the ground like tiny meteors, somehow managing to avoid the criss-crossing branches, and two large, delicately hovering shapes were released with overlapping warbling cries.

    The podium¡¯s speakers continued to feed him the sound as it morphed, technology melding with biology as a butterfree and venomoth cried out in battle-lust ¨C and in a flash Archer recognised the trainer he was facing. They¡¯re both slightly larger than the pair he sent out last year, but the wing patterns are mostly the same.

    Archer smiled again beneath the rigid mask. Perhaps he will actually win this year. Bug specialists ¨C and Archer would count himself among that number, though the Gym¡¯s roster was as much the product of his trainers as himself ¨C were as much Pok¨¦mon Breeders as Pok¨¦mon Trainers. The short lifespan of their chosen partners necessitated it; even with Pok¨¦ball stasis, any given capture would be old and grey by the time they reached their full potential.

    And so, bug specialists had to commit to every aspect of their teams, raising them from generation to generation. Monitoring their diets, cultivating new moves and stronger bodies through successive breeding. Many thought the practice heartless ¨C Archer himself would have said so, when he was younger. But as he had settled into his shell, he¡¯d come to understand the truth.

    Bug catchers were some of the best trainers in the world.

    A minute passed as he took his time selecting his own pair, letting Shinichi scout the terrain. That was the one thing that set the two sides apart; the challenger, the invader, got a chance to make the first move. Archer¡¯s Pok¨¦mon would be vulnerable in that opening moment, unable to react for the fraction of a second after release. In exchange he, the Gym Leader, the shogun, got to see the invader coming and prepare accordingly.

    Not the most realistic metaphor, but such were the limitations of the medium.

    Pinsir and Scyther, he eventually decided. Shinichi had sent out a thematic pair, and it was only appropriate that he do the same. His balls were thrown down, his eyes drifting to a different screen that captured the result of their long descent.

    ¡°Quiver Dance!¡± the challenger called out the moment the balls entered the battlefield, and the Gym Leader¡¯s smile widened. Yes, he might just win this time. Shinichi had used his time well, positioning his bugs such that they could counter almost any starting position.

    But it was not enough to counter any move. Archer did not need to say a word for his Pok¨¦mon to act; even before he fully coalesced Pinsir was leaping forward to block a Toxic and Sleep Powder with Protect, his shell taking on a hexagonal pattern for a heartbeat before the half-sphere of energy projected into three dimensions. Scyther took cover, placing her ally between herself and the butterfree, while the venomoth ¨C which was already circling with shocking speed ¨C was stymied by the dense thicket. A psychic glow enveloped her limbs as Agility multiplied all the movements she would be making for the rest of the battle.

    ¡°The butterfree first,¡± Archer ordered as a second Toxic was sent out, and his scyther buzzed menacingly as she began waving her scythes to the inaudible tune of Swords Dance. The giant mantis juked left and right, managing to avoid the deadly gunk in a display that only looked effortless.

    Protect faded and Pinsir moved further in, taking a Psychic from one enemy while the other again spun in the complicated loops of Quiver Dance. Archer allowed his attention to wander to the distant crowd; unless his opponent showed something truly unexpected, his elite-level Pok¨¦mon would not require further orders.

    Ah, there they are. He couldn¡¯t be certain, not really, but the Indigo League¡¯s black operators weren¡¯t nearly as stealthy as they liked to think ¨C or the rank-and-file weren¡¯t, at least. Four, six¡­ an even dozen ninja that I can see. It was the effort they put in that marked them out; the dyed hair to hide that Fuchsia purple, the overly-plain clothes where others were in their Sunday best. The way they never quite looked right at him, trained subterfuge working against them when the situation called for overtness.

    No doubt there were an equal number of operatives he wasn¡¯t seeing, but that was almost encouraging. It was imperative that they act on their suspicions ¨C just not until tomorrow.

    Another Protect blocked a combined Bug Buzz, the wavering cacophony amplified to a nearly deafening degree even with thirty metres of forest canopy and open space cushioning Archer from the attacks. The Gym Leader¡¯s smile persisted even as the obnoxious sound penetrated his helmet like he was wearing a copper bell. It looks like Seto arrived in time, he thought as his eyes moved to the VIP box. Good. Such a man is wasted on those two.

    It was a shame he couldn¡¯t have had his chosen successor by his side, but such was life. The bulk of the League¡¯s forces would fall on him here in Viridian, with Athena¡¯s operations in Goldenrod taking most of the rest; the Electric Academy would be a tertiary target.

    Scyther shook off the portion of the attack that had curved around her ally, her wings buzzing in an almost comically soft echo of the massive sound still rattling through the stadium. The moth and butterfly attempted to evade, and nearly managed it with their own enhanced speed ¨C but Scyther¡¯s Aerial Ace landed, her own boosts and familiarity with the terrain carrying the day as the butterfree¡¯s left wing was very nearly sheared off.

    It fell, managing to leave behind a billowing cloud of Sleep Powder before it struck the ground and Pinsir finished it off.

    Good movements from the both of them. I¡¯ll have to commend my trainers for their work while we¡­ prepare.

    Shinichi pressed a button on his console, red light flashing out from its base to sweep across the entire forest, sending the injured bug directly into the Pok¨¦mon Storage System. His mouth was a flat line, hard and straight; he wasn¡¯t giving up despite taking the first loss.

    ¡°Good,¡± Archer spoke aloud, and the battle went on. It was still possible he would lose ¨C Pinsir was on his last legs after blocking so many top-tier attacks, Scyther had taken a hit of powder, and the venomoth had managed a third Quiver Dance while its partner was being knocked out ¨C but even if he did, the showing had been splendid.

    A Gym Leader did not need to win every time ¨C should not win every time, even ¨C but to appear weak was simply unacceptable.

    Archer allowed the roar of the crowd to seep into his bones. Soon his layers of armour would be stripped off, and the Viridian City Gym Leader exposed as Team Rocket Boss for the second time ¨C but right now, in this moment, the mask may as well have been skin.

    ¡°Pinsir, Guillotine. Scyther, Double Team.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    <hr>

    Garcia Seto watched the eighth badge challenge enter its final climax, the two remaining Pok¨¦mon standing off like a pair of samurai.

    The pinsir still had one last Protect in him, and the challenger knew that ¨C the battle¡¯s end would revolve around how that move played out. If the venomoth could bait it out with a feint, its victory was all but assured; the beetle Pok¨¦mon would be left wide open when the shield failed. And conversely, should the moth attack recklessly and be successfully blocked, then it was the pinsir who would have the perfect chance to retaliate.

    And since it had managed its own Swords Dance while hiding in the underbrush, that one hit would be enough; venomoth was not a bug type known for its durability.

    ¡°One hundred pok¨¦dollars says that the challenger takes it.¡±

    Garcia looked to the side, eyeing Giorgio Sampo as he took a pull from his bottle. ¡°Hm. No bet,¡± he decided, ¡°Archer is sloppy today.¡±

    ¡°Too true.¡±

    Of course, that was only to be expected; it was difficult to remain composed while the wolves closed in, after all.

    ¡°The stress of his position must be immense ¨C I¡¯m glad I¡¯ve retired from the circuit.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Giorgio countered. ¡°You complain every single time we meet. ¡®Oh, Garcia, it¡¯s so boring in Vermilion. I really need to come back to the forest and just camp for a few weeks.¡¯ Make up your mind.¡±

    Garcia huffed out a chuckle. ¡°At our age, being contrary is to be expected.¡±

    ¡°Our age? You aren¡¯t even fourty, whelp.¡± Giorgio took another drink before replying. ¡°Then again, you¡¯ve always carried on like an old man.¡±

    ¡°I do have a wisdom beyond my years,¡± the Rocket retorted, and the richly appointed viewing room fell silent as they watched the match end.

    The venomoth whipped through the trees, its many dances stirring the energy in its core into a frenzy, while the pinsir squatted low in the brush. It was obvious that each Pok¨¦mon only had an approximate understanding of where the other was; only the trainers and the audience could see the full picture, aided by the numerous cameras hidden in the indoor forest.

    This one is better at commanding a step removed than most. Hmm, perhaps I can get a word in afterwards, see if I can¡¯t find a match for Pierre. That moth¡¯s colouration is-

    The thought died as he recalled exactly what today was for. Ah. Yes. Suppose I¡¯ll have to stay close to Mister Apollo¡­

    The challenger¡¯s Pok¨¦mon arced around the pinsir¡¯s location, dropping Stun Spores that glowed like phosphorus ¨C a feint; the volume was too low to be effective. It had another attack in the chamber, either a Psychic or Bug Buzz ready to unleash the moment Protect failed.

    And evidently Archer was sharp enough to notice, because he simply clicked his tongue and continued to bide his time. The challenger¡¯s eyes sharpened, his frustration evident on the massive screens ¨C the Quiver Dances would turn from boon to curse any minute now, the immense strain of holding them sapping his venomoth¡¯s stamina.

    ¡°Ah, I should have taken that bet. Look, he¡¯s panicking.¡±

    Giorgio frowned. ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°Mephisto,¡± the Gym¡¯s speakers projected to the audience¡¯s benefit, ¡°Flush it out. Psychic, wide area.¡±

    The venomoth alighted on a tree ¨C and then, so slowly it might have been mistaken for a gust of wind, all the leaves and stems around it began to bend down. The foliage descended over what must be approaching the footprint of a city block, undergrowth pressing to the ground in a show of immense, if diffuse, power.

    Archer¡¯s answer came with contrasting swiftness. ¡°Rock Slide. The unbowed tree.¡±

    Young Richard Shinichi¡¯s eyes went wide as he realised the mistake his Pok¨¦mon ¨C and therefore he ¨C had made. ¡°Bug-¡±

    Before he could get more than a word out, the pinsir rose up from its hiding place ¨C but it did not merely stand. Its back appeared first, then a brief pause as it strained¡­

    And then its mighty horns, dug into the earth, flung upwards. A great mass of tight-packed stones, more than any healthy forest floor could have ever had lurking below, followed the arc of its movement, rising into the sky like an avalanche being rewound through time. The venomoth took to the air, its Psychic telekinesis attempting to bat away the rain of boulders ¨C but it was not nearly enough.

    Shinichi furiously mashed his console, returning his Pok¨¦mon a split second before it was buried beneath the stone waterfall. The tree it had been sitting on disappeared into splinters, along with dozens of its unfortunate brethren as the Rock Slide lived up to its name.

    Garcia clapped politely. ¡°Good show!¡± he cheerily exclaimed, the man to his side only grumbling. Oh, what has you in a huff today, Sampo? You aren¡¯t even about to be exposed like we are. The crowd, meanwhile, cheered loud enough to rattle the glass of their private chamber ¨C but the announcer was silent; he dared not take the Shogun¡¯s proclamation from him.

    Archer took his sweet time, allowing the dust to settle before uncrossing his arms. ¡°Your troops have quit the field,¡± he growled, with greater showmanship than Garcia usually saw from him. ¡°This battle is decided. Challenger Shinichi, you have yet to impress me. This badge will not be yours today.¡± He plucked the symbol of the forest from its place and returned it to his pocket as the trainer looked on, and the crowd¡¯s tone turned consoling.

    Shinichi balled up his fists, but managed to take the loss with good grace. ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± he promised, lowering his wide-brimmed hat to hide his expression. ¡°Stronger.¡±

    The Gym Leader¡¯s head inclined. ¡°I will look forward to it. Your Pok¨¦mon and their balls will be waiting for you at the front desk.¡±

    Both of them began to descend the long flight to ground level, and the screens switched to showing highlights of the battle as the announcer prattled on.

    ¡°Terrible battle,¡± Giorgio commented. ¡°Too reliant on boosting moves, both of them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re grouchy today,¡± was all Garcia replied before reaching down to pick up his own drink. Unlike his friend, the old bug catcher had yet to even open it. Can¡¯t get drunk just yet, after all; there are shinobi about. He felt a mild embarrassment as the highlights went on; Protect hadn''t factored into the ending at all. I suppose I''m not quite at that level yet¡­

    The Sampo patriarch was silent as the cork came out, and that silence continued as Garcia poured himself a small glass of sweet wine. ¡°Come on, out with it,¡± he cajoled. ¡°You¡¯ve been making faces for a minute now.¡±

    Giorgio huffed. ¡°Arcus forbid I get a moment to think.¡± But the comment did its job, and after a few seconds he opened his mouth again. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I be grouchy? My son¡¯s off in a different city entirely, forced into those two¡¯s madcap schemes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s probably having a right adventure at the moment.¡± Garcia took a pull of his drink, savouring the taste; Archer continually refused to tell anyone where he got his wine from, so his trips to the Viridian Gym were always a special treat. I suppose that¡¯s why he does it. No better show of power than complete exclusivity. ¡°But that was always the plan, wasn¡¯t it? He was never going to be satisfied with being a silk merchant.¡±

    Another huff, then Giorgio took his own pull of wine, right from the bottle. ¡°It¡¯s happening too fast. The boy¡¯s nineteen.¡±

    ¡°You were the same age when you took over from your grandmother, weren¡¯t you?¡± His friend grumbled, and Garcia shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t be a worrywart; Archer¡¯s given him that delightful little dragon to protect him. He¡¯s safer than you are, and you aren¡¯t even in the crosshairs.¡±

    Giorgio continued to be a grumpy old man, and endured a few more teasing comments about his son before forcefully rerouting the conversation to the local baseball team.

    But even as the words turned mundane as could be, a certain tension continues to underlay the day¡¯s events.

    <hr>

    ¡°How long do I have?¡±

    Archer¡¯s personal aide, an overwhelmingly fat man who went by Hagegeki, flipped a page on his clipboard. Despite looking like the most stereotypical of roughneck gangsters, Archer had yet to meet any person with neater handwriting ¨C or a better head for names and numbers.

    ¡°Forty minutes before the next challenger. Are you sure that¡¯s enough time? We can push one of the later challengers to tomorrow. Give your team a few minutes more.¡±

    Archer shook his head. ¡°You know why we can¡¯t.¡± We need to keep it packed to the brim ¨C every person in those seats is a potential hostage if the League tries to push things during business hours, so they need to stay filled.

    His Gym team would just have to deal with only short rests.

    ¡°Of course, sir. End of the year rush, and all that.¡± Another page turned. ¡°On that note, your next opponent¡­ Joanna Mako. Seventh badge, second time here. First was¡­ three years ago, where she won at the first badge level.¡±

    Archer grunted for him to continue as they walked the Gym¡¯s service corridors. ¡°¡­Nineteen, got her license through the standard test at eleven. Used a rattata and female nidoran when she was here last.¡±

    Like ninety-nine percent of his repeat challengers, the name failed to elicit any recognition. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare for a nidoqueen, then.¡± A few more steps, and they came up to a semi-hidden door ¨C not properly concealed, since the stadium had been built in obedience with all municipal fire codes, but flush with the wall in such a way that it was obviously not for public use. ¡°Please make sure I¡¯m provided a butterfree with Psychic.¡±

    It was a nonsense statement ¨C they all had Psychic ¨C but Hagegeki took the dismissal for what it was. He stepped away, allowing Archer to exit into the public area of the Gym alone.

    A brief journey along which he felt eyes digging into him from every shadow, and then he was inside the VIP box. The door closed behind him, and Archer let out a silent sigh of relief as he saw two of his main supporters ¨C friends, even, if such a relationship could exist among men like them ¨C bickering like schoolchildren.

    ¡°Giorgio,¡± he greeted. ¡°Garcia. You two seem lively enough today ¨C how have you enjoyed the battles?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a disgrace to the title of Gym Leader,¡± the head of the Sampo crime family replied. ¡°Guillotine, in an elite match? They should have you put in with the laundry; you obviously need a thorough wash.¡±

    Ah, drunk already? Archer rolled his eyes inside his helmet, then pulled the stuffy thing off. ¡°And I suppose you could have done better?¡±

    The man snorted, taking a long drink of genuine Stadabora Brixswein, and so the other Viridian native answered in his stead. ¡°Of course not,¡± said Junior Executive Garcia Sato. ¡°Everyone loves Guillotine ¨C you have a crowd to play to, after all.¡±

    The subtle way that the Executive agreed with his friend made Archer¡¯s lips quirk. ¡°Indeed. It also distracted my opponent quite thoroughly as I set up Double Team.¡± He found his own chair ¨C and bottle ¨C and settled in.

    For a brief moment, no longer than a breath, the Rocket Boss simply looked at the two men who had come to support him. Both of them wore their years poorly; Garcia was thirty-five but looked a decade older, while Giorgio was nearly fifty but looked closer to seventy.

    Part of it was natural; both men had hair colours that looked aged ¨C grey and white, respectively. But that alone could not account for it.

    Garcia¡¯s face was weathered, his skin more like old leather than anything a man in his thirties should have sported ¨C and Giorgio was even worse. The patriarch boasted a number of discoloured patches across his face, the darkened, near-purple skin competing for space with the smaller but more numerous deep wrinkles. Only his eyes seemed to have any vitality, a bright grey that shone even in the shaded viewing room.

    It was a stark transformation from the man Archer had met in 1990, at the height of the war and a year before the birth of his son ¨C the young man Archer had chosen as his successor, then sent off to be a pawn of the two overly-zealous fey creatures who were Team Rocket¡¯s most loyal soldiers. I haven¡¯t the vaguest idea how they¡¯ve avoided time¡¯s march; even I feel the stress of it, these days.

    Arcus, I hope I don¡¯t look like Giorgio in ten years¡­

    Then Archer let the moment pass, the weight of his ambitions again settling around his neck. ¡°The crowd isn¡¯t all I have to play to.¡±

    Two solemn nods. ¡°Fancy a battle later, then?¡± Garcia asked. ¡°To take the edge off.¡±

    ¡®Are we expecting them to attack tonight,¡¯ was what he was really asking. ¡°Apologies,¡± Archer answered. ¡°But I¡¯ll have to decline. While my personal team should be fresh, I will likely be completely wiped.¡±

    Giorgio raised his bottle. ¡°The blasted rush.¡±

    ¡°Blasted is one word for it, yes.¡±

    They clinked their drinks, and Archer took a long, sweet gulp. Amazing what those primitive northerners can do to grapes. Almost as good as Kalosian, and at a tenth the price.

    The toast ended, and Archer stood. ¡°Going so soon?¡± Garcia remarked, his cheeks showing just a hint of blush. ¡°Today will be long.¡±

    The Gym Leader nodded, returning his helmet to his head. ¡°It will be. But that is the job.¡±

    He left, not looking back as the conversation started up again behind him. This is my last day as Viridian City¡¯s Gym Leader, came an introspective thought as he returned to the employee tunnels. It was not quite morose, but he was already feeling the sting of it. Four years of constant work. Four years of pouring every waking moment into both the Gym, and my own Pok¨¦mon. And, of course, Team Rocket.

    His lips again curved up, though the expression was not happy. Tomorrow, everything is turned on its head. What is it that Jessie and James are always singing? Team Rocket blast off¡­ ¡°At the speed of light,¡± he murmured in-time with the music in his head, voice coming back to him inside the thick helmet to create a one-person duet. ¡°Surrender now, or prepare to fight¡­¡±

    <hr>

    Koga felt, more than heard, the man pass below him. For a moment the urge to simply end it was overwhelming ¨C but then the adrenaline roaring in his veins froze over, stillness replacing motion.

    No, not quite yet. It needed to be public ¨C not as assassination, but an arrest. A Gym Leader was simply too respected a position to disappear.

    Tomorrow, everything is set right, he thought as his heart was once again allowed to beat. Team Rocket will be pulled up, root and stem ¨C no matter how many thorns abjure our hands.

 5.05 - If a Rocket Falls in the Forest, Does It Make a Sound?

    Hoshi greeted the Monday morning with an uncharacteristic grogginess. ¡°Blah,¡± he spat as the wan morning light penetrated the translucent fabric of his tent.

    ¡°Blah,¡± came another voice from his side, and Hoshi amended the thought: his and Casca¡¯s tent.

    Slowly and with his muscles protesting every motion, he rose up and dragged his feet out of the nice warm sleeping bag. Arcus. I remember liking camping when I was little ¨C what happened?

    You decided to camp in the real woods, a more awake part of his brain answered, flashing images of the group¡¯s frantic late-night escape from a flock of wild hoothoot as he pulled on his socks and laced up his boots. The amount of effort needed to prepare for the day should have been minimal, since he¡¯d slept in his clothes, but it still somehow managed to eclipse even his most unwilling workday. This would be hard even with an evolved team. The only reason you¡¯ve gotten through without issue is because you started with twelve people. A few days on the outskirts of Route 6 is a lot tamer than¡­ The tent flap opened, revealing a misted forest ¨C and, visible more as a shape than anything else, Puce and Mimi¡¯s own tent.

    Or rather, the numerous venonat swarming around the source of autumn warmth. They bristled their thick fur as he came into view, buzzing with an intimidation born from sheer numbers ¨C there must have been twenty of them covering the tent, soft bodies forming a giant pile that was a lot more dangerous than it looked. ¡­This. Damn it, did they both forget their Repel?

    They must¡¯ve; Hoshi¡¯s tent was completely untouched, courtesy of the horribly foul gunk he¡¯d sprayed it with before crawling inside. The fabric was waterproof enough that they could sleep without the smell penetrating through, but now that the flap was open it was providing almost as much of a wake-up call as the horde of wild Pok¨¦mon.

    Slowly, Hoshi zipped the door closed, hiding the venonat from sight. The warning buzz ceased, replaced by a long groan as his girlfriend dragged herself fully into consciousness.

    ¡°Ugh. Morning already?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied, voice flat. ¡°Morning.¡±

    Casca yawned, pulled on her own footwear, and was halfway through a granola bar before she realised he hadn¡¯t moved or spoken. ¡°Uh, you good?¡± she asked, flashes of concern mixing into her confused expression.

    ¡°Puce and Mimi forgot their Repel.¡±

    She took another bite of her breakfast, chewed, and swallowed. ¡°Well, fuck. They¡¯re not..?¡± Dead, she didn¡¯t say. Or maybe it was just missing, or hurt; Hoshi was feeling a certain amount of morbid about the situation, probably more than her.

    He didn¡¯t have the best track record with Pok¨¦mon attacks, after all.

    ¡°No, the tent is just covered in venonat. We¡¯ll have to do something about it before they wake up and set them off.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Casca was silent for a moment, then continued with the ghost of a smile. ¡°Hoshi, this forest is fucking horrible.¡±

    That brought a laugh to his lips, where he struggled to shove it back down. ¡°Yeah. Hopefully the others aren¡¯t having the same problems.¡±

    <hr>

    Cliff liked to think of himself as a dependable sort of person. The kind of guy who could help people without needing to be helped. Somebody people could lean on, emotionally and physically.

    That self-image was¡­ Not quite holding up to the light of day, right this second. ¡°I think we¡¯d be better goin¡¯ after the tree, not the line,¡± came a growling voice from below. ¡°Shit¡¯s gotta be some kinda special steel.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it is, but it¡¯s still going to be faster to cut through than this huge tree,¡± replied a younger and much more feminine voice, husky in a way that implied either a bad cold or damaged vocal cords.

    ¡°Zen Headbutt¡¯d do it in like ten hits.¡± A pause. "Uh, twenty?"

    Cliff sighed, hanging upside-down as the Rocket Grunts argued six or so metres beneath his head. All of his weight was being held up by one ankle ¨C or maybe it was eighty percent ankle, twenty shin; the wire was wrapped around halfway to his knee, loosening as it went. His foot hurt, the joint twisted despite the inflexible armour hiding under the fabric of his shoes ¨C fabric that had been cut straight through.

    If I¡¯d been wearing normal runners, I¡¯d probably be bleeding pretty bad. Fuchsia must be a seriously fucked up place if this was just training. Even at his meanest, the Boss wouldn¡¯t set a razor wire trap for his own people. What do they do to the trainees who fail? Just toss them out on the streets with limbs missing?

    Probably not, but he wasn¡¯t feeling very charitable to the forest¡¯s owners at the moment. ¡°Hey!¡± he called down. ¡°Scarlet, you hear me?! Come on out! Emergency release!¡±

    The forest was silent for a moment, and then he sighed again. His belt, containing five of his six Pok¨¦mon, hung from a branch just out of reach ¨C and apparently also just far enough away that the storage-mode Rocket Balls couldn¡¯t register the command. Damn paranoid scientists. ¡®Anti-tamper features,¡¯ more like¡­

    No continuation to the sentence came to him. A gaggle of spearow poked their heads out from the tree¡¯s foliage, chirped at him, and then took flight.

    Kenny and Nerine looked up. ¡°You doin¡¯ fine, big guy?¡± the former asked, causing Cliff to shake his head ¨C which, in turn, caused him to swing slightly. Ugh, damn. Gonna lose my breakfast at this rate.

    ¡°I¡¯m stuck in a tree,¡± he sent down. ¡°Trussed up by my ankles. Don¡¯t any of you have a cutting move?¡±

    Nerine shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve got a snake with no fangs and a ball of fuzz.¡±

    ¡°Bubbles has Rapid Spin- uh, orange Rapid Spin?¡± Kenny offered.

    Ravioli, his father¡¯s poliwrath, stepped from one foot to the other in anxiety, and Kazubara didn¡¯t even glance up from where he was picking nidorina quills out of his electabuzz¡¯s ass.

    This is a lot dumber than I¡¯d thought it would be, Cliff admitted as he dangled. First we get split up, and somehow none of us have any tents. Then we find a cave, only for it to be so crammed with zubat we need to just sleep out in the trees. I figured that if something came up, it¡¯d be the ninja themselves, not¡­ just normal hiking shit. At least the snare was man-made, not that it necessarily made the situation less stupid. It probably hadn¡¯t even been set out for them ¨C if it was, someone would have shown up by now. Can¡¯t believe it was me that got caught. If the League shows up now, I¡¯m gonna be so pissed. ¡°Anything that can climb a tree?¡± he called down again as the grunt¡¯s sandshrew attempted to cut the sturdy wire by rasping at it with its claws. ¡°My venusaur¡¯ll get me out of this easy, if you just release her.¡±

    The grunts looked at each other, long seconds passing as Cliff became gradually more nauseous from the blood rushing to his head.

    ¡°Sherry can probably climb a tree?¡± Nerine eventually said. Cliff had the perfect angle to see the top of her hat; the girl was so thin, her entire body was hidden underneath. ¡°It¡¯s worth trying, I guess. Sherry, come over here.¡±

    The venonat hopped over and received hushed words from its trainer. Then it began climbing, small claws gripping the mighty cherry tree¡¯s bark. It ascended with a leisurely pace, but despite the flush that filled his face and made him feel like an over-inflated balloon, Cliff smiled at it as it approached. ¡°There you go,¡± he said, watching as it paused at the belt looped half-around a spindly branch.

    ¡­And continued to pause. ¡°Toss it down!¡± Nerine ordered, and the venonat pawed at the belt for a moment, flipping it over with a satisfied ¡°Eee!¡± before once again sitting still.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she-¡± Kenny began, but he was cut off by a snippy tone.

    ¡°Yeah, I noticed.¡± Nerine blew air through her nose, and snatched her hat off to scratch her scalp ¨C which gave Cliff a view of her crown, where the roots of her hair went from metallic blue to dark purple. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to do this myself.¡±

    She tossed Kenny her hat, then her heavy vest, and to the cueball¡¯s mild astonishment began climbing up after her Pok¨¦mon.

    ¡°Huh. You sure? The nearest branch is like¡­¡±

    He trailed off as her thin fingers and the heavily textured soles of her hiking boots brought her up the smooth trunk of the unnaturally large cherry tree. ¡°Haven¡¯t missed these things,¡± she muttered inaudibly ¨C if he hadn¡¯t taken a few Agent classes to round out his skillset, Cliff wouldn''t have had any idea what she was saying. Should probably¡­ thank Chispan for dragging me to those¡­

    His thoughts were starting to get fuzzy, which was probably a bad sign.

    Twenty seconds passed as she climbed, then a further ten as she caught her breath. ¡°Stupid snares,¡± she gasped as her venonat chirped happily at her. ¡°You good, big guy?¡±

    No, his legs were going numb. ¡°Second ball on your right,¡± he answered, receiving a tired nod. Nerine reached for the belt and its balls-

    And then Cliff was suddenly falling. ¡°Wa-hack-!¡± he exclaimed, his eyes tilting down ¨C up ¨C to follow the girl as her expression turned to surprise. Then he looked up ¨C down ¨C at the rapidly approaching ground. He braced for impact-

    And Ravioli and the large Rocket caught him, the former burbling in relief while the latter grinned. ¡°Hey!¡± Kenny exclaimed, cheerful. ¡°I remembered I had a knife!¡±

    Cliff stared, his constitution fighting the urge to pass out from the sudden reset of his blood pressure.

    ¡°¡­Ow,¡± Kenny eventually said, shrugging off the wire from where it had drifted against his shoulders. ¡°This shit¡¯s sharp.¡±

    <hr>

    Tor woke up in the grip of overwhelming fear, a distant hoot filling his every cell with adrenaline ¨C though whether it had been in reality or merely a nightmare, he already couldn¡¯t say.

    Lilian stirred next to him, his panicked bolt into uprightness waking her in turn. ¡°Tor? It¡¯s still dark.¡±

    It was. ¡°Sorry,¡± he replied. ¡°Nightmare.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    A minute ¨C or more, maybe, he hadn¡¯t been able to sleep with his watch on ¨C passed as his heart gradually climbed down from between his ears, settling back to its normal place in his chest. When at last he could breathe without gasping, he leaned back to rest on his elbows.

    Lilian was breathing softly beside him, and there was only the slightest impression of dawn coming through the canopy and tent¡­ But there was no way he would be able to go back to sleep.

    Calm down, he admonished himself. It wasn¡¯t that bad. You didn¡¯t even get hurt, really, it was just Poison Powder. Mojo was the only one who had actually taken a full-on attack, and he seemed fine. Probably. Maybe he had nightmares too.

    The thought was half-hopeful, and the urge to slap himself for his childishness passed light and sharp through the pitcher¡¯s head. Stupid shit. Calm down. You¡¯re fine, Lily¡¯s fine, Mojo¡¯s fine too.

    It was just¡­ a few wild Pok¨¦mon in a spooky forest. That they would need to keep going through, and then come back through on the return trip.

    ¡­Maybe we can take the Cycling Road back up?

    Again the urge to smack himself out of his half-hysterical state came, but before Tor could either send it away or indulge, movement from outside the tent drew his attention. The sting of fear returned. Shut up, brain. It¡¯s obviously one of the others getting out of their tent to¡­ It wasn¡¯t even dawn yet. ¡­To take a leak or something. Damnit.

    He grabbed his spearow¡¯s ball, clutching it hard. ¡°Okay,¡± he whispered. ¡°Stealth function. I remember it has one¡­¡±

    That absolute ass of a Rocket Grunt Nak had given them a condensed explanation of how to use a Pok¨¦ball, but yesterday had been kind of a lot.

    I think¡­ press and hold? That sounded right, so he pushed his thumb down until the lens-slash-button clicked and then kept pressing. Whatever was outside shuffled around again, and the ball wobbled once, twice¡­

    A tiny sliver of memory connected two points. Wait no that¡¯s the RELEASE function holy shit-!

    Tor pulled his thumb away, breathing hard, and decided he wouldn¡¯t be messing around with this thing until he¡¯d gotten a refresher. Arcus above. His hands shook, and then stopped as he¡­ simply ran out of panic. Like he was staring down an enemy batter, everything seemed to crystalize; either he was imagining the danger, and his panic was stupid, or he wasn¡¯t, and it was still stupid.

    ¡°Sorry Lil¡¯,¡± he muttered. ¡°Probably gonna wake you up again¡­¡±

    With an echoing whoosh-oosh-oosh, his spearow appeared ¨C and his luck seemed to be turning, because Lilian didn¡¯t snap awake. ¡°Be ready to fight,¡± he ordered, and the bird gave a hopefully-affirmative flap of its wings.

    He very slowly unzipped the tent flap¡­ Not a noctowl. Anything but that. Or that giant golbat. Or¡­

    Come on, man. Just do it. The flap opened enough to peer out from ¨C and Tor exhaled in relief as he saw the indistinct shadow and soft crunching footsteps were only Ryan trying to restart last night¡¯s fire. I was right, it was just one of the others.

    He stepped out, not particularly caring about his barefootedness; the ground of their campsite was soft and dusty, without any of the thorns or other obstructions that the rest of the forest was dense with. The sky above was startlingly clear ¨C without a fire or nearby city, he could see every star.

    ¡°Tor,¡± Ryan greeted without looking. ¡°I see you¡¯re excited to get going as well. Fancy a try at lighting the fire?¡±

    Tor shook his head, slightly taken aback. He¡¯s smiling. And¡­ ¡°You don¡¯t have your Pok¨¦mon out.¡±

    The Rocket waved him off. ¡°Jormungandr is sleeping inside, but he¡¯ll wake quickly enough if I call out. Besides, one has to be a little independent, even as a trainer; better I learn to start a fire without his help, just in case.¡±

    Well, your funeral. Tor crouched down near the shallow, ash-lined pit, and absentmindedly placed his hand on Spearow¡¯s head. I¡¯ll be keeping mine with me until we¡¯re safely back in Vermilion. He watched for a minute as the younger man ¨C probably younger, for all that he carried himself with authority ¨C fruitlessly tried to ignite a pile of crushed leaves and thin twigs by rotating a stick between his palms, its end pressed into the tinder.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re supposed to use two sticks.¡±

    ¡°I tried that earlier. This way makes more smoke, so I think it must be better.¡±

    An amount of time that Tor decided to label as an hour passed. The sky lightened, stars scared off by the approaching sun, and eventually Ryan actually managed to produce a flame with his probably-not-very-good method.

    The two of them sat. It wasn¡¯t exactly pleasant, not with the smell of the Repel and the edge of exhaustion that still lingered from yesterday¡¯s events, but it was¡­ better than the state Tor had been in last night, at least.

    ¡°So why Jormungandr?¡±

    Ryan favoured him with a look that was probably meant to be mysterious, but that his weird proportions turned into constipated but flirting through the pain. ¡°Do you know what it means?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a foreign name for¡­ the Rayquaza, I think? Stadian, or something like that.¡±

    ¡°Stadaborean. My sponsor enjoys their wine, so I felt the urge to look into them a bit. They have a delightfully grim sense of storytelling when it comes to their mythology. Much more engaging than our own, though perhaps that¡¯s just because it has that¡­¡± He waved his hands. ¡°Foreign mystique.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Tor poked at the fire with a stick. ¡°Doesn¡¯t answer the question. Seems kind of¡­ blasphemous?¡±

    ¡°You are Arcean, then?¡±

    ¡°No- uh, not really? I go to church on holidays, but that¡¯s it.¡± The sparks that drifted up were bright and cheery, even as they went to their deaths in the moist air. ¡°You dodged the question again.¡±

    Ryan rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine. I simply think it¡¯s a grand name; exotic, while still having that dragon connection. And Quetzalcoatl is simply too hard to pronounce.¡±

    Tor blinked, afterimages continuing to dance behind his lids in the split-second of darkness. ¡°I don¡¯t know that one.¡±

    ¡°Verdim Illia.¡±

    ¡°Where do they speak that?¡±

    ¡°Ah ¨C no, that¡¯s the name of the place. ¡®The Island of Green Monsters.¡¯ I haven¡¯t the foggiest what language they speak there.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    The two continued their drawn-out conversation, which ended up being mostly Ryan talking about himself. The blond liked to talk about himself, and Tor was more comfortable just sending out the occasional grunt or short question.

    Eventually they were interrupted. Mojo pulled himself from his and Ryan¡¯s tent as the last of the wood they¡¯d gathered began to burn down, yawning and carrying his meowth in his arms. ¡°Hey man. And¡­ sir.¡± He joined them by the fire, and Tor blinked in surprise as he examined his best friend¡¯s face.

    ¡°Wow, dude, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen you with a beard.¡±

    Mojo scratched at his chin, half his fingernails disappearing under the dull black bristles. ¡°My hair grows fast. You know that.¡± His eyes passed over Tor¡¯s own face, and he quirked a brow. ¡°You¡¯re starting on your own, too. Mine¡¯s better, though.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Somehow I doubt I¡¯ve got an overnight transformation in me the way you do. Tor drew a hand across the side of his jaw, where a small amount of stubble had grown in. ¡°I¡¯ll probably have something by the time we make it home. Don¡¯t think I¡¯m up to shaving with a machete.¡±

    Mojo grinned, drawing the aforementioned blade from¡­ somewhere. ¡°It¡¯s a camp knife, actually. Machete¡¯s, like, way longer ¡®n heavier.¡±

    ¡°Whatever. I still don¡¯t want it near my neck.¡±

    Ryan broke in with a sigh. ¡°Alas, I find myself envious.¡± He, too, touched his chin ¨C which was completely smooth. ¡°I¡¯ve never been able to grow facial hair. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be consigned to relying on mere boyish charm for my entire life.¡±

    Mojo snorted, while Tor cracked a thin smile. With that bird-beak nose?

    The three men and two Pok¨¦mon continued to sit for a while, until the campfire was only smouldering embers and it had become properly morning. The silence tugged at the corner of Tor¡¯s brain that still wanted to freak the fuck out, but it was easier to set that urge aside with the sun up.

    ¡°Should we get going?¡± Mojo asked, looking to the brightened sky, and Ryan answered with a small shake of his head.

    ¡°Not just yet. Look at your Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    Tor blinked, then obeyed. His spearow looked¡­ normal? ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Nothing seemed wrong with the meowth either; it just lazed in Mojo¡¯s lap, exactly as he¡¯d expect from a cat.

    Ryan cocked a brow. ¡°You don¡¯t see it? They still haven¡¯t recovered.¡± Then his expression became pensive. ¡°¡­Ah, forgive me. I forget that you¡¯ve likely never never spent time with a Pok¨¦mon before. Trust me, your spearow is quite fatigued.¡±

    Tor looked down, and Spearow looked up to meet his eyes. I¡­ don¡¯t see it? The bird seemed as lively as usual. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it. Should we, uh, put them in their balls, then?¡±

    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t necessary. We¡¯ll just spend a bit more time near the tents ¨C though I suppose we¡¯ll need to get more wood soon.¡±

    Mojo grunted. ¡°Should probably eat something, too. We got enough food?¡±

    With the group being what it was ¨C three tent-carriers, with only Lilian having been given food and other supplies ¨C they only had half a week¡¯s worth of sustenance rather than the amount a group of four should have had.

    ¡°For a day or two,¡± Tor answered. ¡°Hopefully we¡¯ll meet some of the others on the way through ¨C or just all make it to the other side.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we should definitely be able to navigate better during the day,¡± Ryan said. ¡°On that note, perhaps you should wake our fourth member? We¡¯ll need to have everything packed up shortly.¡±

    Mojo groaned. ¡°Gah, gonna suck carrying that thing while it¡¯s soaked in Repel¡­

    <hr>

    ¡°So¡­ You think this¡¯ll work?¡±

    Casca sent a side-eye his way. ¡°Babe, this is your plan. Do you think it¡¯ll work?¡±

    Hoshi opened his mouth, a long, awkward moment passing before he answered. ¡°¡­Maybe?¡± His girlfriend frowned ¨C only for the tension to be undercut by Crow. The zubat chirped at him from his cupped hands, her feelers tightly curled around his wrists. The impatient sound drew a smile from his lips. ¡°Well, Crow thinks it will. I don¡¯t have any better ideas anyway, so¡­¡± A breath. ¡°Do it. Supersonic.¡±

    Within the confines of the cramped, Pok¨¦mon-filled tent, a high-pitched whine sounded out. Even with his ¡®mon right there in his hands it was almost impossible to tell the sound was issuing from Crow¡¯s mouth ¨C that was how high it was, only barely on the edge of audible. Hoshi¡¯s ears did not ring, and his vision did not wobble; the Supersonic was extremely underpowered, a mere annoyance rather than the balance-destroying cacophony the zubat was capable of.

    Good girl, he thought, relief colouring his mental voice. I knew you¡¯d understand.

    The sound built further as it echoed off the fabric walls, and after ten seconds Hoshi began to feel just the slightest hints of confusion. He was unsteady on his knees, as though his brain was convinced he could fall over despite his girlfriend, her staryu, and Guts all pressed to his sides inside the tent.

    Ten seconds more, and he was having trouble keeping his hands steady. Twenty, and he felt like his limbs weren¡¯t quite where he knew they were. But still, the exact origin of the noise was obscured. And hopefully it¡¯s the same for the venonat. They have better hearing than I do, but that isn¡¯t necessarily a good thing for them in this situation.

    A minute into the bombardment, Hoshi heard a tiny thump. Is it..? Is it working? Another handful of seconds passed in anticipation ¨C and then, another soft impact, like tossing a coat to the floor. Then another, and another. ¡°Good girl,¡± he repeated under his breath as something brushed up against the front of the tent, retreated, then brushed again. The furry round shape staggered into and away from the obstacle several times, not unlike a drunk drawn magnetically to every lamp-post as they went down a midnight street. ¡°It¡¯s working!¡± he whisper-yelled, nudging Casca with his shoulder as he grinned. ¡°I knew it would work!¡±

    Crow was able to hold the Supersonic for another half-minute before the move petered out, her voice breaking into a louder, rougher squawk. Guts sniffed in relief as the sound ended, and Hoshi moved forward to grasp the zipper. ¡°Everybody get ready,¡± he said. ¡°It looks like it worked, but better safe than sorry,¡±

    The entrance flap opened as he pulled, and Hoshi held his breath; he was certain it had worked, he¡¯d seen them dispersing, but there was still the tiniest sliver of his thoughts that expected something to go wrong-

    But it didn¡¯t happen. Guts bounded out of the stuffy space with a squeak, the sound scaring off the two three-foot-tall insects still loitering around the campsite. ¡°Ha!¡± Hoshi exclaimed as he followed her out, zubat taking her place on his shoulder. ¡°There we are. Scared them right off.¡±

    Casca nudged him to the side so she could leave too. ¡°It did,¡± she said. ¡°Though I¡¯m surprised the other two slept through all that. I kind of expected one of them to poke their head out and for all heck to break loose.¡±

    ¡°Huh-huh!!¡± Candy agreed.

    I guess we were due some good luck, at this point. ¡°You know, that is kind of weird. Let¡¯s check on-¡±

    Before Hoshi could finish, and as though summoned by their words ¨C actually, that¡¯s probably literal; we aren¡¯t exactly being quiet ¨C a squared-off head topped with soft green pixie-cut hair appeared, poking out from the freed tent.

    ¡°Morning,¡± Puce greeted. ¡°Wow, it feels like just a minute ago it was pitch-dark and ¨C huh?¡± Her expression twisted in confusion as Hoshi choked on another laugh. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±

    <hr>

    Kaz Kazubara ¨C Bart, to most people ¨C lingered at the treeline as the stooge, the ninja girl, and the Rocket Enforcer walked out into the open. The latter sensed his absence after a second, looking back over a broad shoulder. His expression was thunderous ¨C though that was due to the wet mud coating most of his body, rather than anything Bart had done. ¡°Something wrong, Kazubara?¡±

    At his side Madder croaked, annoyed both at losing to a mere quagsire, and about the lingering pain in her behind. ¡°No,¡± Bart responded. ¡°Just waiting to see if anything else pops out.¡±

    Cliff snorted. ¡°Well, hurry up. I want a fire started before things get chilly.¡±

    He nodded, but waited a moment longer before moving. His eyes drifted from the enforcer to the skinhead, then to the sickly-looking little girl. His expression was cool, but in his head he was squinting. The meatheads didn¡¯t notice, but I¡¯m onto you, ¡®Rose.¡¯ She had hidden it, but she¡¯d been half-assed about it ¨C she¡¯d been leading them through the trees, ever since their encounter with those river salamanders.

    Which meant that she¡¯d known the way through.

    ¡°Come on, Madder,¡± he muttered as he finally left the forest. The electabuzz croaked again, following closely. And that Hoshi¡­ He wasn¡¯t even trying to hide his surname. Is this a work? Or the opposite ¨C are we disappearing a few traitors?

    Cliff seemed to know something he didn¡¯t and that¡­ irked. Supposedly there was supposed to be some major action happening, but the only reason Bart knew about it at all was because Beady¡¯s creator had absentmindedly run his mouth during his latest health checkup.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re the only guys here,¡± Kenny called as he approached. ¡°Think they¡¯re still in the forest?¡± Beside him his lickitung plopped down, moistening itself with foul-smelling saliva.

    ¡°Probably,¡± Nerine answered, standing awkwardly in her drenched clothes. ¡°They had tents, so they probably slept the whole night.¡±

    Sure, that''s why we passed them. Bart¡¯s eye went to the venonat sticking close to her side, its form looking startlingly slender with its fur matted down, then to the ekans coiled around her neck. Only the snake noticed his gaze, slit pupils moving as he casually looked away. ¡°Cliff is right. We should gather some wood.¡±

    ¡°Not it,¡± Kenny immediately said, and Bart raised a brow. Are you a child? The others seemed to feel the same way, because neither of them responded.

    ¡°Cliff, you and I are obviously the strongest trainers present. The other two can make camp.¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    Cliff took a moment to wring out his hat before replying. ¡°Makes sense, except¡­¡± He stomped his foot. ¡°Leg still isn¡¯t feeling great. You and Nerine go.¡±

    He scoffed inside his head. You say that, but your stomp just now shook the ground. Whatever. Madder disappeared back into her ball, replaced by Beady. ¡°Up,¡± he ordered, and the ancient insect began climbing up his leg to settle on top of his backpack.

    Nerine met his eyes, face sagging with potentially-feigned exhaustion. ¡°Really?¡± she said. ¡°We just got out.¡±

    Cliff sat down on a fallen log ¨C and perhaps his leg really was injured, because the hissing sigh that came through his teeth sounded real. ¡°Stay near the edge. Actually ¨C here, take Pinch.¡±

    He released a Pok¨¦mon ¨C without throwing, Bart noted, a feat of impressive strength given the kick a Pok¨¦ball¡¯s rebound mechanism could exert ¨C and after a moment Bart identified it as a pinsir. You named your pinsir Pinch? Are you a child?

    The enforcer gestured with his chin, and with a huff, the teenager began walking. Bart took a moment to search the man¡¯s eyes, but found nothing. What does he know? Damnation, why pick me for this and then keep me in the dark? With a light scoff he turned, Beady clicking his mandibles behind his head.

    Well, Bart conceded as he followed Nerine Bay Rose, or whatever her real name was, at least this way I can keep an eye on her. Then he blinked, eyes stinging as an acrid smoke drifted in the noon air. The teen exhaled right into the wind, in what was either active malice or a stunning lack of care for others ¨C either way, the display set his teeth on edge. Yes, hopefully this is a spot of housecleaning. If it¡¯s really just make-work, I¡¯m going to have words with the executives.

    <hr>

    ¡°Mankey,¡± Lilian ordered, her voice steady despite the tight v-formation of blue and pink shapes darting distressingly quickly through the grass. ¡°Focus Energy.¡±

    The pack of nidoran moved as a single unit, led by a farfetch¡¯d ¨C Lilian didn¡¯t know how the strange group had formed, or if this was normal behaviour for the duck Pok¨¦mon, but she wasn¡¯t in a position to be asking questions. The farfetch¡¯d pointed its leek like a sword as it charged towards them, its rabbit-like allies fanning out into a line behind it.

    Let it get close, and..! ¡°Scratch!¡±

    Mankey flared its limbs and struck, paws swinging down to meet a rising slash from the leek. The farfetch¡¯d took the attack with a hissing quack ¨C and for a moment the absurdity of the situation was unignorable. The urge to laugh at the display was strong, but Lilian pushed the feeling down; as silly as a duck wielding an onion-sword should be, it was a legitimate danger to her and her Pok¨¦mon. ¡°Keep attacking!¡± she ordered, teeth clenched. ¡°Low Kick!¡±

    Usually using a kicking attack against a bird would be stupid, but she was ninety percent sure that farfetch¡¯d only flew under duress. The leek moved, cutting the air like, again, an Arcus damned sword as it parried her pig-monkey¡¯s heel. The nidoran ran past, and a voice from behind her back sounded out.

    ¡°Jormungandr, Dragon Breath. Sweep low.¡±

    Lilian grit her teeth harder as a streak of blue fire passed close to her right ankle, the Rocket Grunt¡¯s dragon spitting a long, strangely unhot stream of it into the charging group. They were smart enough to break off, scattering and breaking their formation to avoid the attack. ¡°Leer then Scratch,¡± she projected as her Pok¨¦mon fought furiously.

    But Mankey either failed to register her voice, or was simply ignoring her; it continued to kick at the farfetch¡¯d, movements increasingly sloppy as it failed to land a blow. ¡°Mankey, Leer,¡± she tried again, but it was useless. ¡°Damn it. Tor, can I get a hand here?¡±

    She glanced back to see her boyfriend stepping forward, and while he still had a tinge of deep-seated fear lurking somewhere in his posture, he had obviously gotten some of the steel back in his spine. Good. Hopefully that keeps up. ¡°Spearow,¡± he ordered, ¡°Go high then dive. Peck.¡±

    His spearow cawed, taking to the air, and she turned back to the fight. ¡°Mankey! Damn it, it¡¯s screwing with you! Back off!¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Ryan hummed. ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it? I think that might be Fury Cutter it¡¯s using there.¡±

    ¡°Fury Cutter?¡± It doesn¡¯t look angry ¨C that bird is smug, if anything. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bug type move?¡±

    ¡°Yes, one that grows in power with successive hits. Perhaps you should-¡±

    Tor¡¯s spearow dove, and the farfetch¡¯d sidestepped. The smaller bird¡¯s Peck buried its beak into the ground for a fraction of a second, before Mankey¡¯s Low Kick smashed into its skull. Oh, shit. ¡°Tor, you¡¯d better-¡±

    Then the length of green stalks cut into her Pok¨¦mon¡¯s side, Mankey¡¯s eyes bugging out with a surprised oink as blood flew.

    ¡°-Return your Pok¨¦mon,¡± both she and Ryan finished, her incredulous and him intrigued. ¡°Well, that was certainly impressive,¡± he continued as Lilian aimed her ball.

    ¡°Mankey, come back!¡± That¡¯s another Potion down. Darn it, Mankey, you need to listen when I give an order!

    The farfetched quacked in triumph, raising its ¡®blade¡¯ in the air before sweeping it down ¨C then it paused, looking around. Probably looking for its allies. Did it even notice the fire? The duck puffed its feathers, indignant, and started forward.

    Lilian gulped. Okay, a lot less silly and a lot more dangerous, now. She stepped back ¨C and as she did so, Ryan stepped forward. ¡°Alright, I think that''s enough training for now. Jormungandr, Fire Fang.¡± The Rocket reached for his belt, drawing a ball. ¡°Don¡¯t roast it too bad. I think we¡¯ve finally found you a worthy sparring partner.¡±

    <hr>

    The four of them all but collapsed as the final tree receded behind them, their muscles aching and accumulated injuries stinging.

    ¡°Ugh,¡± Lilian groaned. ¡°Is it over?¡±

    The darkening sky made the dancing flames in the distance obvious, but after that thing with the gastly she wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d ever trust a light in the forest ever again.

    ¡°Looks like it,¡± Mojo answered. Of the four of them he seemed to be doing the best, physically ¨C despite stepping on a sleeping vulpix that had left a large burn across his nose, the tall man was moving a lot better than the rest of them. His meowth was the same, padding with a grace that Tor¡¯s spearow and her own mankey just couldn¡¯t muster anymore.

    Ryan, in contrast, was doing the best mentally. ¡°Ah, it seems we¡¯ve managed to arrive last. How shameful!¡± Despite the contents of his sentences, his voice was upbeat. ¡°Let¡¯s go ¨C I¡¯m positively starving.¡±

    Lilian dragged herself forward together with Tor, the two leaning against each other as the forests turned to hilly grassland. Ryan jogged ahead, bagon bouncing at his side, while Mojo slowed to keep pace. ¡°Prat,¡± the man said as the Rocket left earshot.

    ¡°Eh,¡± Tor responded. ¡°It¡¯s kind of endearing? I thought they were all intimidating, but he¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°A prat?¡±

    Lilian¡¯s boyfriend and his teammate giggled, the sound more a function of released tension than actual amusement. ¡°I don¡¯t like him,¡± she opined as they continued towards the firelight. ¡°Too much like a politician. But I¡¯m glad he was there.¡±

    Tor nodded. ¡°Yeah, that noctowl would¡¯ve gone to town on us if not for him.¡±

    ¡°And the duck,¡± Mojo said sardonically. ¡°And the ghost.¡±

    ¡°Was that really a ghost? I can¡¯t really remember¡­¡±

    ¡°It was.¡± Lilian shivered, remembering the gleeful, hateful face floating in the empty air, physics- and logic-defying in the way the eyes just slid through objects. ¡°A gastly. I¡¯m surprised an untrained meowth was able to beat it.¡±

    ¡°Bite¡¯s dark type.¡±

    She and Tor both grunted at that, more occupied with anticipating the coming warmth and safety. The three of them stumbled into the circle of tents, relishing the increasing stink of day-old Repel.

    ¡°Finally,¡± Lilian muttered, and Tor squeezed her shoulder in silent agreement. All eight of the Rockets ¨C the other Rockets; she was one too, she needed to remind herself ¨C were gathered around a large pit containing a small fire.

    Hoshi, the Senior Grunt, looked up at their approach. ¡°Hey. Glad to see you, we were starting to talk about a search party.¡±

    ¡°You were?¡± Tor asked, slipping away from her grasp to actually collapse on a log bench.

    He half-smiled, bushy eyebrows that didn¡¯t match the rest of his face coming together in something adjacent to sympathy. ¡°We were talking about it. Obviously it wouldn¡¯t have happened; those woods are fucking evil. I think we¡¯re gonna take the Cycling Road on the way back, because holy shit.¡±

    She attempted to dredge up a bit of offence at the knowledge that they would have been left out for a second night, but she couldn¡¯t find any ¨C if their roles were reversed, she wouldn¡¯t have even considered going back in before morning.

    She found her own seat, and plopped down with an articulate ¡°Uh.¡±

    The languid conversation passed over her like high tide for a minute as she just¡­ decompressed, like a sponge slowly going back to its proper shape after being wrung out.

    Tor might have freaked out a lot harder than her or Mojo, but that didn¡¯t mean she was fine. Holy Arcus above, it¡¯s over. It almost seemed like a crazy dream ¨C she was a cheerleader. She majored in Business Management and Marketing. What was she doing out here? Why did she fight a ghost however many hours ago that had happened?

    Did she even want to do this?

    She was abruptly dragged back into the present as Cliff, the large dark-skinned man whose muscles were smaller than that-woman-whose-name-she-forget¡¯s were, cleared his throat and stood.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re all worn out from making it into Route 14, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be doing any more training today.¡± He looked to the side, receiving a considering nod from the Senior Grunt, and continued. ¡°So I thought we could take an evening to tell the new recruits what the organisation is all about.¡±

    ¡°Uh, you sure that¡¯s wise?¡± Hoshi asked. ¡°We could still have a tail. Whoever¡¯s watching the forest probably doesn¡¯t just stop at the treeline.¡±

    Cliff shook his head. ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem. Trust me.¡±

    Again Hoshi¡¯s brows came together, this time in an expression of confusion. ¡°You¡¯re certain?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ Go ahead, I guess.¡±

    The large man nodded, the movement like tectonic plates ¨C slow, subtle, even, but with an energy that couldn¡¯t be stopped. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯d like to start us off with the reason I joined Team Rocket, and then maybe a few other people could do the same.¡±

    From across the firepit came a groan. ¡°Damn it,¡± the orange-haired woman ¨C Casca? It had only been a day but it felt so long since the introductions ¨C groaned. ¡°I knew he¡¯d make a big speech.¡±

 5.06 - (The Evils of) Truth and Love

    Cliff¡¯s speech didn¡¯t actually start right away; a pang of responsibility bid Hoshi to actually make sure everyone was fed and had a tent first, and after that he noticed that Ryan, the ass, hadn¡¯t seen to the rookies¡¯ various injuries properly.

    He¡¯d been expecting the enforcer to be put-out, but he seemed entirely approving. And so, as the dregs of sunlight began to vanish from the horizon, they finally sat down for what would be ¨C if Casca was to be believed ¨C an extremely long speech.

    Despite his twisted ankle Cliff walked without aid, standing on the edge of the pit near the fire. His shadow danced, long and distinct against the rolling hills like a ten-metre-long cape. ¡°I was born in a town called Pastel,¡± he narrated in his large, powerful, and disarmingly soft voice. ¡°A mining town, dug into the slopes of Mount Moon. It was a small place, insular. I¡¯d never seen a television before I moved away ¨C hah, but that¡¯s skipping too far ahead.¡±

    A pause as he drank from his canteen. ¡°Like I said, it was insular. I was born in the fall of 1969, just over a year before the Pallet League took charge of Kanto ¨C but if you¡¯d asked me who ran the country when I was eight years old, I¡¯d have shrugged and said ¡®samurai, I guess?¡¯¡±

    I can imagine it ¨C a lot of those old mountain settlements don¡¯t even consider themselves part of Indigo today.

    ¡°But that changed.¡± Hoshi prepared himself to hear ¡®when the war started,¡¯ or something similar, but Cliff surprised him. ¡°I started my Pok¨¦mon journey pretty young by today¡¯s standards. My father had an accident in the mines, broke both his legs, and¡­ suddenly, Pastel just seemed so small. So I hiked down to the tiny League office at the base of the mountain ¨C it was just two rooms, and one was a Pok¨¦centre ¨C showed them the clefairy I¡¯d caught a few years back, and told them I wanted to become a Pok¨¦mon Master.¡±

    His smile was wide, thick, and full of nostalgia. ¡°I didn¡¯t get far. Hiked west through the pass, got my Boulder Badge from Flint ¨C that¡¯s the granddad of Pewter¡¯s current Gym Leader, for you kids ¨C and then I got homesick.¡± The smile twisted, a hint of tooth coming out. ¡°And so I just went back. Backtracked up Mount Moon with my one badge, showed it off to my friends, and was the coolest boy in town for a few weeks. And that was that; I went back to mining, only training here and there when the urge took me. Caught a geodude in a cave and a magikarp from the stream.¡±

    And then the war happened. ¡°And then the war happened.¡± Hoshi nodded; the Indigo War was impossible to escape from, even in the most remote village.

    ¡°They weren¡¯t drafting everyone who walked into a ¡®centre then, not in the beginning,¡± Cliff continued, ¡°But I signed up anyway. I didn¡¯t really feel connected to Kanto, and Pastel wasn¡¯t in danger no matter how much ore we shipped out ¨C at least, that¡¯s what we all thought. In hindsight it was dumb¡­ even if it ended up being true anyway.¡± He took another swig of water. ¡°But I did care about impressing the local girls, and I had a badge. I was tough, my Pok¨¦mon were tough, I was a real man.¡± The smile twisted further, until it was more honest to label it a grimace. ¡°So for the second time in my life I went down the mountain, and walked into that little office. It hadn¡¯t changed even a bit, except there was a Joy there manning the healing machine and a Jenny at the desk, instead of one guy doing both jobs.¡±

    His voice had taken on a strange cadence ¨C like his memories were dredging up some old hyper-specific accent, but he couldn¡¯t quite remember how it went.

    ¡°I was made a part of the Pewter Militia, and for a while not much happened. I got trained up with the other guys by old Flint and his wife ¨C I hated it at first, I was a mean little shit back then. Every other week we¡¯d catch a few scouts on birds trying to sneak over the Silver Range, but it wasn¡¯t until about a year in that things really started.¡±

    Hoshi swallowed, trying to dispel the growing lump in his throat. He¡¯d heard this story before ¨C not this specific one, no, but dozens like it. From his father, his uncle, the veterans in the Gym and the museum¡­ He felt like each word was coming from a mile away, visible on the horizon for hours before it actually arrived.

    ¡°People like to talk all the time about the dragons. And they were bad, don¡¯t get me wrong. It¡¯s a good story, and a true one.¡± But there were never a lot of them. ¡°But there were never a lot of them. It¡¯s the birds I remember most, the pidgeot, the noctowl, and later the xatu and skarmory. Them and the donphan. Any of you ever seen a full-grown donphan?¡±

    The circle was silent for a beat before Ryan answered. ¡°Not in person, sir.¡±

    Cliff nodded his way. ¡°Well, it¡¯s something. They don¡¯t look that big, not when they¡¯re just standing there¡­ But then they charge, and suddenly you realise that this half-naked knock-off rhyhorn is coming your way, getting faster as it goes, churned earth being thrown up behind it¡­¡±

    He paused, digging in his pocket for a moment before coming up with a pack of smokes. ¡°They don¡¯t stop, you can¡¯t stop an evolved Pok¨¦mon when it¡¯s got a Rollout going. I could smash one aside with Coffer ¨C that¡¯s my old graveler ¨C but then it just hits the guy next to me. Or a house or something.¡± He stepped forward to light a cigarette on the naked flames, took a drag, held it for a moment¡­ and then exhaled. ¡°Damn, don¡¯t know why I even brought these. Haven¡¯t smoked in years.¡± Despite his words, he took another hit. ¡°Things got messy. I never got sent out to the front lines, but every other day it seemed like a new army was smashing into us. Pewter was where the steel got made, the aluminum, all that, and they knew it. It was desperate ¨C for both sides, I guess.¡±

    With one long inhale he burned through the second half of the smoke, and cast the butt into the roaring campfire.

    ¡°But we were holding. We lost people, and Pok¨¦mon, but it looked like we¡¯d see it through to the end, whatever that was. Then, there was this battle, a big push¡­¡± 1990. The thing that got Dad to go from architect to pilot. ¡°And we¡­ lost. Pretty damn hard.¡± Cliff reached for another cigarette, but then reconsidered and shoved the pack back into his pocket. ¡°I can¡¯t describe it. The streets weren¡¯t distinguishable from the buildings anymore, there were Pok¨¦mon all over the place. I could barely tell if I was fighting Johto or my own squad from how heavy the smoke was¡­¡± He began gesturing. ¡°I watched people I¡¯d known for years, men who were as close to me as my parents and neighbours, just¡­ disappear. Just a movement in the smoke, and they were gone.¡± Slow movements somehow conveyed the frenetic energy of the scene his words were painting, a lazy swipe left, a traced parabola, a softly clenched fist.

    Steel type evolutions. We caught on, eventually, but it¡­ took time.

    ¡°I tried to get out, and after I gave that up I tried to take down at least one more with me. It was¡­¡± He swallowed. ¡°I knew I was going to die. Knew it like I knew the sun would rise, that the clefairy would dance when the moon turned pink. I was already dead, inside my head, it just hadn¡¯t happened yet.¡±

    Despite the common nature of the story, the fact that he¡¯d only known the man for a few days, the resolve to keep a steady face as the group¡¯s leader ¨C despite all that, a rogue tear needed to be wiped away before it fell. Always been hard, listening to stuff like this, Hoshi excused. Even if I know the ending. It¡¯s¡­ romantic.

    Cliff took a third drink from his canteen; he, too, seemed to be caught in the emotions of it, his eyes red and his expression contorting his face like a funhouse mirror. ¡°But then he showed up.¡± Giovanni. ¡°Giovanni. He wasn¡¯t the Gym Leader then ¨C that wasn¡¯t until after the war ended ¨C but he was known. It was like¡­ If Johto had the Blackthorns, then we had Oak. If they had Bill, and Pryce, then we had Fuji and Blaine. They had the Ankoku, we had the Doksu ¨C and the Mutsu,¡± he added, looking Hoshi¡¯s way. Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t do that ¨C I wasn¡¯t there. I can carry my father on my back, but not the whole name¡­ ¡°But they didn¡¯t have a Giovanni Capo. He was a solid wall, even more than Flint was.

    ¡°I remember it like it was today ¨C the way the smoke cleared. The way the steelix ¨C I didn¡¯t know what it was yet, but I could tell it was some kind of evolved onix ¨C just looked at me. Its eyes were half-closed, confused, and then it just¡­ laid down, dead. And I saw the nidoqueen behind it, and then the man behind her.¡± His hands moved, tracing out the emotions that overflowed from his face and throat. Swirls of rainbow oil in the air, catching the firelight, almost burning in it like they were real, like they were more than a stray neural connection or psychic hallucination.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if any of you have ever met an Elite ¨C Mutsu has his uncle, and he¡¯s probably got it too ¨C but there¡¯s an aura. You can just tell; the air around them feels heavy, like gravity, like they¡¯re too big on the inside. It wasn¡¯t the nidoqueen ¨C that was an entirely different feeling, being next to an Elite Pok¨¦mon ¨C it was Giovanni. A skarmory flanked by two scizor came out of the sky, and he didn¡¯t flinch at all, didn¡¯t move anything except his eyes.

    ¡°There was a blur, and then the invaders were down ¨C they were in pieces, and then the air moved and a golem was standing over them. I didn¡¯t even see it do anything ¨C I¡¯ve never seen a Rollout that fast, that precise. Its body was like¡­¡± He struggled.

    ¡°¡­Like polished gemstones,¡± Ryan finished, and the enforcer¡¯s eyes snapped to him.

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen it?¡±

    ¡°In pictures. You must have gone through Viridian at some point ¨C in Mister Archer¡¯s office.¡±

    Cliff nodded. ¡°Polished gems. That¡¯s close, but¡­ Every time I tell this story I think I¡¯ve got the perfect words, but they always fall short. Giovanni saved my life, my squad¡¯s lives, half of Pewter City.¡± He was a hero. ¡°He was a hero.¡±

    A minute passed as the mountain man restrained himself, the swirling clouds that both did and didn¡¯t obscure his features being pulled back in by the pores of his face. Hoshi¡¯s eyes drifted, scanning the crowd and taking in the mood.

    Ryan was nodding along, prideful and solemn in equal measure. Kenny was pumped up. Puce was intense, her eyes drilling through the smoke like flashlights. Nerine-

    The strange half-fugue broke as Hoshi almost reeled. He looked again ¨C but Nerine¡¯s face showed only a stern attention, not the¡­ What was it? Green and purple, sharp, acidic ¨C disgust? Longing?

    He didn¡¯t know; the vision was gone, and whether it had been real or not Hoshi had no idea.

    His attention went back to Cliff as the enforcer started speaking again. ¡°The rest of the war¡­ It¡¯s a story worth telling, but tonight isn¡¯t about that. Suffice to say, I paid close attention to Giovanni after that day. No matter where I looked, there was something he had a hand in ¨C the factories had his name carved into their foundations, the supplies we got sometimes had a bright red R painted inside the casings. When saboteurs came back, they wore black felt the same texture as his suit. I heard the name Team Rocket on the wind, saw it written in the stars, in my dreams¡­ I¡¯d already decided it. When the war was over, I knew where I wanted to be.¡±

    Hoshi swallowed again. And then the war actually ended. ¡°And then the war actually ended. Nobody won ¨C it was like everything we¡¯d fought for, everything we¡¯d died for, was suddenly turned to sand. I was¡­ sad.¡± The kind of sad people sometimes don¡¯t come back from. ¡°The kind of sad people sometimes don¡¯t come back from. I went back to Pastel, and it was¡­ the same town. My parents were there, and most of my neighbours too. They called me a veteran, a war hero.¡± He smiled again, this time almost mockingly, and his voice lowered for a moment. ¡°Like I¡¯d actually done something. I loitered around until¡­ 1997, I wanna say, when Giovanni was¡­¡±

    Exposed. Driven out. Betrayed. ¡°When he stopped being Viridian¡¯s Gym Leader,¡± Cliff eventually said after a long pause. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone here knows the story, even the younger members, so I¡¯ll skip over that. But I got mad, when I heard. Giovanni saved my life ¨C Team Rocket saved my life, over and over, with their sabotage and supplies and just¡­ Getting it done, those dirty jobs that you need to get done when you¡¯re fighting a war. So I left again.¡±

    Another long pause as he drank from his canteen. Hoshi wiped the unshed tears from his eyes, attempting to harden himself and failing. I¡¯ve heard this before. Bob told me some, and Casca, and the instructors, and¡­ Dad. There isn¡¯t any part of this I didn¡¯t already know. But still. But still.

    ¡°¡­And,¡± he continued, wiping drops of water from his jaw, ¡°For a third Arcus damned time, I had to go home empty-handed.¡± The shine of his teeth was like shattered glass. ¡°Giovanni was a ground man, same as me. So I asked myself, ¡®where would I go?¡¯ And the answer came easy: I¡¯d go north, try and cross the South Coronet Range into Sinnoh. It just made sense. So I went. And I looked, I asked around ¨C there are always people up in the hills, no matter how barren it seems ¨C and a year later, I gave up.¡±

    The short sentences had been filled with an ocean of missing context; it was obvious that that year had been long for the man.

    ¡°So I went home again. Except¡­ it didn¡¯t really feel like home, anymore. My parents were passed by then, all the girls I was sweet on had found other men, it was just¡­ Too small. There was no room for me.¡± He rallied. ¡°But I didn¡¯t have anywhere else to be, so I stayed there for two more years.¡±

    ¡°Ah, the broadcast,¡± Ryan interjected, and Cliff nodded to him again.

    ¡°Exactly. If you don¡¯t know the story¡­ At the turn of the century, Team Rocket ¨C or former members of Rocket, I guess ¨C hijacked the Goldenrod radio tower.¡±

    Ryan nodded back. ¡°Mister Archer, Miss Ariana, Mister Proton, and Mister Petrel. With the aid of a few others whose names are unknown to me.¡±

    There was a sharp crack as Cliff snapped his meaty fingers. ¡°Exactly! Yet again, Team Rocket saved my life ¨C I had nothing. My town wasn¡¯t my town, my country wasn¡¯t my country. But that shitty, static-filled broadcast put a soul back in my body. And¡­¡± He smiled again. Back to the genuine expression. ¡°I said I had nothing, but that wasn¡¯t really true ¨C I had my Pok¨¦mon, and after a year roughing it we were stronger than ever. I scraped together enough money to catch the ferry around to Goldenrod, and¡­ Well, that¡¯s its own long story worth telling.

    ¡°I¡¯ll skip ahead just a bit, since I want other people to have their own time, and just say that I joined Rocket. That was ten years ago.¡± Another crack, even louder, as he clapped his hands. ¡°And that¡¯s what Team Rocket means to me. It¡¯s the thing that gets me out of bed in the morning ¨C because one day, Giovanni¡¯s going to come back, and I¡¯ll be here when he does. Even if it takes my whole life ¨C that¡¯s something I¡¯m willing to give. I owe it to him.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    Cliff sat down, the circle of Rockets contemplating his words for long moments. The campsite was silent but for the crackle of the fire, and the distant sounds of wild monsters ¨C even the collected trainers¡¯ Pok¨¦mon seemed to take the long speech to heart.

    Damn. Casca got bored of that?

    Hoshi didn¡¯t believe it ¨C and not just because she¡¯d been as spellbound as the rest of them. ¡°So,¡± Cliff said, his voice jolting the Senior Grunt back into reality. ¡°Anybody else want to give it a go? Doesn¡¯t have to be long, or even agree with me ¨C people have lots of reasons for joining. Just say what¡¯s in here.¡± He thumped his chest.

    The silence kept going. Hoshi leaned forward ¨C but as he did, he noticed Tor tentatively standing and sat back down. Ah, I¡¯ll let him go first. It¡¯s good the rookies are getting involved; this whole thing is for them.

    The athletic man cleared his throat. ¡°Hello,¡± he projected without hesitation, obviously used to speaking in front of a crowd. ¡°I am Tor Yuriyama. I just wanted to say¡­ I didn¡¯t come into this looking to join Team Rocket. But I do think our goals are aligned. While I¡¯ve always considered myself a law-abiding citizen, sometimes the only avenue for change is violent resistance. I came here through the Free the League movement, and if you¡¯re familiar with that, you already know what I ¨C and my friends ¨C want.¡±

    ¡°Um,¡± Puce interjected, ¡°I¡¯m not familiar?¡±

    Lilian spoke up. ¡°Free the League is a social movement, primarily based in economic warfare.¡± Her words were clinical, but there was a hint of bloodlust in her expression that Tor lacked. ¡°We don¡¯t buy from League-affiliated businesses, we don¡¯t pay our taxes, and¡­¡± A smile. ¡°Every now and then maybe a politician has a tragic accident with an ekans hiding in their toilet.¡±

    Nerine perked up. ¡°You know they go on crusades against the things whenever something like that happens, right? Sloppy assassinations kill Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    ¡°And bad policy kills people.¡±

    Tor cleared his throat again. ¡°That aside¡­ Thank you for the opportunity. This training is¡­¡± His expression twisted. ¡°¡­Difficult, but I¡¯m sure it will be useful.¡±

    He sat, and the group collectively blinked. Well, that was different, at least. Mulling things over, nobody moved ¨C until abruptly, Kenny stood. Oh? Hoshi thought as his subordinate stepped closer to the fire. I wasn¡¯t expecting him. As far as he¡¯s said, Team Rocket is just a job. He¡¯s in it for the money.

    The grunt¡¯s jaw worked as he paced around the pit, but eventually he nodded to himself. Kenny opened his mouth ¨C but what he said seemed to be a complete non-sequitur. ¡°If you wanna wrestle, you¡¯ve gotta take steroids.¡±

    Hoshi frowned. The fuck? ¡°It¡¯s not optional,¡± Kenny continued. ¡°You need to. Wrestling is grappling, and grappling is muscle injuries, and steroids are a fuckin¡¯ miracle for muscle injuries. They¡¯re like Potions for Pok¨¦mon, you take ¡®em and the next day you¡¯re fine.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t wrestling fake?¡± a sardonic voice interrupted, and Kenny growled Mojo¡¯s way.

    ¡°It¡¯s scripted. The stunts are real. The pain is real. Uh, and sometimes it actually isn¡¯t scripted, but that shit¡¯s like, off the book matches and those are fucked up.¡± The man shook his head, visibly trying to recapture his rhythm. ¡°Anyway, I was saying¡­ You¡¯ve gotta juice. Everybody juices, from the rookies to the top dogs, the lowest heel and the cleanest babyface. The fucking managers juice!¡± He passed a hand over his bald crown, the other holding his hat up before bringing it down to gesture. ¡°So why the fuck ¡®s it illegal?!¡±

    Puce raised a hand. ¡°Because it¡¯s¡­ unhealthy?¡±

    ¡°Literally everybody!¡± Kenny continued, ignoring the answer. ¡°So why¡¯d I get kicked out, huh? Just me, even though the whole locker room was maxed to the gills! How the fuck is that fair?!¡±

    Hoshi continued to frown. Not that I don¡¯t sympathise ¨C at least in theory ¨C but you¡¯re kind of failing to tug on the heartstrings, here.

    Kenny tossed his hiking hat down, narrowly avoiding the fire. ¡°It¡¯s shit! It¡¯s a fuckin¡¯ shit system! It¡¯s fuckin¡¯ rigged, and I¡¯m not going back! I¡¯m a trainer now ¨C you see this?¡± He basically ripped his wallet out, opening it to show off what Hoshi knew was his counterfeit trainer license, moving it too fast to actually make his point. ¡°Rocket gave me this. You three,¡± he gestured to the rookies, who were loosely grouped together. ¡°I don¡¯t know you, I don¡¯t know your shit, but listen to me: whatever shit job you had, it¡¯s a fuckin¡¯ scam. I thought Rocket might be a scam too, but it actually pulled through ¨C I¡¯ve got money. I¡¯ve got fuckin¡¯ respect, too; people get out of my goddamn way when they see a man with balls on his belt.

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about that political crap, Kanto and Johto and whatever the fuck economic warfare is ¨C that¡¯s a damn line on a map, it ain¡¯t real.¡± Hoshi nearly stood up as the sentence sparked the bone-deep rage that always seemed a single step away, but he pushed it down with a long inhale. Let him talk. It¡¯s his shit ¨C you¡¯ll get yours after. ¡°But this? This little piece a¡¯ plastic? This might be fake, but it¡¯s real. You don¡¯t got one yet, I think, but it¡¯s real. That ball on your hip, that¡¯s real too. The uniform? Fuckin¡¯ real as fuck. They wanna call me a criminal for doin¡¯ the same thing as everybody else? Fine then, I¡¯m¡­¡± There was a moment where, very briefly, Hoshi thought something in the skinhead¡¯s body would just pop. His eyes bulged, veins standing out across every inch of his bared head, even his teeth seeming to rattle with internal pressure. Then it passed. He bent down, swiped his hat off the edge of the pit, and affixed it back in place.

    ¡°I¡¯m a criminal. Might as well go all-in¡­ Maybe someone¡¯ll remember my name.¡±

    He sat heavily, face too red to be called merely ruddy, and Hoshi made to stand-

    But before he could, Puce beat him to the punch. ¡°I¡¯d like to go next!¡± she projected, and for two volunteers in a row Hoshi was surprised ¨C even more, this time. Puce too? But she¡¯s¡­

    The thought petered out. Ever since the Gym job, she¡¯d been¡­ well, not outgoing, but it no longer felt appropriate to say the word shy.

    ¡°I, uh,¡± she began, before the visible nervousness on her face blew away like thin dust. ¡°I¡¯ve never been good at anything. I ¨C I honestly can¡¯t think of a single thing, in my entire life. I never really had friends. I¡­ I flunked out of so many schools. I¡¯m not attractive, or anything, or¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, girl,¡± Casca interjected. ¡°You don¡¯t need to put yourself down like that. I¡¯d say we¡¯re friends, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean!¡± Puce exclaimed, the force of her shout eliciting flinches from around the fire. ¡°It was- all that stuff was before. When I went to the Electric Academy, it was to learn Pok¨¦mon stuff; I wanted to be a trainer. I¡¯ve wanted to be a trainer my whole life. And this was¡­ this was my last shot, I think. My parents paid a whole lot to get me in, and¡­ I was so afraid. I knew, deep down, that I couldn¡¯t really do it.¡±

    She circled the pit, animated ¨C and silhouetted against the flames and smoke, Hoshi once again noticed how large she was. It was startlingly easy to get used to, with her little-girl voice and habit of fading into the background, exactly how fucking huge Puce Gracile really was. The sheer amount of muscle clinging to her frame. The power behind every motion, a fact that only amplified her clumsiness.

    ¡°But now¡­ I have Pok¨¦mon. A koffing and a slowpoke. And¡­ I win battles. I- I¡¯d given up. In my heart, I¡¯d given up.¡± Her eyes flashed, half a reflection of real fire, half synesthesia. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t the end. I¡­¡± She swallowed, a touch of the energy receding. ¡°I¡¯m not going to say that it¡¯s¡­ good work. Or that I really understand the high-level stuff, what they¡¯re actually trying to do beyond making money and gaining influence¡­¡±

    For a moment, Puce looked exactly like her mother. A social force, her grip on whoever she was talking to like titanium cuffs. ¡°But Kenny was right. Team Rocket is real. My friends are real; they aren¡¯t going to disappear on me the moment I say the wrong thing or my parents buy the wrong stock. That¡¯s what it means to me.¡±

    She took a deep breath, pink tension and yellow-white anxiety pushed out with the exhale. ¡°So, uh. Thanks for listening.¡±

    She moved back to her seat with a bit less confidence than she¡¯d stood, and Hoshi preemptively rose up ¨C together with Nerine.

    Arcus damn it, is everyone gonna go before me? But his annoyance disappeared as the teen stepped away from the fire, rather than closer. ¡°Hey,¡± he called. ¡°Where you going?¡±

    ¡°Gotta piss,¡± she sent back, very nearly choking on the words. Hoshi looked at Casca, and as one they came to a conclusion: yeah, no. That was a lie.

    ¡°Nerine,¡± Hoshi called out. ¡°Don¡¯t go alone- damn it. I should follow her.¡± He pushed himself all the way up, striding away from the circle of light.

    ¡°Hey man, don¡¯t follow a girl to the bathroom,¡± Kenny said behind his back. ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s a good idea,¡± Puce countered, standing as well. ¡°I¡¯ll come too. Nerine has been off for weeks now, she¡¯s probably sick.¡±

    Cliff attempted to stand as Hoshi passed, but with a grunt he failed. Leg not handling that long, pacing speech, huh? ¡°Cliff, you stay here. Three people following her is enough.¡±

    The enforcer lifted a hand, beckoning them to stop. ¡°Wait. Take Pinch, he¡¯ll be able to find his way back to me even in the dark.¡± The sound of a Pok¨¦ball opening was accompanied by a red flash, and then a strong-looking pinsir was standing between them.¡±

    Hoshi nodded in thanks, though an increasingly panicked part of him was urging him to just sprint after the girl. ¡°Thanks. Be right back, hopefully.¡±

    <hr>

    Hoshi was becoming increasingly irate the further in they went. ¡°You¡¯re sure she¡¯s ahead?¡± he asked, and received an affirmative chirp in return. ¡°Well, alright. Lead the way.¡± Another chirp, and Crow flew off.

    To Hoshi¡¯s right Casca was walking with her dugtrio at her heel, while to his left Puce was carrying both her Pok¨¦mon, one under each arm. Guts, Venus, and Pinch were slightly ahead of him, the pinsir following orders well enough that he wasn¡¯t worried ¨C at least, not about that.

    Theoretically speaking, there were very few Pok¨¦mon that would want to deal with them. Emotionally, Hoshi could feel the tension growing with every second. We¡¯re only a hundred metres in, but it feels like ten times that. The fire isn¡¯t even slightly visible.

    Puce voiced what they were all thinking. ¡°She shouldn¡¯t be this far in. Do you think something..?¡±

    ¡°Guts and Crow would speak up if there were blood. I¡¯m thinking this might be our climactic showdown with whoever¡¯s guarding this place.¡± For the past day and night, Hoshi had been feeling eyes on his back. ¡°Though it might not be a battle. I imagine they¡¯re bored out of their skulls out here ¨C could be a very hardcore prank.¡±

    He could hear the woman¡¯s teeth pressing against each other. ¡°Mister Cliff said the trap he fell into might have killed someone else.¡±

    ¡°And yet he tripped into it ¨C the one guy with armoured ankles.¡±

    They lapsed into silence for a minute, following the zubat as she flew. Always in sight, always obediently staying in the beam of his flashlight. I¡¯ll have to give her something special tonight.

    And soon enough, the silence was broken by a familiar sound: liquid splashing against a tree. Oh, shit. Were we wrong? Is she actually just taking a leak? But then the smell hit him ¨C not piss, but fresh vomit.

    ¡°Nerine,¡± he called out, not quite sure if he should be attempting stealth ¨C he didn¡¯t want to sneak up on her, but pinsir or not there were aggressive Pok¨¦mon that would attack them if disturbed.

    This time, he heard the retching before the actual vomit started to splash. Crow squeaked, and he beckoned her back. ¡°Good work, girl.¡±

    ¡°Nerine?¡± Puce sent out into the darkness, picking up her pace. ¡°Are you okay? You shouldn¡¯t be this far in!¡±

    They found her in the exact pose Hoshi had expected; both hands bracing against a tree, her knees just slightly bent, head down as she puked her guts out. ¡°Nerine,¡± Puce repeated. ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re alright.¡±

    ¡°Hey girl,¡± Casca continued. ¡°Not feeling the public speaking, huh? Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t need to stick around; we¡¯ll get some water in you, then get you into a tent to sleep this off.¡±

    Hoshi remained silent. Something about the situation was tickling at his hindbrain. This is off. I can¡¯t put my finger on it, but there¡¯s something weird. His eyes played over the trees surrounding them, the urge to swing his flashlight around fighting the knowledge that if there was something out there, he didn¡¯t want it to know he was suspicious.

    Nerine mumbled something, then spat as Puce stepped closer. ¡°What was that?¡± the older woman asked.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this,¡± Nerine said ¨C if she was repeating herself, Hoshi couldn¡¯t say.

    ¡°Nerine?¡±

    ¡°Are you high, girl? You¡¯ve gotta know you¡¯ll have a bad trip in these surroundings. Come on ¨C you can puke more if you need to, but let¡¯s not do it in the magical ninja forest of death.¡±

    His girlfriend made to grab for her arm, but Nerine sidestepped away. ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this,¡± she said again. ¡°I thought it would be¡­¡±

    Puce¡¯s face was increasingly concerned. ¡°Are you..? What¡¯s wrong? Nerine, talk to us.¡± Silence. Crow alighted on his shoulder, and suddenly Hoshi realised ¨C where are her Pok¨¦mon? She¡¯s alone, why is she alone? All the hairs on his body tried to poof out as a shiver went down his spine. ¡°Please, Nerine, keep talking.¡±

    Then Puce¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Wait. Are you- did something happen today? While you were with¡­ those three guys?¡±

    Nerine turned, and Hoshi saw the tear tracks going down her face, makeup smeared all the way to her chin. Her expression was blank ¨C up until she expelled a laugh. ¡°Ha!¡± she exclaimed, the sound hysterical. ¡°Oh gods ¨C no. That would be¡­¡±

    She wiped her mouth with a sleeve. ¡°That would have made it so much easier. Gods above, it would put everything back in its place.¡±

    Hoshi was properly freaked out. ¡°Nerine. What are you talking about?¡± Her hair is dyed, said his brain. She''s from Fuchsia. She has a family connection to the Gym.

    Something slid into place, childhood memories of his father spinning a knife like it was magnetised to his hand, his funeral, a dozen indistinct, hazy pieces congealing into certainty. Jesse, James¡­ Did you know about this? Does Cliff? Am I ¨C am I imagining it? The pieces fit, but he didn¡¯t want to believe it. She talks with a rasp like my aunties. Takes drugs like they¡¯re candy. Always seemed to keep one foot away from the group.

    I thought she was just an aloof teen, but¡­

    ¡°Your last name isn¡¯t Rose, is it?¡± he asked, already feeling the answer in his gut. ¡°It¡¯s Doksu. Am I wrong?¡±

    Nerine laughed again, while Casca stepped to the side ¨C keeping them from being bunched up ¨C and Puce turned his way. ¡°Hoshi? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Fire, Storm, and Ice,¡± the teenager said. She was still hunched over, sickly-looking as her skin went beyond pale. ¡°Gods above, I was bad at this, wasn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Nerine,¡± Puce pleaded, ¡°Why did you come so far out? This is ¨C a joke, right? Or, you just got confused?¡± Her expression was breaking, her shoulders moving in like the girl was a monster to cower in fear from.

    ¡°It was supposed to be easy,¡± Nerine repeated a third time. ¡°Go in, take care of the leaders, get out.¡±

    Something moved, Hoshi¡¯s razor-thin nerves bidding him to move before his conscious mind even registered it ¨C but his reflexes couldn¡¯t beat a real ninja¡¯s. There was a sharp stabbing pain in his shoulder, and suddenly his arms and legs were somewhere far away. The flashlight dropped from his hand, Crow and Guts squeaking in unison as he dropped.

    The pinsir moved, too, taking a step ¨C only to plop down beside him, equally paralysed, a bundle of needles covering its back like the bug type was a giant pincushion.

    Casca dropped as well, the ground shook, and Hoshi ¨C Hoshi was going somewhere else. A sound reached his ears, bereft of context, just meaningless sound to all but a small sliver of his brain.

    ¡°You were supposed to be evil,¡± Nerine said, her voice carrying sadness and futility and self-hatred and pride as two dark shapes emerged from the trees.

 5.07 - The Stars, like Cherry Blossoms

    Fuchsia City had, for as long as written records could track, always had two clans of shinobi vying for space within its borders.

    Doksu, the poisoned thorns growing amongst the cherry tree¡¯s roots, and Mutsu, the deep shade cast by its abundant blossoms.

    They were as similar as they were distinct, two flowers of different colour emerging from the same bud. One was small and slender like a creeping vine, paradoxically bright and visible so the eye could see its venom. The other was broad and sturdy as an oak¡¯s trunk, its petals dull to better blend with night¡¯s camouflaging shadows.

    But while they were siblings, in soul if not always blood, they were not necessarily equals.

    Or allies.

    That much could be shown by the current arrangement: Tsuyu Mutsu, head of the Mutsu clan, was being forced to stay still and wait for the Doksu heir to make the first move. Janine was crouched on a lower branch, her bright red scarf easily visible despite the early-night gloom.

    Well, visible to me, at least.

    The younger woman was infuriatingly motionless as her clansman passed beneath, followed thirty seconds later by a group of three ¨C or ten, if you counted Pok¨¦mon ¨C members of Team Rocket. Damn, Tsuyu cursed in her head, that really is Shenja¡¯s son. I was hoping it was just a lookalike posing as him, part of some scheme, but¡­ If Rocket could disguise themselves well enough to fool her, especially with her own flesh and blood? They¡¯d have used it long before now.

    Seconds ticked by as the three criminals confronted the plant. ¡°She¡¯s a wreck,¡± Tsuyu spat down, causing the Doksu heir to wince. The motion was nearly imperceptible, but the older woman had completed her training before the younger had been born.

    ¡°Stay hidden,¡± Janine spoke back.

    ¡°She¡¯s literally revealing herself as we sit here.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration; ¡°Your last name isn¡¯t Rose, is it?¡± said her nephew, and the little girl could do nothing but giggle in hysterics.

    It was a complete shitshow. This Nerine had obviously cracked under the pressure. ¡°I¡¯m stopping this,¡± Tsuyu stated as she drew her knives. ¡°Your agent is compromised.¡± What else could they expect, sending a child?

    Just because Janine had become Gym Leader at a similar age, didn¡¯t mean the rest of her clan were made of the same stuff. The Mutsu matriarch stepped into open air and hit the ground a half-second later, the impact producing not a hint of sound ¨C and with the lightest grunt of frustration her junior followed. Janine¡¯s long scarf and stiff ponytail whistled slightly as they caught the air.

    Tsuyu would have scoffed at the sloppiness, but she actually respected the Fuchsia Gym uniform; there were certain practicalities that were incompatible with each other, and the flashiness necessary to hold the title of Leader was simply a necessity ¨C if she had come in her clan uniform, then this would have been much harder to label as official action.

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Janine hissed, finally doing something only now that the issue had been pressed.

    ¡°Stop me.¡± We should have captured them yesterday; they were exhausted, and split into neat thirds.

    No, I¡¯m not letting the group reform again, and certainly not with a hostage. Tsuyu tilted her head in contempt ¨C and threw, her arm blurring like the lash of a whip. Janine¡¯s teeth grit as she moved even faster, her needles deflecting off of Tsuyu¡¯s knives just hard enough to alter their course ¨C which also put the needles themselves onto the correct path.

    A dozen poisoned thorns bit into flesh, peppering her nephew, the orange-haired woman, and most of the Pok¨¦mon while the more deadly full blades flew off into the darkness.

    The Gym Leader sighed, the sound only half-angry. ¡°I¡¯d prefer you hadn¡¯t done that.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯d prefer if you¡¯d stop playing soft.¡± Tsuyu cracked her neck and stepped forward, placing herself into view of the little girl and her Rocket friend. ¡°We don¡¯t need the Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    There was silence for a moment, and then... ¡°Who are you?¡± the heavily muscled woman asked, immediately outing herself as an idiot. We¡¯re wearing the full uniform. ¡°Are you-?¡±

    ¡°I am Janine Doksu, Gym Leader of the Fuchsia City Pok¨¦mon Gym,¡± Tsuyu¡¯s nominal superior said as she stepped forward as well. ¡°Return your Pok¨¦mon to their balls, now.¡± The order was given without the smallest amount of compromise; it was obvious that if the woman ¨C Puce Gracile, daughter of Mauve and Mint Gracile, owners of Green Grocer and Sweet Fairy Delights respectively ¨C failed to comply, she would get the same treatment as her colleague.

    She was speechless, mouth flapping like a fish as the two shinobi approached ¨C until a small hand on her shoulder caused her jaw to snap shut. ¡°Puce,¡± Nerine breathed, ¡°You¡¯re my partner, okay? That¡¯s the story you need to stick to: you¡¯ve been helping me for the last few months. You were never a real Rocket. Okay? Do you understand?¡±

    Tsuyu rolled her eyes. Compromised to the bone. ¡°Why did you choose this one as your plant? She can¡¯t have been anywhere near the best you had loitering around.¡±

    ¡°It had to be me,¡± Nerine muttered. ¡°Had to be me¡­¡± The girl withdrew into herself with every step her senior sisters took, and Tsuyu¡¯s nose wrinkled at the smells of stress and vomit wafting off her.

    ¡°Nerine,¡± Jasmine snapped as they came close enough that Tsuyu could have drawn her sword and beheaded the three of them in one motion. Her voice was only slightly less severe than when she¡¯d been speaking to the Rocket, but then her expression softened ¨C and Tsuyu got the urge to roll her eyes again. ¡°I know it¡¯s been hard, but good work.¡±

    ¡°Had to be me,¡± the girl muttered again, and Tsuyu glanced aside at the Gym Leader. Again, this can¡¯t have been the best choice. Is she even trained? ¡°Even if- even if the instructors found me,¡± she continued more calmly, ¡°They won¡¯t ¨C they don¡¯t kill kids. Even if they¡¯d found me out.¡±

    Well, at least you did part of your job, little girl.

    Tsuyu tuned out the three women as they babbled back and forth, instead turning her ears to her nephew as she hoisted him up on her shoulder. ¡°Hello, Hoshi. Been about¡­ six years, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Strong heartbeat, and he¡¯s breathing fine. No adverse reactions ¨C not that I expected differently. The man¡¯s eyes rolled, and she nodded, impressed. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re conscious? I guess Shenja¡¯s blood flowed true. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t get you out of this completely, so you¡¯ll be spending a year or two in the clan compound until we can find and burn your name out of all the paperwork.¡±

    The Rocket¡¯s screaming tirade was becoming loud, so Tsuyu stepped away. ¡°Janine, I¡¯m getting my nephew to safety before the fireworks start. Don¡¯t do anything-¡±

    A sudden movement behind her, nearly as fast as a bullet, and Tsuyu wouldn¡¯t have noticed if she¡¯d actually been paying attention to the melodrama unfolding a few paces away ¨C but she hadn¡¯t, and so she dodged the Swift by a hair. The attack tried to turn, but struck Nerine¡¯s puke-tree and detonated instead. Splinters penetrated the thinner sections of her clothes, and she sucked in a breath as she unsheathed her sword.

    ¡°Ha,¡± came a smooth and masculine voice from the direction of the Rocket camp, accompanied by an offended grumble. A man with a ridiculous pompadour stepped out of the greenery together with an electabuzz, the former grinning smugly. ¡°I knew we had a rat. Cliff, over here!¡±

    She threw a knife, it was deflected by a flying crab? What? And then she felt the weight resting on her shoulder stir.

    <hr>

    Hoshi was no longer a mere man. No, Hoshi was something else ¨C a great many points of light, brilliant, impossibly large and even more impossibly far apart.

    A constellation, connected only through a trick of perception rather than any physical proximity.

    I¡¯m hallucinating, said one part of him. I need to help Puce and Casca, said another. Those two were relatively close together, a thousand lightyears rather than millions. The rest of him was further away, points of distant colour shining in the darkness.

    Is Dad carrying us? asked one.

    I need to be in Pewter by the twenty-seventh, reminded another. For Harvest.

    The ice-cream place near the Gym is trash, I should take her to the one on the docks.

    Is Casca dead?

    No, it isn¡¯t bad, it just reminds us of¡­ that first time it happened.

    I wonder what kind of powder they used. Oddish? Paras?

    She can¡¯t be she can¡¯t be she can¡¯t be she can¡¯t be-

    Did mom really just fall in and drown? Or did she kill herself? Was she murdered?

    Was that Auntie? I¡¯ve only seen her twice in my life, but I think that was Auntie.

    The disaster in 2007 unearthed large numbers of previously-undiscovered ore and gem seams. As such, the price of sapphires has been at an all-time low.

    What did she say? Something about a year or two..?

    Shut up. Shut up. I can¡¯t think. Shut up.

    She can¡¯t be she can¡¯t be she can¡¯t be-

    It was loud, being a constellation. Each star was screaming out into space, radio waves splashing over its neighbours like storm-driven water hitting the docks. It was impossible to focus on any single one; if Hoshi was going to pull himself together, it was going to have to happen all at once.

    Auntie Denju? No, she¡¯s in Pewter. Entirely different side of the country.

    Island Special. That¡¯s her favourite. Remember it.

    Not her, dummy. The other Auntie.

    But conversely, it devastated the local wildlife. Cerulean doesn¡¯t actually produce much fish these days ¨C even less than Pallet. We need to supply most of the ingredients for their restaurants, and the price of food in general has gone up across the heartland.

    She could never walk right after the porygon attack. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to swim at all.

    Dad? Is that you? Help me. I can¡¯t feel my legs. Help me.

    Shut up! I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll fucking kill you!

    Where¡¯s Guts? Crow? Where are my girls?

    Rattata generally evolve before they learn Hyper Fang, and most Pok¨¦mon Encyclopedias agree that their bite strength is directly tied to the evolution. So if I skip Pursuit and just focus on training Bite, then¡­

    I''m dead. I¡¯m dead and this is what being a ghost is. The church was right, being psychic really is a curse.

    ¡°Hoo hoo, there¡¯s no need for superstition!¡±

    The voice, somehow both more and less real than Hoshi¡¯s own self, blasted through the tiny swirling galaxy. He blinked, catching a glimpse of yellow and black before his eyes whizzed past into the distance, disconnected from any other part of him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an unwarranted question,¡± he replied, in that same real-and-not quality. The sound came from somewhere between the stars.

    A memory?

    We¡¯re unstuck in time.

    Maybe it¡¯s the future.

    A full-grown tauros weighs two hundred pounds, while a specially bred beef cow weighs one-thousand-four-hundred. However, people are willing to pay over ten times the amount for tauros beef, so economically it makes more sense to raise tauros.

    Hypno waved his hand, not turning from his computer. He¡¯d had Hoshi drag the thing over from a different room, and whatever it was showing was apparently fascinating. ¡°While a psychic¡¯s vulnerability to possession is a factual reality, the danger is overblown. Besides, if it did happen then my darling Hiebelle would notice and evict the¡­ hoo, tenant.¡±

    ¡°Hiebelle?¡±

    ¡°My gengar! Now, we¡¯ll be doing the mind-reading test again. I¡¯m going to think a phrase, a full sentence, and I want you to guess it. As always, don¡¯t think, just say what comes to mind.¡±

    The stars turned around an invisible axis, orbiting the scene. Hoshi looked down at himself, sitting in the torture chair with a mad-science contraption strapped to his head.

    He has a fucking Gengar? Since when?!

    Boring. I¡¯ve seen this show before.

    She can¡¯t- she can¡¯t be! I refuse! Casca¡¯s alive!Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    We¡¯re poisoned. Does psychic resist poison? No, it doesn¡¯t ¨C we should switch to ground type instead.

    The memory skipped forwards in halting, jittering spurts, like a damaged movie, and suddenly Hoshi knew it was a different day. ¡°Hey, Doc,¡± he said, more casual ¨C they¡¯d been doing this over a week, and he could only keep up his wariness for so long. ¡°If I¡¯m vulnerable to ghosts, does that mean I¡¯m¡­ better at doing whatever it is I can do to poison types?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Hypno answered swiftly. ¡°Do the new gloves fit?¡±

    ¡°About the same as the old ones. Why not?¡±

    ¡°Because you aren¡¯t a Pok¨¦mon, grunt. To my recollection, I¡¯ve explained this at least five times before.¡±

    ¡°So, what? Ghosts just happen to be strong against both human psychics and psychic Pok¨¦mon? Seems too coincidental.¡±

    The doctor fiddled with a wheeled television, obviously not very familiar with it. ¡°It isn¡¯t a coincidence, but neither is the link as straightforward as you imply. Hm, I think this is broken¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pressing the menu button, Doc. Power¡¯s the other big one.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, thank you. Now, this is a variation on the electrokinesis test; try and do something to the image while it¡¯s playing.¡±

    The TV flicked on, and Hoshi saw a dark forest. He scowled. ¡°Like, try and make something happen?¡±

    He ¨C that is, the new Hoshi, the one on the screen inside the memory inside the black void of space ¨C was wedged into the crook of a tree, twitching slightly as blurred shapes fought in the background. A woman screamed: ¡°How could you?! Everything was going right! We were friends!¡± The video zoomed in, showing the four, five, six needles embedded in her face and neck.

    Oh, wow. That¡¯s like, the same amount that took out Pinch.

    She swung, and the punch took out a tree ¨C just smash, no technique or form or thought, and Puce¡¯s fist went right through the wood. Nerine dodged, but the movement was sluggish ¨C she had blood streaming down her face from a large gash on her brow.

    ¡°Puce, please. I gave them all your names months ago; even if you somehow win, your lives are over ¨C just let me save you!¡±

    She must be half-paralysed. I wonder, how strong could she be if she actually worked out?

    Oh, I saw orange! Pan left, pan left!

    Kill her. Fucking kill her, rip her guts out and put them back in through the other hole.

    Who¡¯s that Pok¨¦mon? It¡¯s all spiky. Are those holes on its chest?

    Turn the brightness up.

    I hate ninja movies, they¡¯re always so unrealistic.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Hypno replied. ¡°Distort the screen, or the audio, or whatever you want. Don¡¯t be discouraged if nothing happens; we¡¯re only a week in, and already your brainwaves are showing signs of more sophisticated action.¡±

    Hoshi frowned harder. ¡°Fine.¡± He pulled on the screen in his head, imagining something changing.

    The Hoshi in the tree twitched a little harder. Around his head the constellation swirled, as though his brain were a black hole. Nothing.

    No, wait, we did it already.

    Answer the question properly, Doc. You always cut yourself off in the middle.

    Dumbass. Obviously this isn¡¯t really happening ¨C I¡¯m just dreaming. Ryan probably conked us out with a boring-ass speech about being a rich fuck.

    Auntie Tsuyu ¨C he was pretty sure it was her, even with the mask ¨C deflected a rocketing Beady with her short sword, the kabuto whizzing off into the crooked trees. The flash of steel brought out another memory, and suddenly the battle court intersected with the lab. Doc Hypno ballooned out, his greying hair becoming richer as his beard lost volume until it was just a ratty goatee. ¡°You think you can upstage me?!¡± Kiribo yelled, voice high but dangerous. ¡°To my own uncle?! I¡¯ll put you in your place, grunt!¡±

    Hoshi shook his head, the unwieldy helmet crackling as its tubes and wires trailed off into nowhere. Guts¡¯s ball jumped off his belt, wobbling in anticipation as the Rocket Hunter swept his ill-fitting labcoat aside to reveal his own ball.

    Despite Hoshi having a head-start, they threw at nearly the same time; Kiribo¡¯s draw was fast, and his alakazam came out a hair before Guts did. ¡°Quick attack!¡± came the Senior Grunt¡¯s order, and-

    Guts didn¡¯t move. A needle was buried in her shoulder, and the rat was softly sleeping. ¡°A foolish effort!¡± Kiribo exclaimed. ¡°Teleport!¡±

    The alakazam didn¡¯t move like a living thing ¨C when it was just loitering it did, but in battle that act was discarded. It hovered and flew like a puppet on strings, head lolling, limbs slack.

    This is the part where he throws a tantrum.

    Man, he really kicked our ass. We didn¡¯t land a single hit, did we?

    You know, we have a really bad matchup against psychics. Poison, fighting, normal¡­

    Casca? Casca, where¡¯d you go?

    Oh, I know this one ¨C that was tyranitar, the Armour Pok¨¦mon! That would beat an alakazam easy, we should catch one!

    Make her choke on them. I want to see it, the moment she gives up and accepts it. When her eyes go dull and her muscles slacken.

    His eyes flew past again, the constellation momentarily aligned in just the right way. Hoshi couldn¡¯t move ¨C or at least, not enough to matter. His fingers could twitch, his eyes could swivel in their sockets, and he was in very real danger of biting off his own tongue, but that was it.

    ¡°Casca¡­¡± he said, though it probably didn¡¯t come out quite like he was hoping. Probably sound like Danny right now. ¡°Anyone..?¡±

    He could tilt his head, just slightly, and-

    Oh. Oh wow. The forest had changed. Not only were the trees leaning haphazardly, some were on fire. A thick grit flew through the air, too, a dense cloud of ash and sand joining the night¡¯s darkness to obscure everything despite the burning forest casting more light than all their flashlights combined. Hoshi¡¯s fingers twitched harder as he frantically scanned around the limits of where his limp neck allowed him to look. ¡°Casca..?¡± My pack. I have medicine in my pack ¨C I just need to reach-

    The alignment ended, and the screen blinked off as Hoshi¡¯s body flew apart, orbiting his head as he sat in Hypno¡¯s technically-not-a-torture-device. ¡°I couldn¡¯t make it do anything.¡±

    The scientist hummed. ¡°Are you sure? I thought I saw it change colour a bit ¨C but anyway, I think we¡¯re about done for today.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Hoshi¡¯s jaw worked as he removed the helmet. ¡°Feels like we just started.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, I would love to spend all day poking around in your skull, but unfortunately I have higher duties to attend to. The rocket doesn¡¯t ascend on its own, hoo hoo!¡±

    Quick, ask him again.

    We don¡¯t remember what the answer was, do we?

    I think I just felt an Earthquake. That has to be Cliff¡¯s Pok¨¦mon.

    Lots of stars out tonight.

    ¡°Hey Kiribo,¡± he asked as he wiped sweat from his brow. ¡°Does our¡­ thing work on the same rules as Pok¨¦mon attacks? I keep asking the Doc, but I feel like I get a different answer every time.¡±

    ¡°Ah, an astute question!¡±

    The court was blurry, trees poking up and machines crowding around the edges. Casca and Puce sat on a sofa in the corner, crowding Hoshi¡¯s father as they watched something on his tiny apartment television. I¡­ don¡¯t think it is? Do you even know what astute means? ¡°Well? Go on.¡±

    The Rocket Hunter set his weights down. To his chagrin he wasn¡¯t able to consistently lift the same ones Hoshi preferred, but luckily he hadn¡¯t freaked out about it like he had with the psychic shit. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you know, our incredible blessing comes with a minor downside¡­¡±

    ¡°The ghost connection is the one part your uncle is actually consistent about. Skip!¡±

    He laughed, the ¡°Doh ho hoh!¡± echoing through the dark, partially-aflame room. ¡°Very well! But I¡¯m afraid I must repeat the good doctor a bit anyhow, to set up the proper context.¡± He swept back his hair with one hand, the other playing with his sheath ¨C and for just a moment, his figure changed into something substantially more feminine. Tight fabric of midnight blue hugged his aunt¡¯s body all the way from her toes to the bridge of her nose, her silhouette only barely discernible due to the dancing firelight. Broad shoulders, but not particularly bulky except where thick armour protected her vitals ¨C not like her older sister, Auntie Denju, who had more in common with Hoshi¡¯s father.

    ¡°Hoshi!¡± he exclaimed from the couch. ¡°Is that little Tsuyu? Invite her in already ¨C you won¡¯t believe what they¡¯re saying on the news!¡±

    Hoshi concentrated with all his might, trying to force the memory back. This is important. I don¡¯t remember why, but I just know that it is. Kiribo returned, peeling himself out of the Mutsu clan uniform like an inordinately fat butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. ¡°Pardon, what were we talking about? An errant thought distracted me.¡±

    ¡°Pok¨¦mon moves,¡± Hoshi said, his numb tongue slurring the words so bad he couldn¡¯t even hear them. ¡°How are they different from human psychic stuff?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, I remember it now!¡± I remember now. I remember now. I- His face morphed again, becoming a leering caricature. ¡°Pok¨¦mon use psychic type energy in their attacks,¡± the amalgamation of the two Kimigawas said. ¡°But humans have no inborn access to such energy. Our abilities are due to the physical structure of our brains ¨C hence the potential to increase them with stardust and other neuroactive substances. The witches of Kanto¡¯s swampy southern coasts sometimes poisoned themselves to better see the future, but of course we have much better methods in the modern day ¨C less dangerous ones as well, hoo hoo, ho ho, hoo hoo!¡±

    It¡¯s there. We know the answer.

    Just say it, so we can remember.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember it very well, " Shenja said from the couch. The fire licked at his eyes, many-coloured sparks reflected in each black pupil as they shrivelled from the heat. ¡°I gave all that up when I was a teenager. My sisters were always better at it than me ¨C not to say I was bad, mind.¡± His smile was nostalgic, even as the fat under his skin melted. Hoshi¡¯s father didn¡¯t always smile, even when he was happy, but when he did it seemed to come off the edges of his face, the expression almost too pure for the dirty, terrible, beautifully complicated world they lived in. ¡°But let¡¯s see if we can find my box of tricks anyway ¨C maybe you¡¯ll have a knack for it.¡±

    The Mutsu formulae for paralysing agent is made from a base of paras spores, the same as their sleep-inducing agent. First, a tincture is made with alcohol, then an extract of several common flowers is added until the mixture is thickened to a paste¡­

    Like a puppet on strings. The muscles don¡¯t matter, it¡¯s magic. A pattern of energy. Pure force, cause divorced from effect ¨C you need the energy to do it, but it doesn¡¯t need to be connected. You can be somewhere else. Move something without touching it, see light without your eyes being there.

    It won¡¯t be exactly where we put it ¨C things will have shifted around. We¡¯ll probably only get one shot; we need to grab the right medicine. Not a Potion, or Repel, we need Paralyse Heal. It won''t work all the way, the complete poison is more resilient than the natural stuff that goes into it, but it¡¯ll get us on our feet again.

    ¡°It comes from within,¡± Kiribo explained. ¡°Not necessarily the head, but inside. From one¡¯s self, from one¡¯s warrior spirit. There can be no doubt or hesitation ¨C In fact, I would say it is not unlike the wielding of a blade!¡±

    ¡°Dark types can hide from you,¡± Hypno continued. ¡°Because they aren¡¯t defending against psychic energy, they¡¯re concealing themselves from all energy in general. That is why they are called dark; light doesn¡¯t quite touch them unless they let it. And telekinesis is an expression of human energy, so you won¡¯t be able to lift, say, an umbreon no matter how hard you try.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t lift shit, Doc.¡±

    Annoyance, sickly yellow. Hoshi thought that maybe he could see the colours a bit clearer when he was like this, out of his gourd with the stardust in his veins. But it never seemed to be on purpose, never under his control. ¡°Again, stop focusing on the result. This is going to take time, grunt. Power comes from effort. But getting back to the point ¨C dark types will evade any extrasensory perception, and bug types are simplistic enough that their intentions are less discernible. But they won¡¯t do ¡®extra damage¡¯ to you, that¡¯s an absurd notion.¡±

    ¡°And poison?¡±

    ¡°As I explicitly said, no. You have no special advantage against poison types.¡±

    ¡°Kiribo said he often goes after poison types that other Hunter¡¯s don¡¯t, though. He said¡­¡± ¡®My great powers allow me to resist their subtle treachery, and expose it to the light of day!¡¯ ¡°That he had a special resistance to poison, because he was psychic.¡±

    Hypno frowned, shaking his head as he scribbled at his notes. Behind him a tree crashed down, crushing the fragile equipment under blackened wood. ¡°Well- fiddlesticks, that boy¡¯s going to tie your head in knots. He isn¡¯t wrong, but the mechanism has nothing to do with Pok¨¦mon types; it¡¯s one¡¯s psychic perception of their own body that lets them expel dangerous substances. You need to stop asking him these things, or you¡¯ll have a skewed understanding of what your abilities actually are-¡±

    He was out of time. Hoshi disappeared again as he let the garbled-together memory go. For a moment there was nothing, and then ¨C effort, tremendous effort, as he tried to pull down the stars.

    <hr>

    Tsuyu was the rare combination of frustrated, impressed, and elated. This must be a Senior Executive, to have such strong Pok¨¦mon. I wouldn¡¯t have expected Rocket to send someone so capable to guard mere grunts, but I¡¯m glad they did ¨C if he was back in Vermilion, standing next to his peers¡­

    Surge and the rest might not have been enough.

    But of course, him being here meant that she had to fight him, which was proving¡­ troublesome.

    ¡°Crumb, Stone Edge!¡±

    The tyranitar ¨C and the fact that such a Pok¨¦mon could be accessed by Rocket at all was distressing, much less one of this size and power ¨C let loose its attack, multiple blades of stone erupting from the earth. She dodged, her shiftry dodged, but Vileplume was too slow. The dancing flower was struck full-on, her tough petals spraying fluid as they were torn through.

    For a moment it looked like she would soldier on, but then her next step faltered and the Petal Blizzard stilled. The Rocket looked on with a savage smile as Tsuyu was forced to return her Pok¨¦mon.

    ¡°Ha! Two down, woman! Don¡¯t think your type advantage will be enough to even the odds!¡±

    She threw a salvo of knives as she landed, but Clifford Moon, forty-one, no criminal record, Apartment #212 1092 North Vermilion simply stepped behind his tyranitar, the oversized thing easily hiding his bulk.

    ¡°Shiftry, Leaf Blade,¡± she ordered, stepping into the shadow of a listing tree so she could catch her breath. Her eyes darted across the battlefield, taking in each combatant in an instant.

    The staryu is guarding its master, Haunter is doing well against the Rocket¡¯s venusaur, Janine is locking down those four, Umbreon and her crobat might need help with those other three soon¡­

    The Doksu girl seemed to be in a pinch; her venonat was keeping the Rocket woman¡¯s koffing and slowpoke at bay with a combination of Disable and Supersonic, but Puce herself had her hands around the girl¡¯s neck. And it didn¡¯t look like she would be letting go any time soon, despite the ekans Wrapped around her own neck and shoulders.

    The Pok¨¦mon was peppering her face with Bites and Poison Stings, but the woman was the size of an ursaring, her face a rictus of betrayed rage.

    Damn, that kid¡¯s gonna die. With swift movements she shoved the nozzle of a Revive into her murkrow¡¯s Pok¨¦ball, sending the contents directly in with a pull of the heavy trigger. She expanded the ball and placed it on the ground, then drew more knives. This is turning into even more of a shitshow. If we both make it out, I¡¯m going to have Janine¡¯s ass for making us wait so long. ¡°Wait for the right moment, then renew Shiftry¡¯s Tailwind. Join whichever fight looks worst after.¡±

    Then she was off, flitting from shadow to flickering shadow. As she passed she put a blade through the pompadoured Rocket¡¯s knee, dodging the retaliatory Mud Bomb from the Pok¨¦mon on his back, and in short order she had snaked her arms around Puce Gracile¡¯s thick shoulders. ¡°Let go or die,¡± she ordered with her sword pressed to the woman¡¯s vitals.

    Despite the sword drawing a line of blood, Puce didn¡¯t seem to even notice; she continued to crush the life out of the much smaller girl, her nonexistent knowledge of proper strangulation completely meaningless when each of her fingers encircled Nerine¡¯s entire neck.

    ¡°Last warning,¡± Tsuyu spoke loudly, pressing the blade deeper ¨C then she exhaled. Fine. Some lives, like spring blossoms, must fall early for the tree to remain.

    Her sword arm moved ¨C only for a force to twist her elbow. She dropped the blade rather than bisect the ekans still valiantly attempting to save its trainer, hissing through her teeth as her fingers spasmed.

    A knife went behind, where she could hear a heartbeat. Sloppy. Didn¡¯t check the treetops ¨C and I shouldn¡¯t have hesitated, either. I¡¯m out of practice.

    The knife thunked with an unsatisfying sound as she retrieved her sword, turning to look at ¨C ah. ¡°Hoshi. You shouldn¡¯t be mobile.¡± One of the others? No, they¡¯re all accounted for. How?

    Her nephew¡¯s hand went up to the handle sticking from where his armpit and ribs met. ¡°Ow.¡± The rattata and mankey gathered around him bristled with anger, equalled by the dugtrio and staryu guarding over the woman ¨C Cascade Kichi, daughter of Clarence and Nami Kichi, moderate capture target ¨C staggering against a half-fallen tree in the background.

    ¡°I probably can¡¯t talk you out of this, can I?¡± Tsuyu asked. Hoshi was silent, his expression slack but his eyes determined, and so she once again put her sword to his ally¡¯s neck. ¡°Fine, how about this? I¡¯ll spare-¡±

    She nearly bit her tongue mid-sentence as a piercing, balance-destroying shriek from above tore through her eardrums.

 5.08 - The Power Thatâ€™s Inside II

    I can¡¯t believe that fat, overly dramatic ass was right. ¡®On the field of battle.¡¯ What am I, the protagonist of some kid¡¯s cartoon? Unlocking my secret transformation the moment I need it¡­ Ha.

    And it did feel like a transformation, moving himself with telekinesis as much as muscle power. Despite the numbness in his limbs, the nausea and fatigue, there was an electric power dancing under his skin. It had been larger before he¡¯d started to burn it, but hopefully there was enough in his ephemeral tank to see this through.

    There¡¯s so much I don¡¯t know ¨C how long can I do this? Does it work on things that aren¡¯t me? Will it even stick around when I¡¯m not pumped full of ninja drugs?

    The questions were discarded as he bent down; this wasn¡¯t the time for speculation. Quake¡¯s mouths were subtle enough that Hoshi had to dig for one of them beneath a bulbous nose, but he eventually found the opening after a handful of too-tense seconds. The medicine inhaler sprayed out the last of its contents directly into the unconscious dugtrio¡¯s lungs, and another stray thought briefly wondered whether the Pok¨¦mon had two, six, or some other number of the organ. Focus, Hoshi. Stay present. Casca¡¯s fingers were dug into his shoulder in an effort to steady her anxiety ¨C and her body as well, since her muscles weren¡¯t working any better than his were.

    She didn¡¯t have any magical cheat.

    ¡°Quake?¡± she attempted, the word only discernible from context. ¡°Time to wake up, girl.¡±

    ¡°Huh-HUH!¡± Candy added, pumping her arms.

    As her trainer and fellow Pok¨¦mon both called out, Quake¡¯s three pairs of eyes began to open. Hoshi wasn¡¯t entirely sure why they had paralysed some but put others to sleep ¨C his best guess was to prevent a single can of spray-on medicine from curing the lot of them ¨C but he was grateful. If it had been fully one or the other, he would have had to deplete both his and Casca¡¯s stocks.

    And they would probably need that medicine in a minute.

    The dugtrio blinked out-of-sync with herself, raising her heads up off the ground and stretching nearly a full metre out of the earth before settling back to a more natural position. Another blink, this time with all three heads at once, and Casca smiled. ¡°There you go, girl. Ready to fight?¡±

    Hoshi felt a small tremor run up his legs, the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s answer clear as day. ¡°Amazing,¡± he slurred, his words only slightly more comprehensible to himself as he rose. ¡°That¡¯s everyone up, so¡­¡±

    He turned, and looked at the battlefield ¨C or at least, he attempted to. What was once a dark forest had transformed into a disaster zone, courtesy of a crobat ¨C a five foot tall crobat with easily twice that number in wingspan, he was forced to note ¨C emitting an aura of fire as Kenny, his sandshrew, and Mimi the aspiring Rocket Agent took cover behind Savage the lickitung¡¯s semi-conscious bulk. And the vulpix isn¡¯t exactly helping with its Flamethrower, even if it is an impressive move for an unevolved Pok¨¦mon. And then there was the tyranitar whipping up a Sandstorm, the flying grit mixing with smoke and embers to form choking clouds.

    And that wasn¡¯t even mentioning the other thing obscuring his senses; the blooms of colour, radiant and glowing around each participant¡¯s head. You¡¯d think it would actually help me tell where people are, but no, it¡¯s just really fucking distracting.

    If someone were to paint a picture of the scene and title it The Underworld, Hoshi certainly wouldn¡¯t be able to object. The only bright spot was that the Earthquakes had toppled two-thirds of the trees away from the ongoing battles, so they weren¡¯t in immediate danger of burning to death.

    ¡°First thing¡¯s first¡­¡± he said, face twisting. ¡°Crow, find Nerine.¡±

    <hr>

    Casca Kichi was not having a very good day. It wasn¡¯t the worst she¡¯d ever had, but it probably broke into the top three. Definitely knocks trashcan seafood out of the running. Ha!

    The half-hysterical thought brought out half of a laugh, the sound smothered beneath a choking inhale as smoke wafted thick and gritty down her throat.

    ¡°You okay?¡± Hoshi asked, his intensely enraged expression breaking just slightly as he looked her way.

    It¡¯s happening. I never thought it would actually happen, not if I was smart, but it¡¯s happening. ¡°We should run.¡± I¡¯m finished. They got me ¨C got us. I¡¯ll need to change my name, move to Hoenn or the islands or¡­

    He blinked at her, confused for a moment. It was almost a relief, to see that he was nearly as out of it as she was ¨C her head hurt, as much from the harsh and only semi-effective cure as the smoke inhalation. But eventually Hoshi worked out her meaning, doubling down on his rancour. ¡°You¡¯re saying we just split. Leave the others.¡± Leave the traitor unpunished, his face spoke for him.

    ¡°Cliff and-¡± she started, but then a coughing fit interrupted. ¡°¡­And Bart and Mimi are strong. They¡¯ll win. We need to think about ourselves.¡±

    Veins stood out on her boyfriend¡¯s forehead ¨C and not all of it was emotion; he was wiped out, barely able to drag himself forward without assistance. She couldn¡¯t even manage that; the bulk of Casca¡¯s weight was being held up by Pinch the pinsir. ¡°Casca, that¡¯s a Gym Leader they¡¯re fighting. We need to¡­¡± He spat. ¡°Do what we can.¡±

    We won¡¯t be able to do anything if we get hit again. I doubt they¡¯ll bother taking prisoners a second time. She didn¡¯t voice the thought; Hoshi had very different priorities right now, and he needed an argument that was in line with his thoughts, not hers. Words came to her tongue, provided more by instinct than any conscious thought, and¨C

    And before she could speak, a high-pitched chirp drew Hoshi¡¯s attention out into the soup. ¡°Good girl,¡± he slurred, and started forward with an odd, floaty gait. His two grounded Pok¨¦mon followed, far less groggy than their master was despite the long day of pushing through the forest.

    She clung to the giant bug¡¯s exoskeleton, and exhaled. The words went out with the air ¨C and a second after they had formed, she had no idea what she would have said. Probably something profound and compelling. Yeah, I bet it was, that sounds like me. The internal joke steadied her, just a little bit, and she rapped on Pinch¡¯s back like a screen door so he knew to drag her forward. ¡°Wait up, stud,¡± she croaked. ¡°Haven¡¯t quite found my legs yet.¡±

    We need to get out of here, all her instincts screamed, but she moved towards the danger nonetheless. Two Pok¨¦mon, the more sentimental part of her countered. We have Pinch and all the rest. We can probably take out an ekans and venonat, even as whipped as we are. ¡°Candy, get a Water Gun ready. Quake, start charging up for Tri-Attack.¡±

    It took ten seconds, maybe not even that, before all her steadily-building convictions turned to ash. Hoshi suddenly grunted, stretching out his arm into the haze, and then a knife appeared in his chest.

    <hr>

    Being stabbed hurt.

    It felt stupid to even think. Of course it hurt, it was being stabbed. But as Hoshi stared at his aunt, it was the only thing he could think. ¡°Ow.¡±

    The woman blinked, a hint of surprised grey coiling in her irises before they returned to their natural light purple. ¡°I probably can¡¯t talk you out of this, can I?¡± she asked, breaking him from the looping cycle of it hurts, of course it does, it hurts, you have a sharp piece of metal in you, it hurts, do literally anything other than stand there, idiot. ¡°Fine, how about this? I¡¯ll spare-¡±

    That was when Crow let out a surprise Supersonic, and Hoshi abruptly realised that Tsuyu Mutsu had her sword at his subordinate¡¯s throat again. Stupid stupid- get your head in the game! ¡°Attack! Quick Attack and Pursuit!¡± Stopping her the first time took it out of me ¨C can I even do it again? The psychic power was dulled under his skin; no, he didn¡¯t think he would be able to make her drop her sword a second time.

    His aunt was wearing a mask, everything from the bottom of her eyelids down concealed, yet he could still tell her jaw was clenched. Her eyes were steady in a way Hoshi was familiar with, from Bob and his Gym Trainers and the gilded memories of his father¡¯s face when he told war stories ¨C men and women who had killed.

    The sword moved, fast as lightning, and-

    And Nerine bucked with all her might, rolling herself a few centimetres to the side and taking Puce¡¯s bulk with her. The blade cut into the massive woman¡¯s ear and the scalp behind it, drawing a crescent of red that matched the towering pillar of emotion coming off her like a signal flare.

    Puce roared, though if it was pain or just emotion being blasted out into the world, Hoshi couldn¡¯t say. Tsuyu turned her arm and blocked the leaping rattata¡¯s teeth, her knee coming up to do the same with Venus¡¯s equally quick strike.

    Crow let loose another Supersonic, and Hoshi drew his own blade. The camp knife wasn¡¯t made for fighting¡­ but it would do. ¡°Auntie,¡± he spat, lips and tongue still numb from what she and Janine had stuck him with. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna kill you. Fuck off.¡± Even if I don¡¯t know you, not for real. Two funerals aren¡¯t exactly much to build an emotional connection on¡­

    But you¡¯re still family, and that¡¯s sacred.

    It was a shame that punishing traitors was also sacred.

    Her eyes narrowed as she was forced away from the grunt and Nerine by Hoshi¡¯s three Pok¨¦mon. ¡°Kill me?¡± Tsuyu asked back, another throwing knife appearing in her hand as if it had congealed from the smoke itself. The air was even thicker with it here, black mixing and being overpowered by the wafting red clouds that tasted of blood when they touched his skin ¨C those were definitely not real, but they took effort to see through all the same.

    Another exchange; Venus tore away some fabric ¨C and the armour underneath, leaving Tsuyu¡¯s right knee bare ¨C while Guts took a shallow wound. The rattata hissed, the sound cutting through the murk as she dodged a follow-up swipe.

    Hoshi bared his teeth as he felt at the knife between his ribs and armpit. Didn¡¯t hit anything important, but fuck. ¡°Crow, keep it up.¡± The Supersonic was probably ¨C hopefully ¨C doing something, even if she was too disciplined to let it show.

    But despite fighting three Pok¨¦mon, Tsuyu Muysu didn¡¯t seem at all flustered. As she continued to dodge, parry, and otherwise show off four decades of training with a blade, Hoshi¡¯s heart began to sink. Then she sliced deep enough to make one of Venus¡¯s paws unusable, and the feeling solidified. Fuck. She¡¯s just a normal human, how is she keeping up with my team?

    ¡°Kill me?¡± the woman asked again, sounding more amused. ¡°You¡¯re a decade too early for that, little boy. You¡¯ve fallen in with a bad crowd, Hoshi ¨C I¡¯ll need to correct you.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Headbutt!¡±

    Jormungandr followed the order splendidly; he lowered his head, gauged the enemy¡¯s movements, and charged, presenting the thickest part of his skull as the only possible target for the crobat¡¯s Heat Wave to strike. The giant bat was forced to flee upwards as its attack failed to deter the charging dragon, where Velvet the vulpix was waiting for it with Confuse Ray and Flamethrower.

    Ryan would have liked to say that it was his Pok¨¦mon that was the most effective out of the three-point-five on their side, but the six-tailed fox had his dragon outmatched; the delicate-looking thing was completely immune to their opponent¡¯s first ranged attack, while its Safeguard was a direct counter to the second, more worrisome move it had opened the battle with: Toxic.

    ¡°Again! Flamethrower!¡± the fox¡¯s owner, Mimi, cried with a howling laugh, and it too obeyed splendidly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be outdone! Dragon Breath!¡±

    Blue mixed with red, and while the fully-evolved bat monster dodged the direct streams it was caught in the aftermath as their collision caused an explosion of multicoloured fire. Mimi howled again, and Menard outright cheered as the crobat was forced to the ground. The numerous burns had done their job; its four wings were no longer enough to keep it airborne.

    ¡°Yeah! Bubbles, Sand Attack!¡±

    Ryan, too, was elated. His heart hammered in his chest, adrenaline at fighting a Gym Leader¡¯s ace Pok¨¦mon just enough to drown out the sick feeling that the night¡¯s revelations had caused.

    They¡¯d had a traitor in their midst, and he hadn¡¯t noticed. Hadn¡¯t even thought to suspect. If I¡¯d stayed in town instead of only going for the lessons¡­

    The thought was shoved down as the crobat regained its bearings, blasting across the field as its wings propelled it nearly as fast through the chewed-up underbrush as when it had flown. It ignored the round of tepid ranged attacks from the sandshrew, juking up and down despite its burned wings as it headed for the vulpix hiding in the treetops.

    A single Cross Poison, and the fox toppled down.

    Worrying. But still, there was the elation. This was a true battle, exactly what he had wanted when he¡¯d entreated his father to allow him to join Rocket. It¡¯s happening earlier than I¡¯d expected, but still. I¡¯m fighting a near-Elite Pok¨¦mon, and I might just win! ¡°Again! Draw it off!¡±

    Blue flame flashed, the crobat became a near-invisible blur, and out of the corner of his eye Ryan saw Mimi feeding her injured Pok¨¦mon a Revive in tablet form. His smile was savage, desperate, and sincere as he watched his bagon go down to a Super Fang combo, his own revive ¨C the more expensive multi-use canister type ¨C clutched in his hand.

    He withdrew Jormungandr, and looked the bat in the eye as it flapped towards him, only to veer off-course as Confuse Ray showed its value.

    The nozzle of the canister went into his Rocket Ball, the plastic shell already broken from an earlier use of the medicine. He had perhaps three uses left, and then he¡¯d be down to Potions.

    No, don¡¯t think of it. The battle! Only the battle!

    Every attack from the crobat drew lifeblood, but they were wearing it down. With the sandstorm active Bubbles was too evasive to take out smoothly, his moves just annoying enough to disrupt it while Jormungandr hit it hard and Velvet turned its attempts to control the battlefield against it. And without its trainer the powerful Pok¨¦mon was sloppy, acting on instinct ¨C it kept going for Toxic, not realising that they were all Safeguarded.

    Mostly Safeguarded, he corrected, eyes passing over the bright pink mound of lickitung. Hopefully the Antidote can keep the Toxic at bay; Savage may be incapable of attacking such a fast opponent, but just having another body on the field is making all the difference.

    A panicked smile curved his lips. Fight! We just might win this! he repeated to himself as the smoke clogged the air, the tremors of the earlier Earthquake still vibrating between his ribs. We have the supplies, and the numbers! Jormungandr went back on his belt to rest, and he sent out the as-yet-unnamed farfetch¡¯d closer to Menard and his Pok¨¦mon than himself. The swordsduck appeared with a squawk. Not the most convenient of situations for testing a newly-caught Pok¨¦mon, but¡­ ¡°Close in and use Aerial Ace!¡±

    Velvet went down again, and this time the crobat failed to be distracted; it took out Mimi as well, cutting both her ankles before smoothly circling around Savage¡¯s flytrap of a tongue. Farfetch¡¯d squawked, confused at its own sudden appearance, but then instinct kicked in; it blocked the enemy admirably before it could strike Menard, its leek meeting and enduring multiple swings of its opponent¡¯s razor-sharp wings¡­ but it too fell in short order.

    Ryan swapped his Pok¨¦mon again, his shoulders tense as ¨C What?

    As a heavy rock struck the crobat in an improbable feat of either skillful aim or blind luck. Mojo cried out in triumph from across the forest, before the sound was cut off abruptly.

    Well. I suppose it¡¯s good they¡¯re still fighting too. Ryan rattled his Max Revive, receiving a worryingly empty sound.

    Two uses if I¡¯m lucky, one if I¡¯m not.

    The fight went on, and all the while, as both sides desperately battled against their flagging stamina, Ryan held onto hope. We can beat it. Or Cliff will win his battle and come to our aid. Or Mutsu. His breath was heavy, his vision wavering as heavy smoke stole precious air from his lungs. Or Kazubara and the fresh grunts, even. This is winnable, so long as-

    And then a murkrow descended from nowhere, tripping Jormungandr before his Fire Fang could hit as it sent multiple Gusts of wind at everything else.

    <hr>

    Guts whipped her tail into the ninja¡¯s wrist, and so the dancing knife missed Crow¡¯s body by a hair. She didn¡¯t make it through unscathed ¨C an abdominal feeler drifted to the ground, the incongruously floaty motion delicately accompanied by a single drop of blood ¨C but Hoshi felt the trade was more than worth it when the zubat¡¯s Leech Life dug into his aunt¡¯s scalp.

    She grunted, and Venus¡¯s seventh or eighth Pursuit turned her dodge into a hasty block. Some more armour was shorn away as Crow took flight to avoid being grappled, and Hoshi sprayed potion wildly across the area.

    The smoke took some, the sand some more, but a portion of the healing mist caught in his Pok¨¦mon¡¯s wounds and refreshed them all the same. No point in being stingy. If we lose¡­ Well, we¡¯d better not lose.

    His other hand still held the camp knife, but some of his earlier bravado had slipped away as reality set in; there was no way he could fight someone like Tsuyu Mutsu, even if he hadn¡¯t had a four-inch-long knife burrowed into a nebulous area of his chest he didn¡¯t actually have a name for. ¡°Casca!¡± he called backwards, careful not to actually take his eyes off their opponent. ¡°Could really use a hand here!¡±

    ¡°Twenty seconds!¡± she replied, and his teeth ground against each other. How long does it take to knock out a fucking venonat?!

    An ominous whistle caught his attention, and he snapped out a hand as Tsuyu¡¯s blade came down. Blood splashing warm and metallic against his tongue, Hoshi attempted to nudge the blade aside ¨C but in a split-second decision he determined that using any amount of restraint wasn¡¯t enough, and so he poured that electric energy keeping his limbs moving down, down, into the tip of his finger as it stabbed forwards.

    Something connected, a line of ephemeral spiderweb, and he pulled the sword as far away from his mankey¡¯s vitals as it would go before the power ran dry.

    It was enough to save her life, but only just; the altered slash still carved her face open as she stepped back, missing her eyes but separating her nose into two pieces. Venus howled, the sound burbling with the blood running into her mouth, and Hoshi-

    Hoshi attempted to take a step forward, red burning in his eyes, but it didn¡¯t happen. The strings giving his puppet body a semblance of life snapped, and suddenly he was ten times heavier. All he could manage was a half-staggering descent, his vision fuzzing into a long, meaningless smear as his knees and hands met the ground. ¡°Keep attacking,¡± he choked out. ¡°Can¡¯t surrender. Never surrender.¡±

    ¡°Hoshi,¡± his aunt¡¯s icy voice admonished from somewhere outside the tight cone of his vision. ¡°I¡¯m trying to save you, boy. You¡¯re committing treason.¡± His ears strained as sounds, violent ones ¨C almost more violent than actually seeing it, his imagination conjuring flying limbs and smashed guts ¨C entered them. Then, a moment of silence.

    ¡°Guts? Crow?¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°They¡¯re done. I¡¯ll give you credit, nephew¡­¡± A breath, collected but heavy with exertion. ¡°You and your little terrorist friends here made me work harder than any criminals I¡¯ve ever fought. But you¡¯ve lost; return your Pok¨¦mon. And put away that damn kitchen knife, before you make me-¡±

    An impact, and Hoshi blinked. He could feel it, the pieces of his body trying to fly apart, the constellation calling from the depths of space now that the power anchoring his mind and body together had disappeared. No. Just no, I¡¯m not going to let it happen.

    ¡°Fucking- You should¡¯ve stayed down, bug.¡±

    In his head, there was an image; that stupid, impossible dream, a house and a field and tauros and kids and-

    And for that to happen, I can¡¯t give up here. Johto has to go, or else it all might just be flattened again in ten years. Step one is cleaning out the League, taking back control of ourselves; I¡¯m not even a hundredth of the way there yet.

    As so he pushed with all his might, forcing his neck to lift his heavy head. What he saw was much less visceral than his mind¡¯s eye had painted; his girls were alive, though that might change if he didn¡¯t get them in their balls. Somewhere far, far away to his untrustworthy senses a dark shape fought two brown ones, streams of blue arcing through the air from a different flavour of far away.

    ¡°Thank¡¯s, Casca¡­¡± And Cliff. Pinsir would probably have been real useful against her dark types, but I¡¯m glad we had him instead.

    Hoshi pulled himself across the ground like a caterpillar, shrugging off his backpack as he approached. Potion. Where is it? I should have one left, at least¡­ He dug for a long moment before remembering; he¡¯d moved the medicines to his belt, just in case he¡¯d been hit by another barrage of poisoned needles. So they''d be right there. Right. Don¡¯t pass out¡­ Your girls need you.

    A sick chuckle limped out of his throat as his fat, stupid fingers took too many seconds to pluck the right tube off his waist ¨C but eventually it happened. He raised the Potion, aimed it point-blank at his bleeding Pok¨¦mon, and-

    A knife came out of the darkness, tempered black steel snatching the medicine from his hand like Arcus himself had reached down and said no, Hoshi Mutsu doesn¡¯t get to ever win. He will fail over and over, forever, until he dies alone and unmourned. This is the universal law, and it cannot be overturned.

    Slowly, incredulously, his head went left to see the wrecked canister spewing its contents uselessly into the air. Metres away ¨C impossible to save.

    Then he turned back to his Pok¨¦mon. ¡°I¡­ I think this might be it, girls.¡± A tremor rocked him; Quake¡¯s Bulldoze. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do. This was meant to be a fucking training trip. Get out. Be a Pok¨¦mon Trainer for a bit. You know? Maybe take the first step to another promotion.¡±

    Stop freaking out and get them in storage, you useless weak little bitch. They¡¯re dying, you stupid fuck. His hands moved, palming a ball. ¡°Re-¡± he choked out, greasy smoke and sand and the extent of his failures working together to clog the back of his throat. ¡°Re- re-¡±

    ¡°Hoshi!¡± a girlish voice interrupted. ¡°Oh no, oh no, your Pok¨¦mon!¡± He looked up again, and saw Puce.

    She looked almost as bad as his team. Her face was lumpy, one eye completely consumed by swollen flesh and her lips more like sausages sticking half-out of her jaw than anything. But despite that, the ekans wounds and the needles still peppered across her upper half, she stood ¨C something Hoshi could no longer do, despite the Paralyse Heal circulating in his system.

    ¡°Puce,¡± he said dumbly. ¡°Potion.¡±

    ¡°Oh ¨C yes, I have one more! Here, let me-!¡±

    He continued to stare at her as she saved the lives of his Pok¨¦mon, spraying down their wounded forms until the medicine ran dry. His vision blurred further as Guts stood, shook herself ¨C and then turned to the battle.

    She squeaked, bloodthirsty, and his heavy tongue sprinted to stop her before she bounded off. ¡°No,¡± he ordered. ¡°Stay back. Let Casca-¡± He coughed. ¡°Let Casca do it. She has Pinch, and Quake.¡± And we¡¯re out of Potion. ¡°We¡¯re¡­¡± he trailed off. ¡°Wait. Puce, where are your Pok¨¦mon? Where¡¯s Nerine?¡±

    The giant woman¡¯s head disappeared in a cloud of greens and reds and blacks ¨C colours he was too tired to interpret, if there was even any meaning to be found. ¡°Nerine. She¡¯s¡­ either dead or unconscious. I don¡¯t- I didn¡¯t check.¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡±

    ¡°And Potato and Bear are here,¡± she continued, gesturing down ¨C probably to her belt. Hoshi was, once again, too tired to move his head.

    ¡°Okay. Help me up.¡±

    Slowly, laboriously, Hoshi was dragged back to his feet. His girls crowded around him, keyed-up by the fires, or the battles, or the fact that they¡¯d been on death¡¯s door¡­ Probably all of those. Okay. Okay. We¡¯re not dead. Is anyone else dead?

    Casca wasn¡¯t. She was hiding behind a tree as her and Cliff¡¯s Pok¨¦mon fought his aunt. Speaking of Cliff ¨C he was fighting some sort of green and white blur, three Pok¨¦mon against one. Oh, that¡¯s an onix. Bigger than they look from above, in the Gym¡¯s good seats. The others¡­

    The others were somewhere on the edges of the chaotic melee, obscured by smoke and dust and his smeared vision.

    He leaned into Puce¡¯s side. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we can win this, Puce.¡± Casca said we should leave, and I¡¯m starting to think she was right. Yet again, all the bravado had been drained out of him, this time by the image of Venus, Crow, and Guts bleeding out into the soil. They still bore the marks of those wounds, despite the Potion; split into three, the medicine had failed to get them back to fighting shape. ¡°Is your team healed?¡±

    ¡°Mostly,¡± she replied. Though her throat was as swollen as the rest of her head, she somehow still retained that too-young tone behind the wheeze. ¡°I think we can. Uh, win this, that is.¡±

    I can barely keep my eyes open, Puce. How the fuck are you standing? ¡°Uh,¡± he grunted again. ¡°Well, I appreciate the confidence. We should¡­¡± Do fucking what? Tsuyu will kill my Pok¨¦mon if I go at her again. Cliff''s battle is above my pay grade, I don¡¯t even know where Janine is¡­

    ¡°¡­You should help Casca,¡± he eventually said. ¡°From long range. Bear¡¯s Confusion is coming along, right?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Okay. I think¡­ Maybe you should stay here. With your Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    She nodded again, and made to set him carefully down ¨C but as his ass hit the ground, he noticed something strange. Huh? Is it¡­ brighter..? And there was a sound, too. Familiar, almost like a Pok¨¦mon being released, but¡­ not that. Less artificial.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Puce breathed, and then she repeated herself. ¡°Oh, Hoshi! Your Pok¨¦mon!¡±

    He frantically turned his head, the poorly-painted watercolour that was his field of view shifting wildly. What? What?! What¡¯s happening? I can¡¯t see, this fucking stupid psychic shit-

    But abruptly, Hoshi realised: the pulsing white light was not, in fact, a hallucination. ¡°Oh gods above,¡± he whispered. ¡°All three?¡± All at once?

    It was the pressure that convinced him, a heavy quality filling the air that seemed to chase away the smoke. For a moment his eyes went up, and he marvelled at the tiny eye that had formed in the sandstorm. The stars twinkled high above, as though giving their blessing to the trio of evolutions.

    ¡°Hoshi,¡± Puce whispered with him. ¡°Hoshi. Hoshi, they¡¯re-!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    The light pulsed faster, harder, the forms of his girls seeming to melt together as they crowded around him. It was warm, in a way entirely different from the far-off flames casting hot ash across his face. The sound, indescribable except as crystalline, continuing to build, and build, and-

    Guts was the first to come out of it; her body had expanded, the light turning solid as her lithe body filled out. Where before the rattata was maybe eleven inches tall when standing on her hind legs, as a raticate Guts towered a full two feet, a semi-articulate tail of the same length extending, naked, behind her. As the light dimmed Hoshi saw that her lavender fur had turned brown, the exact shade lost to the environment ¨C but he¡¯d seen other raticate often enough to already picture the vibrant, animalistic brown in his head.

    ¡°Good girl,¡± he said, nearly inaudible.

    Then, a much more drastic transformation: Crow ballooned, her body, which had been small enough to comfortably ride on Hoshi¡¯s shoulder, growing in fits and starts as though reluctant. Where Guts towered only in comparison to her prior self, Crow the golbat was close to human-sized. Four feet tall, with a wingspan that would probably match ¨C her limbs were tightly held to her body, obscuring most of it behind thick, leathery folds.

    Probably¡­ probably getting used to having eyes¡­

    Nothing changed about her colouration, but her dextrous feelers had transformed into grasping foot-like appendages.

    And, finally, the third Pok¨¦mon completed her evolution. Venus shuttered as it happened, and Hoshi could see the long rend in her face closing, new flesh bubbling out from the wound in a manner startlingly less clean than the artificial healing he was used to seeing. The transition from mankey to primeape was less pronounced than the other two had been; Venus¡¯s body did not radically alter its shape, doing little more than doubling in height ¨C most of which was in her limbs. Her paws thickened. Fur receded from her wrists and ankles as muscles bulged in its wake, bulk travelling up her arms and legs as her body expanded just slightly. The effect brought Hoshi¡¯s mind to rolling up his sleeves in preparation for a fight.

    And it seemed that Venus was having a similar thought. She let loose a wild hoot, her meatier, mitt-like fists coming together above her head.

    He blinked at her, then moved his eyes back over Crow and Guts. For a moment, it seemed unreal ¨C a minute ago he¡¯d all but given up, but now¡­

    Hoshi smiled, the expression sharp in more ways than the usual; the numbness of his extremities had caused him to bite his lips, cheeks, and tongue a worrying number of times since he¡¯d pulled himself out of the tree¡¯s crook. ¡°Girls,¡± he said, slurring the words slightly less as hope ignited a hidden well of adrenaline. ¡°Who¡¯s ready to-¡±

    ¡°Oh for fuck¡¯s sake!¡± came his aunt¡¯s voice over the din of battle. Hoshi flinched, turning more by Puce¡¯s effort than his own to follow the sound to its source. ¡°No, I¡¯m done. I¡¯ve been going soft because you¡¯re my brother¡¯s son, but now I remember why we don¡¯t do that ¨C it encourages people to get back up.¡±

    Tsuyu walked out of a dense smoke cloud ¨C too dense. Damn it. More poison. Fuck, is Casca..? He braced himself as she raised her sword. ¡°Puce, I don¡¯t know how much you caught; she throws knives. Try to dodge.¡± The knife. Can I..?

    He could. The camp knife sailed, miraculously spot-on despite his gelatine muscles, drawing a screech from the chipped edge of her sword as they met.

    She deflected the attack away, like Hoshi had expected, but it gave his team enough time to arrange themselves between her and him. She¡¯s hurt. Not a lot of blood, but I¡¯ll eat my uniform if she isn¡¯t one giant bruise from her legs to her stomach. Quake knew Sucker Punch, and she didn¡¯t hold back.

    But rather than leap forward, the Fuchsia woman put two fingers to her mask and whistled. The sound was startlingly loud, carrying through the murk like¡­ Well, like a whistle. ¡°Janine!¡± she called out. ¡°Your kid¡¯s gonna die if you don¡¯t get over here! We were expecting grunts, not a tyranitar!¡± The slightest of pauses, enough for Hoshi to open his mouth but not order an attack, retreat, or whatever else his overworked brain would have spewed out. ¡°Plan E! Either you get us out of here, or I will!¡±

    Another half-beat. ¡°Guts, Swift-¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± came another feminine voice ¨C from directly behind him. Hoshi whirled, the simple motion pushing him to the limit, and saw Janine Doksu, the Fuchsia City Gym Leader, tapping a ball against her thigh. She was injured ¨C actually injured, unlike Tsuyu. Gashes and electrical burns went through her uniform and the skin underneath, and her wiry hair was streaked with mud.

    The ball fell from her hand. Stars erupted from Guts¡¯s mouth ¨C easily twice as large as her previous Swift, Hoshi noted, eyes widening as the chemicals in his blood were flooded out by every drop of adrenaline his body had found. The attack went forward in slow-motion-

    Only to be blocked by a weezing. ¡°Plan E,¡± Janine said, cradling one arm with the other. ¡°I truly hope none of you die. I¡¯d been trying to avoid that ¨C but Miss Tsuyu isn¡¯t wrong, either.¡± A puff of smoke, pitch black and completely opaque as it reached its tendrils around the weezing, and then her voice echoed out from the trees. ¡°If you do make it? Stay down.¡±

    And then Hoshi was flying. He tumbled across the ground, getting a mouthful of leaves and dirt, and there was a moment of disorientation before he put together what happened. Puce threw me- Puce!

    Standing was impossible, but he could at least turn himself in the proper direction. Puce was folded over, wrestling the metre-wide gasbag to the ground as light shone from its numerous craters.

    He tried to reach for his power ¨C one last-ditch attempt, a psychic barrier or teleport or something, but he was empty. Hoshi was once more a normal man, half-paralysed and dripping blood from the hole where a knife had been before he¡¯d been smashed against the ground. He let go of the hope in his chest as he fumbled for his Pok¨¦balls. Not the transforming cartoon hero after all. ¡°Return,¡± he cried, rescuing Guts from the imminent Explosion. ¡°Return,¡± he called again, and Crow¡¯s keening Supersonic faded to echoes. ¡°Return!¡±

    With one last holler, Venus disappeared from where she¡¯d been furiously chopping at the weezing. For a moment his vision miraculously cleared, and he saw the last moment of the battle in its entirety.

    On the furthest edge Ryan, Kenny, and Mimi were cuffed to a tree. They¡¯ll probably survive. The rookies were looking around, confused about their opponent¡¯s sudden retreat, and Bart ¨C Bart¡¯s expression was widening panic and grim realisation fighting for space as he caught the lightshow and faint organic rumbling. He raised his arm, the kabuto clinging to it acting as a shield. Might live, might die. An okay chance. Then there was Cliff. The Rocket Enforcer was bounding towards Puce and the Gym Leader¡¯s Pok¨¦mon, his hand outstretched, his mouth very slowly forming an order to the near-legendary Pok¨¦mon at his side. His team will protect him. He lives.

    Puce would absolutely die. Hoshi put his own chances at very bad. Casca¡­

    He looked back, but no shock of orange hair peeked out from behind a tree. Please live. Please¡­

    There was a terrible tremor, worse than the Earthquake that had created the battlefield ¨C not stronger, but ominous in its sickening certainty. Hoshi¡¯s eyes watered at the intensity of the weezing¡¯s building attack, harsh light spilling from every pore, and in the most final of final moments he found one last emotion in his heart: resentment. It won¡¯t even die from it. No, just us.

    Time resumed-

    And a massive amount of pink jelly came spilling up from the ground, encasing the weezing.

    ¡°To protect the world from devastation!¡±

    ¡°To unite all peoples within our nation!¡±

    Hoshi blinked. Again. His mouth gaped ¨C and then he began to laugh as the jellicent spat Puce out.

    ¡°To denounce the evils of truth and love!¡±

    ¡°To extend our reach to the stars above!¡±

    The sound was ragged, stained with blood and a faint edge of bile, but he couldn¡¯t stop. Hoshi continued to laugh as the ghost type Pok¨¦mon bloated grotesquely for a moment, then returned to its proper jellyfish shape. Smoke poured from its eyes and mouth as it spat the deflated weezing out like a sad balloon.

    He continued to laugh as the balls around his prone body wiggled. He continued to laugh as they discharged his Pok¨¦mon. He continued to laugh as a red-haired woman and blue-haired man revealed themselves, stepping out of the trees.

    ¡°This was an endurance fight,¡± he choked out as Jesse and James continued their chant. Guts nuzzled his face as Crow very slowly peeled her wings away from her face, revealing a gaping may that took up her entire torso and two slit-pupiled eyes. ¡°And you lost, auntie.¡± Venus hooted and jumped up into the threetops, then down again, her evolution having done nothing to curb her boundless energy. ¡°We held on. Good work, girls ¨C it was you three that made them flinch.¡±

    And then Hoshi Mutsu let himself lose consciousness, exhaustion taking him away before his head hit the ground.

    <hr>

    There were no dreams to mark the passage of time; one moment Hoshi was closing his eyes in a dark forest, the next he was opening them in a well-lit room. The suddenness of it caused him to gasp, which drew the attention of the person above him.

    ¡°Babe?¡± the angel whose face filled his vision said, and for a moment Hoshi couldn''t decide if he was awake, or if it was only a dream finally starting.

    Then the pain in his side flared, and he let loose a tepid chuckle. ¡°Ah¡­ ha. Hey Casca.¡±

    Her face descended and they kissed. It wasn¡¯t a particularly romantic kiss; it didn¡¯t linger, there was little movement, and his lover¡¯s lips tasted of ash and bitter medicine. But still he savoured it, for the second it lasted, only becoming aware of his surroundings as Casca pulled away.

    He was lying with his head on her lap, but they weren¡¯t alone; all the other Rockets were there, spread across a large room that was¡­ old-fashioned. Well, all the real Rockets, anyway.

    The reminder of Nerine¡¯s betrayal made his heart beat faster, and he attempted to rise ¨C and succeeded, to his mild surprise. Feel pretty okay, actually. How long did I sleep? No, before that¡­ ¡°Where are we?¡± he asked, taking in more details of the room as he moved to a sitting position. Tatami floors. Mulberry-paper walls. Actually, I can guess. ¡°Fuchsia City?¡±

    Casca smiled. ¡°Got it in one. We¡¯re inside the Gym.¡± At his incredulous look she continued. ¡°Yup! Turns out they only had like, another two people guarding the place. The rest are all up in Viridian handling the tournaments ¨C and the crisis with the Pok¨¦mon Transfer System.¡±

    Hoshi continued to look at her incredulously. Crisis? What the heck are ¨C you¡¯re doing this on purpose! His hand reached out to flick her on the forehead, and as her exaggerated reaction played out he noticed his hands were clean. That prompted him to look down. ¡°Did you bandage me up?¡±

    ¡°No, that was Cliff.¡±

    He grunted, examining his clothes. Ninja stuff. The Gym uniform? His hand brushed the tree balls on his belt, the only thing that was consistent from before he¡¯d passed out. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s stop playing around. What happened?¡±

    With a sigh, Casca let the moment of levity pass. ¡°What happened¡­ Well¡­¡±

    ¡°Actually!¡± exclaimed a voice from over his shoulder, and Hoshi jumped.

    ¡°Son of a-!¡± Well, I¡¯m recharged on fucking adrenaline, at least. ¡°Can you not do that? I just fought ninjas, uh,¡± I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have slept more than eight hours, so, ¡°Last night.¡±

    James pouted as he met Hoshi¡¯s eyes. ¡°Fine. Just this once.¡±

    Then Jessie spoke, from over Casca¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We only have a day anyway. Best get down to business.¡±

    Hoshi restrained the urge to ask what was going on again ¨C or any of his other questions, for that matter. Did you know Nerine was a spy? Was that what this was for? Are we taking over the fucking city? He¡¯d heard that Rocket had briefly taken control of Saffron over a decade ago, but that was basically an entirely different organisation. Am I a known criminal now? Is my life just¡­ over?

    James cleared his throat. ¡°The others have gotten the full appraisal, but we felt it best to let you sleep it off. To put it succinctly¡­¡±

    ¡°Due to our amazing Rocket Professors ¨C and a little help from you, Mister Mutsu ¨C Team Rocket has taken control of the Pok¨¦mon Transfer System.¡± Jessie flicked her hair, pleased.

    Me? But ¨C oh. The bug we put on the League database. A moment passed as he worked through the implications. ¡°So¡­ We have all the Pok¨¦mon in storage?¡± That¡¯s¡­ I can¡¯t even guess how big that actually is. Most trainers might only have three or four, but professional Pok¨¦mon Trainers, Rangers and Gym Trainers and people who really make a go at the Gym Challenge¡­ They¡¯ll have extra members in the system. A dozen or more, at the highest level. And those would be the strongest ones, the most trained.

    James shook his head, expression conciliatory. ¡°Unfortunately, no. We don¡¯t have the identification credentials to withdraw owned Pok¨¦mon.¡± Then his mood flipped. ¡°What we do have are the League¡¯s Pok¨¦mon ¨C the ones held in common, from dead or missing trainers.¡±

    Hoshi swallowed. ¡°And that¡¯s..?¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t exactly counted,¡± Jessie took up, ¡°But suffice to say it¡¯s enough for a big play. You¡¯ll be getting some new team members soon! But also¡­¡±

    ¡°Team Rocket had to sacrifice some things to get this far.¡±

    The two walked around the sitting pair, and Hoshi saw that they, like the rest of them, must have seen a serious battle recently. Jessie¡¯s exposed midriff was bandaged, and James¡¯s sleeves bulged in a way that suggested he¡¯d taken serious injuries up and down both arms. The way they walked also gave it away; the fatigue, the effort needed to simply move.

    They turned back, and despite the bags under their eyes they spoke with the same amount of charisma Hoshi was accustomed to. ¡°As of yesterday, the Electric Academy is no more,¡± James began.

    ¡°Our members have been exposed,¡± Jesse continued.

    ¡°And the interim Boss over in Viridian was exposed as well, so we¡¯ll have no backing on that front.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s teeth clenched. Well. That¡¯s not fucking good.

    ¡°But don¡¯t worry!¡± the two chanted together, smiling.

    Jessie pumped her left fist. ¡°It isn¡¯t all bad news. Even putting the bounty of Pok¨¦mon we¡¯ve acquired aside, we¡¯ve had victories!¡±

    James pumped his right. ¡°That¡¯s right! Our operations in Saffron and Mahogany are coming along swimmingly!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve defeated several members of the Elite Four!¡±

    ¡°And, at long last, the scientific endeavours that we¡¯ve poured so much capital into are finally bearing fruit!¡±

    Hoshi was silent for a moment as their back-and-forth ended, the Rocket Executives obviously waiting for his response. ¡°¡­The Elite Four?¡± he finally asked, after a poke in the side from Casca.

    ¡°Indubitably!¡±

    Jessie let loose a noblewoman¡¯s laugh ¨C which was startlingly similar to Kiribo¡¯s, actually. ¡°I wish we¡¯d been there! Seeing Will and Sabrina get trounced-¡±

    ¡°And that young upstart from Ecruteak, too!¡±

    ¡°-Must have been a terrible shock for their egos!¡±

    Hoshi blinked. Sabrina? What? Are you ¨C are you fucking with me too? ¡°Could you¡­ start from the top?¡±

    The Rocket duo smiled even wider. Wait, where¡¯s Meowth? He¡¯s usually made an appearance by now. ¡°Sorry Senior Grunt, but there¡¯s no time!¡±

    They posed, inviting his eyes to look in the space between ¨C and Hoshi saw that they''d been standing in front of a whiteboard that he hadn¡¯t paid any attention to. ¡®TEAM ROCKET STRIKES BACK!¡¯ was printed across the board in multicoloured marker, a bulletpoint list in more sane black written below.

    Jessie began. ¡°We have somewhere between a few hours and a day before the League has enough wiggle room to send anyone all the way here.¡±

    ¡°So the first order of operations is: reconnecting with our remaining forces in Vermillion!¡±

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll head over to Saffron where we¡¯ve had a secret base set up¡­¡±

    ¡°Get outfitted by the Professors¡­¡±

    ¡°And then the grand finale: crashing the Indigo Nationals on live television! Everyone will know-¡±

    ¡°From the teeniest tot to the grouchiest granny!¡±

    ¡°-That Team Rocket is shooting for the moon!¡±

 Interlude - Elite

    ¡®What makes a Pok¨¦mon Master?¡¯

    It was a question that Will Zelcovia often pondered, and the one that occupied his mind as he idly flipped a coin. The cavernous expanse of an abandoned Saffron warehouse stretched in all directions, the distant walls little more than a suggestion in the darkness rather than anything solid or real.

    Heads.

    On its face, it could not have been more insipid; it was comparable to asking what shade of blue the sky was.

    Heads.

    The sky was sky blue. A Pok¨¦mon Master was a master of Pok¨¦mon.

    Heads.

    But that oversimplification was, though true ¨C and, honestly, more profound than it sounded ¨C not the whole picture. ¡°Is it?¡± he spoke aloud, flicking the polished bronze coin into the air yet again.

    His question echoed off the corrugated steel of the room¡¯s walls, and as silence followed Will entertained the thought that, perhaps, he had misjudged the situation.

    But no, of course he hadn¡¯t. Another heads revealed itself as he caught the disc in his open palm, and Sabrina Jujuba, Gym Leader of Saffron City, stepped out of the darkness.

    ¡°Is what?¡± came her voice. Chilly in structure, but not cold.

    No, it was Will¡¯s smile that was cold. ¡°Come now,¡± he projected across the empty space, ¡°Are we really going to play this old game?¡±

    Heads.

    Sabrina, Gym Leader of Kanto¡¯s Eastern Capital since the age of nine, did not frown. Not a single muscle in her face moved, except those that were necessary for the base mechanics of speech. ¡°I don¡¯t do that anymore.¡±

    His smile stretched wider, completely bereft of amusement. ¡°So you say, Gym Leader.¡± As though any person, be they purest good or most terrible evil, could resist making use of true mind reading.

    The warehouse fell silent for a moment. It really did look completely mundane; Rocket had done a sublime job in hiding it. But Saffron was as much a collection of gang hideouts stacked on top of each other as it was a city, and so an actually empty space stood out. Like a golden needle amid a sea of tarnished silver.

    He flipped his coin again, receiving another heads. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Sabrina asked as the slight sound of bronze striking silk faded to echo.

    ¡°The same reason you are,¡± he answered. ¡°The same reason you¡¯re wearing your battle uniform.¡±

    This time, Sabrina expressed herself with her face, as well as her words; her eyebrows came together, the edges of her lips turning down. Ah, but there¡¯s no spark to it. It¡¯s a mannequin¡¯s expression; no subtle muscle movement, nothing subconscious. Two out of ten ¨C you really need to practice your acting, Gym Leader. ¡°You received a vision as well?¡±

    He almost laughed. As though I could ever. Foresight was already rare, and paired with the amount of power necessary to see more than a handful of seconds¡­ There were maybe ten people on the continent who could boast that combination, and half of them had reduced themselves to barely-functional dreamwalkers from its use. Will¡¯s eyes looked up from Sabrina¡¯s red-and-black clad form, breaking his eyes from her silky black hair and porcelain skin and curves that should have provoked something, anything other than an almost religious terror in him, and yet didn¡¯t.

    As though I could do anything other than perform. The abandoned warehouse truly did resemble a cavern; there was a patina of crusty black across its roof, the result of years worth of smoke ¨C the Night Folk had treated this building poorly, as had the gang before them, and the gang before them. He ignored the exact words of her question, choosing to let his performer¡¯s mask slip just slightly; his smile went flat, his shoulders tensing. ¡°Team Rocket is planning something. My operatives are disappearing.¡± He shifted in place. ¡°Putting certain facts together¡­ I believe they¡¯ll come after you, Gym Leader. Sometime today.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Yes. We will fight three of them. Someone will die.¡±

    He shivered at the thoughtless certainty in her voice. When one thought the word psychic, it was impossible not to think of Sabrina ¨C whether you were a dogmatic Arcean who sneered and made the sign of the halo, or a fellow mystic who looked up at the highest peak in mingling frustration and awe, it was impossible to divorce the woman from Kanto¡¯s perception of her entire kind.

    He hated her for that, nearly as much as he admired her. She was their greatest fears and most fervent hopes walking unashamed, unhidden, unmasked. If Sabrina of Saffron had never existed, people would fear him less, respect him less. He had been a member of Indigo¡¯s Elite Four for eleven years, and yet he couldn¡¯t even conceive of ever becoming a tenth as influential.

    No, Will Zecovia was only a magician; standing in the same room as a monster, his card tricks were revealed as nothing more than a sad illusion.

    And yet¡­ He flipped the coin again. Heads. Seven in a row, how fortuitous. ¡°What did you see, in those crystal balls of yours?¡±

    Her eyes, both irises a light shade of pink, blinked. Her head tilted, weightless black strands moving as though underwater, moving chaotically but never threatening to cross her face. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question, when I walked in. Is what?¡±

    Will¡¯s eyes crinkled at the edges beneath his mask. ¡°Is being a master of Pok¨¦mon enough to call oneself a Pok¨¦mon Master?¡± You fought him, didn¡¯t you? The way I fought the other one. Is it just that? There has to be something more ¨C otherwise, why do the rest of us fail?

    Sabrina¡¯s frown disappeared. ¡°I cannot say,¡± she answered. ¡°I don¡¯t even consider myself to be a particularly skilled trainer.¡±

    He nodded back, his gut churning with a dozen emotions brought on by the slight hint of envy in her voice. The grass is always greener, isn¡¯t it? How laughable. I would trade anything in the world to be able to communicate with my Pok¨¦mon the way you can, and yet despite having that gift from birth you lack the tactical skill to leverage it. One deaf, the other blind¡­

    The two psychics stared at each other across the empty expanse for a long moment, communicating a novel¡¯s worth of information through the silence.

    And then, footsteps. Three pairs, each with a different gait: one long, the other two short. Two with even, self-assured strides, while the third had an almost drunken aspect.

    A flash of red as Sabrina¡¯s alakazam released itself, and the dreary building was briefly illuminated by more than the morning sun filtered through shuddered windows. Will saw their fated opponents ¨C and, for a moment, was flummoxed.

    An atrocious bowl cut atop a greasy face, white coat partially concealing a sweater vest that toed the line between academic and pretentious. A bamboo cane, twirling through the air as its holder all but waltzed into view to the rhythm of some non-existent beat.

    ¡°My Gym Trainers are still in place,¡± Sabrina distantly noted. ¡°How did you get by them? That shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±

    Kim Kimigawa? The Porygonamous scientist? The man was a mid-level battler at best, and his two companions were no better. A pair of researchers and someone too inconsequential to even hit my desk. This is who Rocket sent to take Saffron from Sabrina?

    But he tucked his second-hand offense away as the trio approached. No, now came the performance. Will¡¯s smile went wide as he took in the two labcoat-wearing men walking a step behind their companion. ¡°Professors Kimigawa and Mokusen. And..?¡±

    The third, leading Rocket sneered. He was the most intimidating of the trio, at least in appearance; aristocratic features marred by a touch of baby fat, black hair streaked with dark, garnet red in a messy ponytail, with irises of that same shade peering out from the crystal-clear glass of a pair of silver-rimmed spectacles. Where the other two wore outfits designed for a sterile laboratory, this man was outfitted in the heavy jacket of a professional battler.

    But this was no Ace Trainer; the thick R made no attempt to conceal itself, burning a brighter red ¨C fresh blood rather than wine-dark crystal ¨C across the front of his chest. A bulky machine was worn on his back, like a metallic backpack, and his expression was vicious.

    He raised a Pok¨¦ball, the tool enclosed by heavy-gloved fingers. ¡°Arlo Aiki, Rocket Executive,¡± the criminal spat in an equally heavy Unovan accent. ¡°What luck. We¡¯ll be confiscating your Pok¨¦mon as well, Elite.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Go go go!¡±

    The police arcanine went through the front door at its Jenny¡¯s hollered order, while a dozen magneton did the same through the second-story walls.

    No windows. In hindsight it seems so obvious, but we never even gave it a thought, did we?

    At the same time Owen was watching the surface team go in with his naked eyes, he was also seeing the second group do the same through a screen ¨C or screens, rather. They were the only things in the surveillance van besides himself and the police chief; screens and screens blanketing each wall like glass tumours. I¡¯ve never been a part of one of these before. They¡¯ll have heard us by now ¨C I wonder, do they have contingencies for this? The old Rocket hideouts did, but this new organisation is a different animal.

    A number of the screens went brilliant white, then returned to darkness ¨C except one, which showed only static. A vibration passed through Owen¡¯s feet as he pressed down on the corresponding button, as though the shockwave had become an ephemeral tether for the van¡¯s radio suite to travel along. ¡°Surge, your camera¡¯s gone. Any issues?¡±

    No response for a tense moment¡­ And then the screen flicked back on to show the aftermath of the electrodes¡¯ synchronized Explosion. ¡°Shoddy junk,¡± the Gym Leader replied as his body cam bobbed. The view went forward, smoke streaming around Surge¡¯s body as he went from carefully-dug but still naturalistic diglett tunnels to the concrete halls of the Electric Academy¡¯s basement. ¡°Can¡¯t even handle a little shock, not like real gear. Am I coming through now, pencil-neck?¡±

    Owen suppressed a sigh. ¡°Yes sir. I¡¯ll keep quiet so as not to distract you, but don¡¯t hesitate to call in if you need backup.¡±

    A sharp bark of laughter, and then Surge muted himself again. Through the screen Owen saw the Vermilion Gym Trainers fanning out with military precision ¨C even the younger teenagers.

    It brought back bad memories, but he shoved them away. War¡¯s over, Owen. And your job is to make sure it stays over.

    A minute passed as he and the Police Chief directed their respective agents. The Jennys moved with zeal, taking out Rocket Grunts ¨C In the uniform? Right here, not a hundred metres from the open streets? ¨C so his own Indigo League officials could secure each room behind them. Like high tide gradually devouring a section of coastline, their combined forces took the Electric Academy under their control one hallway after the other.

    And yet¡­ ¡°League Inspector,¡± the chief said, voicing the tension they were both feeling. ¡°Any idea why it¡¯s just grunts?¡±

    Neither the Jennys, nor the League trainers, nor Surge and his employees, had fought anything other than peons. Not a single evolved Pok¨¦mon among the lot of them. This has to be a trap ¨C but how?

    The old Rocket had liked to stuff the walls of their hideouts with voltorb, according to the stack of notes he¡¯d poured over religiously in preparation for today. But that wasn¡¯t possible here; the walls were, paradoxically, too thick. Wires, pipes, and human-sized passageways were strewn throughout the structure, the components clearly visible to their instruments. There was no room left to hide any explosive Pok¨¦mon ¨C and by the same token, it was unlikely they were walking into a gas trap, or anything else hidden in the building¡¯s nooks and crannies.

    No. The trick, if there was one, would come from one of the larger rooms. Owen turned the chief¡¯s question around in his head, but no answer jumped out.

    If they were fighting some two-bit operation running out of a shop¡¯s basement or something, he would have accepted the situation as a tactical error; the bosses trying to wear the police down before making their escape, when they should have been pushing all together to break the encirclement. But this was Jessie Oakley and James Kidd, two of the most infamous ¨C maybe the most infamous ¨C smugglers in Indigo¡¯s history.

    ¡°Most likely?¡± Owen replied after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°They managed to catch our scent ahead of time. The grunts are only here to keep the lights on; Jessie, James, and the rest of the leadership are long gone.¡±

    The chief grunted back, and another tense minute of ominously simple clearing passed them by, the only issues for the officers being the labyrinthine layout of the building. Several blue-haired women accidentally attacked each other as they met at poor angles, but so far there hadn¡¯t been any damage a Potion couldn¡¯t fix.

    Then Surge found the hostages.

    <hr>

    Koichi Tatsujin disliked flying by Pok¨¦mon.

    Perhaps there was a witty statement to be made there ¨C something about the fighting type¡¯s inherent weaknesses, as though he himself had inherited his chosen specialisation¡¯s esoteric traits though gradual osmosis.

    But in truth, it had nothing to do with his status as a martial artist.

    No, he simply preferred the nice, solid aluminum chassis of an airplane over the wild motions of a giant bird ¨C or undulating serpent, in today¡¯s case. Even the most physics-defying Pok¨¦mon had to flap its wings, had to bob and jerk with the motions of the wind, had to give over some of its ¨C and its passenger¡¯s ¨C autonomy to nature.

    Those were things a plane did not appear to need to do; even if reality did not entirely match that appearance, it meant he couldn¡¯t see the illusion break with his eyes. It irked him, that even the twenty-and-change-foot-long gyarados he was riding on could not completely control its motions as it swam through the sky, flying towards the great stadium in Viridian City¡¯s heart.

    As they descended he looked to the side, to see that his fellow Elite, Karen Rosewood, was as laid-back in the air as she was on the ground. She was not riding atop a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s back as he and the Champion were, but rather gliding with the aid of her honchkrow. The avian monster affected as leisurely an air as its mistress, flapping its wings only occasionally as it stood on the edge of the hanglider¡¯s rigid structure.

    ¡°Drop in three,¡± Clair called from the front, and Koichi refocused his attention forwards. ¡°Two. One.¡±

    Her dragonite dove, and the gyarados between his legs needed no order to follow. Koichi¡¯s stomach moved to his throat as the three pairs of trainer and Pok¨¦mon dropped like lead weights, buildings coming up on either side ¨C and then it abruptly slid all the way down to the bottom of his gut as they leveled out, no more than a foot of leeway between them and the pavement.

    The Karate Master let out a breath. Hopefully the rest of today will be less of an ordeal than getting here. The thought brought a sarcastic twitch to his lips, and as the three Elites landed directly in front of the Viridian City Gym it lingered.

    As if.

    The large courtyard around the building¡¯s entrance had been kept mostly clear, just as Clair had requested; the only people inside were the Jennys and League officials that were securing the area, while the crowd of morning challengers, tourists, and other visitors milled about behind the ephemeral line of government authority. Koichi dismounted, took a moment to appreciate the ability to dictate his own movements, and then walked towards the arching entrance to the Gym as the gyarados disappeared.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± a League employee greeted as he jogged up to Clair¡¯s side. ¡°Everything is in place.¡±

    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s get this done.¡±

    Koichi came up alongside her, followed closely by Karen, and for a moment Clair simply stood and looked at the imposing stadium with clenched teeth. Despite her words, Indigo¡¯s Champion seemed hesitant to actually step forwards.

    He understood why. They were here to ¡®congratulate¡¯ the Gym Leader for ¡®another successful year,¡¯ but it was entirely possible that the lie had been seen through. Unfortunately, this wasn¡¯t a problem that could be solved by careful deliberation; if people saw the tension in the Champion¡¯s shoulders, the story might break early ¨C and poorly. ¡°Are we going?¡± he nudged, and Clair¡¯s scowl deepened.

    ¡°He must know what¡¯s happening,¡± Clair replied. ¡°He must. There¡¯s no way he doesn¡¯t have at least one plant, between all the money and political connections.¡±

    Koichi frowned. Then, he did something that was perhaps unwise: he put a full-power punch into the woman¡¯s bony shoulder, not holding back even a little.

    Clair moved a startlingly small distance, then snarled. ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t push me, I¡¯m on edge.¡±

    Karen shook her head, her arms crossing as a soft smile curved her lips. ¡°The meathead is right, Clair. Whether Archer knows or not doesn¡¯t change anything. C¡¯mon, I¡¯ve got other stuff to do today.¡±

    Her irreverence hit in a way it usually didn¡¯t, and some of the tension contained in the Champion¡¯s muscles relaxed. She huffed out something that wasn''t quite a laugh, then turned to the entrance and walked forward. ¡°Yeah,¡± she sent back to the Elites following at her heels. ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t worry. He¡¯s just a bug catcher, right?¡±

    The sarcasm, too, hit right. Koichi brushed a finger across the balls on his belt. As if.

    <hr>

    Jiei Enoki disliked Goldenrod City.

    Even as the emotion passed through his head, the exact source of it remained mysterious. Goldenrod had never done anything to harm him; its buildings were pleasant enough to look at, its streets wide and even and cheerful. The great docks on its western edge were beautiful, harmonising with nature in a way Olivine¡¯s industrious constructions very much did not.

    But despite all that, Jiei was uneasy. There is something here, he thought as he walked the streets, a brisk morning fog dampening his robes. Something dark ¨C something else dark, I mean, separate from the Ankoku. Something that wasn¡¯t even hiding, necessarily, but openly woven into the city¡¯s foundations. Goldenrod stank of money, of greed and exploitation.

    It was an unkind thought, and he admonished himself for it as he gently opened the door to Extravagant Coffee and Wonderful Pastries. Ecruteak, the home he loved so much, came by its sinister reputation honestly; why did this city unsettle him, when one with literal skeletons in its figurative closet brought only comfort?

    The thought passed as a heavyset woman approached. ¡°Hello, sir. Feel free to sit anywhere ¨C should I bring you a menu?¡±

    ¡°Just some coffee, thank you. Might I use the restroom?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll get you the key. Medium?¡±

    He nodded, and took a seat. The shop was heavy with sweet scents, coffee and sugar and bread. I wonder, do the employees know? Are they Ankoku themselves? Jiei knew very little about Johto¡¯s sole ninja clan; that was Karen and Will¡¯s area of expertise, and the rest of them were generally happy to let them handle the¡­ shady side of things.

    Really, it should be one of them here¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel I¡¯ll make a mess of it. But the Champion was afraid of being too predictable, and so the dark specialist had gone to fight Indigo¡¯s strongest bug trainer while Will went to bolster Sabrina in the heart of Kanto¡¯s criminal underbelly. Jiei thought maybe that was going too far in the opposite direction, but¡­

    Well, what did he know? His career as an Elite had been spent soundly failing to step into the memory of Agatha Kikuko¡¯s shoes, his efforts paling in comparison to those of his seniors.

    A small bush among mighty pines, how could I give advice when their wisdom so evidently eclipses mine?

    The waitress brought him his coffee along with the key, and he couldn¡¯t resist the opportunity to procrastinate. The drink wasn¡¯t quite to his tastes, but he savoured the time it allowed him to spend before he would need to do his job.

    As the cup emptied it was as though the bitter liquid seeped up into his thoughts, turning them to further melancholy the more he drank ¨C until a voice jarred him back to reality.

    ¡°Hello again, sir. Is everything fine?¡±

    No. I don¡¯t want to be here. I don¡¯t want to talk to these mysterious people, with their knives and poisons and secrets. ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am. The coffee is quite good.¡±

    The red-haired woman smiled and sat, to his quiet unease. ¡°Glad to hear it. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that you seem sad, though.¡±

    Do I? Unfortunate. He attempted a smile, but it no doubt came out wooden. ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t trouble yourself. I am simply in a¡­ strange place in my life.¡±

    She nodded, solemn. ¡°Yeah, I get that. It feels like things are going crazy ¨C it feels like Kanto¡¯s ministry have all come out as imperialists overnight. My boyfriend was talking to me the other day¡­ he said he was thinking about checking out one of those secessionist rallies. Can you imagine?¡±

    Jiei¡¯s smile became more real as he ceased attempting to inject any happiness into it, the sad expression reaching up to his eyes and down to his chin. ¡°Yes, it does feel like that sometimes, doesn¡¯t it? Like the world has gone mad.¡± As above, so below. As below, so above. The highest leaf cannot divorce itself from the soil¡¯s bounty, nor can the questing root live without the rays of the sun. ¡°But it is not so. The challenges we face are the same as those of our forebearers; they persisted, and so we shall as well.¡±

    ¡°Zen,¡± the woman commented. ¡°What brings you down from Ecruteak, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±

    The smile slackened as the melancholy was pushed out. ¡°What gave me away?¡±

    ¡°Oh, who can say?¡± She tittered. ¡°The shaved head, maybe? The robes?¡±

    The waxed cardboard cup ran empty, and with it his last excuse to linger. ¡°My profession,¡± he answered as he stood. His hand found the key resting on the table¡¯s edge. ¡°Please excuse me, I need to use the restroom.¡±

    The room looked normal. Of course it does. Did you expect differently? A foolish notion, one that caused his lips to quirk even as gastly streamed from his sleeves. ¡°The hidden door, thank you.¡±

    Karen had explained how to get in, but following her instructions proved unnecessary; his ghosts merrily uncovered four separate concealed passages, fiddling with their mechanisms in malicious curiosity. The Heavenly Medium descended down beneath the building, through a locker room, and into the heart of the Ankoku base.

    Doors opened ahead of him, his benefactors speeding his way ¨C and making a show of power, of course, since certain people would refuse to respect anyone who comported themselves with a touch of humility. Oh my, I really am in a bad mood. I¡¯ll have to meditate again later¡­ Another door, another, and then he found a knife to his throat. ¡°Hello,¡± he greeted the woman who wielded it; he could not see her, but the Ankoku only fielded female agents. ¡°I am Jiei Enoki, member of the Indigo League¡¯s Elite Four. You should have been alerted to my coming ahead of time; I would like to speak to the Matriarch.¡±

    The knife stayed in place, not moving in the slightest, and he felt the eerie sensation of spirits pressing against the underside of his skin. Their eagerness to witness potential violence fought with his desire to keep them contained ¨C and, at least for the moment, Jiei¡¯s will won out. Long seconds passed, and then-

    ¡°You may step forward. Do not release any Pok¨¦mon, or make any threatening moments.¡± The blade withdrew.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He did as he was instructed, passing through another doorway and into a room with many screens taking up three of the walls. An older woman in tight clothing stood in the centre, a mask of dark cloth covering her face. ¡°Jiei Enoki,¡± she rasped. ¡°The Heavenly Medium. To what do we owe the honour?¡±

    Jiei inclined his head. ¡°Matriarch. Apologies, but I feel the need to answer your question with a question ¨C perhaps a very silly one.¡± Silence. ¡°Are you aware that the donut shop across from this building is a Team Rocket hideout?¡±

    <hr>

    Will took his cue. ¡°My Pok¨¦mon? Certainly.¡± A continuous flash as his team revealed themselves, all six of them coalescing from red light in the time it took to blink. ¡°Simply come up on stage and retrieve them, brave volunteer.¡±

    His smile widened in the ensuing silence. ¡°Though I insist you hold up your end of the performance before I dole out the payment.¡± Arlo Aiki ¨C that name rings a bell. Unovan¡­ Something about the Battle Company  A shareholder? A scientist?

    A quiet ¡°Hoo!¡± sounded out, and the Rocket Executive¡¯s expression twisted, his voice dripping with yet thicker arrogance.

    ¡°Performance? I suppose you could call it that. But enough talk ¨C I have a trick of my own. Behold the power of Team Rocket, peasants!¡±

    The machine on his back hummed as it activated, and at the same time a ball went first to Arlo¡¯s hand, then to the ground as a wave of something passed through Will¡¯s body. A scizor appeared, and the metallic buzz of its wings joined with whatever the machine was doing ¨C but those sounds were secondary, drowned out by something more distressing: a wet splashing as Sabrina vomited and collapsed to her knees.

    ¡°My head,¡± she choked out, gagging as her hair lost its weightless quality. Her alakazam drifted forward, eyes wide, and Will grit his teeth. He was suddenly feeling nauseous as well ¨C and more importantly, the telekinetic hold he had on his coin had disappeared. But despite the distress of his ally, Will smiled. You think that will be enough? The alakazam still floated, and the jynx at his side did nothing more than trill with curiosity. A mere gimmick ¨C our Pok¨¦mon aren¡¯t affected in the least!

    ¡°Trick Room,¡± he called. ¡°You all know how this one goes ¨C but do try and leave something worth interrogating.¡±

    ¡°So it does work,¡± the other Rocket Scientist ¨C Dabi Mokusen, distinctively short and bespectacled ¨C said as he toyed with his own Pok¨¦ball. ¡°I had my doubts, but I suppose not everything you make is a forgery.¡±

    Will¡¯s bronzong engulfed half the room in twisting dimensions as Slowking and Grumpig advanced, their slow motions paradoxically covering more distance as the thickly layered spacial folds blanketed local reality. Another echoing laugh flew through the air as Kimigawa released a hypno and porygon2, Mokusen doing the same with-

    Ah. There¡¯s the twist.

    A machamp, joined by a kadabra, graveler, and an exeggutor of his own. Will¡¯s bipedal tree looked affronted, ecstatic, and bored as it took in its fellow, its three heads not aligned in the slightest as Jynx and Gardevoir moved to engage the new enemies.

    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk!¡± Arlo cried as two unfamiliar Pok¨¦mon joined his scizor. Those are¡­ ¡°As if your work is anything other than your mother¡¯s notes fed through a shredder!¡± ¡­Golurk and the evolved form of anorith. A ghost and another bug type, unfortunate.

    ¡°Imprison!¡± I suppose I¡¯ll have to let Devon Co. know that someone leaked their proprietary Pok¨¦mon. Something to look forward to.

    The line of battle went from orderly to chaotic very nearly instantly as the four teams mixed ¨C and then Sabrina managed to release the rest of her Pok¨¦mon, and it became even worse. It was actually slightly annoying to have to account for her; while her wobbuffet and slowbro were happy to make use of his Trick Room, her alakazam and espeon needed to be kept outside it lest they slow to a crawl.

    A far cry from working with the other Elite Four. But¡­

    But the added firepower was worth it. The scizor was knocked out by a Destiny Bond, the graveler following shortly after as Slowking took advantage of their respective types. Arlo revealed an empoleon which fell to Jynx, and it was in turn replaced by a steelix, the massive Pok¨¦mon making the cavernous warehouse seem cramped.

    Someone will die. Sabrina¡¯s premonition repeated itself in Will¡¯s head, and for all that he knew foresight to be far from infallible¡­ it simply refused to leave, painting each exchange in a more violent aura than actually existed.

    The steelix knocked out entirely too many of their Pok¨¦mon before it went down, but while it rampaged he and Sabrina were clearing the field as well. After a minute and a half of furious battle, the two sides disengaged to take stock.

    Hm. Not the best showing, even accounting for their psychic dampening machine. Sabrina had come away the worst, with all of her Pok¨¦mon save alakazam lost in the melee; her speedy, powerhouse espeon hadn¡¯t fared well on the confusing battlefield, while her more enduring teammates had fallen to either the armaldo¡¯s X-Scissor or machamp¡¯s superlative strength.

    That Pok¨¦mon is absurdly durable, especially accounting for the type disadvantage. Slowking had barely bruised the thing with his Psychic, which was worrying. Maybe the dampening effect does extend to our Pok¨¦mon? Will hadn¡¯t noticed any other signs of that being the case, but it was the only explanation that came to mind.

    Machamp was a powerful Pok¨¦mon, yes, but Will hadn¡¯t had too much trouble with Bruno¡¯s when they¡¯d sparred.

    Questions for later. As the various Pok¨¦mon shook off their fatigue ¨C and as Will surreptitiously pressed the emergency button on his Pok¨¦gear, just in case ¨C Arlo once again cried out across the warehouse. ¡°Hypno! What are you waiting for?! I¡¯m down to two Pok¨¦mon!¡±

    ¡°Ooh hoo! So am I, if you haven¡¯t noticed!¡±

    ¡°So do it! They didn¡¯t even send Rosewood like we feared, so why are you stalling?!¡±

    Will didn¡¯t take his eyes off the enemy, but he did turn his head slightly so he could aim a whisper at Sabrina¡¯s wretched form. Throwing one¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t what most people thought it was ¨C without psychic powers, at least ¨C but the skill did allow one to speak without moving one¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Sabrina. You should retreat and gather your Gym Trainers.¡±

    She spat, then shot back in a slightly less practised whisper. ¡°I can¡¯t teleport.¡± Then- ¡°Or walk, I don¡¯t think. I can barely see.¡±

    Will¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°Unfortunate. How is your alakazam doing?¡±

    A moment where Sabrina flinched, no doubt reaching for the telepathy that was currently unavailable for maybe the first time in her life. In her place came a different voice ¨C no, calling it a voice was inaccurate; the alakazam¡¯s communication lacked words entirely.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    It was closer to looking at an architectural blueprint, but even that metaphor was only closer, not close. For a fraction of a second Will knew the state of the psychic Pok¨¦mon¡¯s body, physical structures threaded by energy pathways supplying mental fortitude like veins supplied oxygen. It was painful, having the knowledge shoved into his head ¨C his human brain was the entirely wrong shape to receive this sort of sensory data, the fact he was himself psychic making not a whit of difference.

    But it communicated what was necessary. The alakazam was doing better than it looked, feigning weakness¡­ But still. ¡°Your alakazam can take you. I can hold out long enough for reinforcements.¡±

    ¡°I know someone will die, but not who,¡± the Gym Leader replied. ¡°If I run, and it¡¯s you¡­¡± She really did look terrible; her limbs were shaking, while her eyes were clouded and far-away. Saliva drooled from her bottom lip, joining the bile pooled under her. ¡° You asked me¡­ what I thought being a Pok¨¦mon Master was. I¡¯ll¡­¡± The Rockets¡¯ bickering filled the lull, and while Will wasn¡¯t eager to see what this mysterious ¡®it¡¯ they were fighting about was, he was grateful for the chance to regroup and let Slowking regenerate. ¡°Ask you the same thing. Does a Master run away?¡±

    He shook his head lightly, both in answer and to disparage the comparison. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just have to win, then.¡± Five Pok¨¦mon to their six, unless Mokusen has another member or two tucked into a pocket. Unlikely, but the machine on his back was more than large enough to contain a Pok¨¦ball. Interesting that their backpacks don¡¯t match. Contingencies, for if they¡¯d run into the other Elites?

    Whatever they were, it was probably best to nip it in the bud. If they¡¯re going to take their eyes off us¡­ ¡°Exeggutor, Solar Beam. Jynx-¡±

    ¡°Oh, fine!¡± Kimigawa exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯ve convinced me, so stop harping already.¡± He pressed a button on the bulky, mechanical contraption strapped to his back ¨C a much more cartoonish-looking beast than the ones his companions were wearing ¨C and a radar dish popped out from its top. And then¡­

    Seemingly nothing. Is it..? No, my ¡®gear is still working, and my Pok¨¦balls are functional. Well¡­ ¡°I think that¡¯s enough of an intermission. Let¡¯s get back to-¡±

    Again he was interrupted, but this time it was purposeful; Exeggutor¡¯s Solar Beam blasted forth, annihilating every shred of darkness from one side of the warehouse to the other.

    Or at least, it did for a fraction of a second. Then the darkness seemed to resurge, affronted, a solid tide of it gathering from the corners to become a liquidy mass. Will¡¯s breath hitched as a new wave of nausea assaulted him, this one more natural ¨C born from fear, rather than the artificial suppression of his brainwaves. No. That¡¯s not possible.

    The living shadow raced in from all sides, passing over ¨C through ¨C all of them to intercept the attack. A gengar coalesced, its mere appearance plunging the room back into gloom.

    Exeggutor¡¯s beam of sunlight dwindled, dwindled, and died a hair before it touched the fully-evolved ghost.

    <hr>

    The room was probably some sort of lab, once upon a time. It had that look to it; the equipment was gone, but you could tell from the structure. There were exactly twenty people inside, nineteen kneeling, their hands tied, and one who stood ¨C that one had a handgun. The hostage-taker was male, with black hair and a forgettable sort of face. All of them were wearing the Rocket Grunt uniform, though some were missing the hat.

    Surge took in all the preceding facts within a fraction of a second as the door opened, and before anyone on either side could react he was already making a handsign. ¡®Shock and awe.¡¯

    Blitz was paying attention, and so he sent a combo Discharge-Thunder Wave out without hesitation. It washed over the room, and partway down the hallway too before his trainers¡¯ Pok¨¦mon grounded the current into themselves.

    A strangled ¡°Hurk¡± erupted from the gunman¡¯s throat as he twitched, the exclamation joined by a handful of others among the group of what looked like hostages, but his stubborn grip kept hold of the pistol. Still, he was occupied, so Surge took the opportunity to muscle past the door.

    The Gym Leader raised his rifle as the raichu at his side prepared to fire again-

    And they both stopped dead as the twitchy Rocket pressed his gun to the scalp of a man kneeling in front of him. The soldier that still lived in Surge¡¯s head urged him to take the shot anyway, but this wasn¡¯t a military smash-and-grab ¨C his first priority had to be the civilians, and the situation was weird enough that the uniformed men and women might just count. ¡®Cease fire,¡¯ he signed, and the sparks coming from Blitz¡¯s cheeks dimmed.

    Everything froze for a moment, his people frantically explaining the situation to headquarters somewhere in the background, and for maybe ten full seconds Surge and the Rocket Grunt took each other¡¯s measure. The rifle pointed centre-mass at the convenient red R, the pistol aimed at the hostage¡¯s crown.

    He¡¯s got the guts to do it. Damn. Very slowly, Surge opened his mouth. ¡°There¡¯s exactly one way you get out of this, skinny. Put the gun down.¡± The man attempted a smile, but his facial muscles were askew; the Thunder Wave had hit everything, toe to tip. Surge could see the tension in his shoulders, travelling down to his hands and then his fingers ¨C specifically the one pulled tight against the trigger. ¡°Be rational here, buddy. We¡¯re trainers; we¡¯re not gonna kill ya if you don¡¯t make us. Put it down, nice and slow.¡±

    The crook seemed pretty insistent on playing hardball, just holding the gun in place and smiling softly when the paralysis allowed it. ¡°Captain Surge,¡± he said, voice as smooth as could be despite his rioting muscles. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to bag the big fish. You brought kids?¡±

    ¡°I brought trainers, Rocket,¡± Surge replied. Captain. Nobody¡¯s called me that in a while. ¡°You a military man? C¡¯mon, talk to me skinny.¡± Looks too young for it, but you never know. Better to keep him yapping anyway.

    The man¡¯s smile was strange ¨C almost nostalgic, but also sarcastic. ¡°Hah. The instructors are gonna flip when they find out this thing took out a bunch of teens, but¡­ Well, that¡¯s the game, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Nothing explosive in the room. Rigged up under the floor? No, Blitz would¡¯ve sniffed it out. ¡°You¡¯re acting a bit cocky there, huh?¡± Surge knew he wasn¡¯t the best person for this; he was too sharp, his face and voice too powerful. But the police negotiator would, optimistically, take at least a minute or two to get down from the ground floor. He was the guy who was here. ¡°Why don¡¯t you walk me through that. What¡¯s with these guys here?¡± No Hoshi. That¡¯s¡­

    He wasn¡¯t sure if that was good or bad. Damn it, kid. Where the heck are you?

    A subtle, incredibly resonant sound broke through the room, deep and almost too bass to register. The sound of explosives failing to penetrate a distant wall. Damn it, he cursed again. Got a feeling we won¡¯t be surprising this guy from behind anytime soon. If the Rocket noticed, he didn¡¯t react; his finger stayed on the trigger, the whites his eyes bright and his pupils little more than pinpricks. ¡°Talk it through? Not likely¡­¡± His jaw moved without sound for a moment, his eyes dipping fractionally before returning to Surge¡¯s face. ¡°¡­But maybe. Like I said, I didn¡¯t expect the Gym Leader himself to show up.¡±

    Surge¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Yeah?¡± Could maybe get him with a Quick Attack¡­ Sweat tickled the bridge of his nose, threatening to pour into his eyes. His hands were gripping the rifle with too much force, but he couldn¡¯t quite make himself ease off ¨C his hindbrain kept saying shoot, and disobeying was an active effort. The balls on his belt shook lightly as the heavier hitters of his team sensed the stress. ¡°You a fan?¡±

    That same smile again. ¡°These guys¡­ They¡¯re not actually Rocket, you know? Like, this guy.¡± The pistol¡¯s muzzle ground harder into the hostage¡¯s scalp, and Surge could feel the frustration in the bound man¡¯s body, the fear trying to break through a wall of forced calm. ¡°This guy¡¯s actually Inner Ministry. Thought he could fool us. Idiot said he was joining up to feed his kids, but didn¡¯t actually bother to get fake kids. Sloppy.¡± The word came out with real offence. ¡°That chick over there¡¯s League, the other one¡¯s Geo ¡®97. Got three Night Folk right there ¨C guess they thought they could get revenge or some shit. Didn¡¯t work out for ya, huh?¡±

    Each of the hostages reacted differently to being called out; some cowered, while others cursed, and a few just stayed still. Others tried to argue that they were loyal, but the Rocket just continued to smile.

    Another failed detonation worked itself up the curve of Surge¡¯s back. C¡¯mon, somebody break the stalemate here. ¡°You seem pretty loyal to Rocket, skinny,¡± he replied. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem to me like they deserve it. All the leadership up and left ¨C left you holding the bag.¡± Get angry. Point the gun at me ¨C or literally anywhere else. C¡¯mon!

    ¡°Looks that way, doesn¡¯t it?¡± The grunt¡¯s breath was heavy; Blitz¡¯s Discharge hadn¡¯t been at full power, but a good chunk of the shakes were from damage instead of just paralysis. He dipped again, harder, his whole head tilting down as his expression exuded frustration. He snapped back in place with a chuckle. ¡°Hah. Okay, one evil monologue ¨C just because we know each other.¡±

    Know each other?

    The man tilted alarmingly, and Surge¡¯s finger squeezed ¨C but the pistol¡¯s contact with the fake Rocket kept it in place even as its holder stumbled. ¡°Man, you got me good. Was that two moves at the same time? Never saw anything like that way back when ¨C we didn¡¯t know shit back in nineteen-ninety, huh?¡± He readjusted his footing. ¡°None of us did. We thought- we thought it¡¯d be worth something, you know? That there¡¯d be something at the end. Maybe not a medal, but like¡­ would some cash under the table have been too much to ask?¡± He laughed, and it was like his esophagus was melting ¨C one laugh came out high, the next low, one childlike, the next the chuckle of a heavyset old man.

    What the fuck? Surge wet his lips. ¡°I guess that answers my question from earlier. You¡¯re original flavour Team Rocket.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Yeah, been in since the old old days. When it was Valentina running the joint. Did the Boss ever talk about her, in your Gym Leader parties? She bought it in ninety-three.¡± His eyes were wild. ¡°Goldenrod ¨C she was on vacation. No idea how it happened.¡± Another heaving breath, the Rocket¡¯s lungs not quite able to keep up with normal inhales. ¡°The Boss always thought it was the Blue Bombers, but I think it was nobody. Just a mugging or- or some shit. Damn, I can¡¯t even remember what I was gonna say¡­¡±

    One hand came up to rub at his scalp, and again Surge¡¯s finger tightened on the trigger ¨C and, again, he restrained himself. ¡°Look man, you¡¯re obviously having a bad time. Just give it up. A cell beats a body bag, right? You didn¡¯t make it through the war just to die here.¡± Drop it. Drop the fucking gun!

    He continued to scratch ¨C and then, still keeping the muzzle of his pistol pressed firmly to the hostage¡¯s head, reached further up and pulled off his entire scalp. Surge blinked, confused for a moment before his forebrain caught up. A wig.

    The newsboy cap hit the floor, followed by the black-haired wig. Or maybe wig wasn¡¯t the word; it was hair, yeah, but also fake skin too. A second later more fake skin dropped down, the Rocket peeling his face off and discarding it like a sandwich wrapper.

    ¡°Whew,¡± he sighed. ¡°You get used to it, but it¡¯s always easier to breathe with it off, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    His real skin was more weathered, more in-line with the story he¡¯d been telling. His hair was purple-pink with touches of grey, and it was styled in a swept-back mohawk ¨C a style that Surge immediately recognised, given that he had a picture of it hung on his office wall.

    ¡°Huh,¡± the Gym Leader grunted. ¡°We really have met.¡±

    The man laughed again. Without the disguise his face had an entirely different shape, with high cheekbones that turned his expression into a natural smile. ¡°You remember? Arcus, that was so long ago. Feels like three lifetimes and a side of fries. Ha!¡±

    He continued to laugh, and Surge took the opportunity to surreptitiously unmute his radio. ¡°Pencil-neck,¡± he whispered, ¡°Where¡¯s the fucking negotiator? We¡¯ve got a damn hostage situation down here.¡±

    A crackle of static in his ear as the inspector replied. ¡°Keep him talking, Gym Leader. We¡¯ve got a few magneton almost in position ¨C be ready for everything metal in the room to go right to the ceiling.¡±

    <hr>

    They found Apollo in the Gym¡¯s heart, right at the edge of the jungle, and it was immediately apparent that he knew.

    For a congratulations from the Champion? He would¡¯ve had cameras around. His Gym Trainers cleaned up and in a line behind him. A slightly less martial suit of armour, one that showed his face at least.

    But no. The Gym was dark, with the only light being filtered down through the glass sections of the closed-off roof. The Gym Trainers weren¡¯t even attempting to hide their hostility, forming a blockade on either side of the entrance tunnel and sending jeers at the trio of Elites.

    It made Koichi¡¯s palms itch with the urge to throw a Pok¨¦ball.

    But of course, the biggest hint was Archer himself; he wasn¡¯t just wearing his full ¡®Great Green Shogun¡¯ attire, but he¡¯d gone the extra mile and slapped a patch over the heart ¨C red R on black felt.

    The martial artist made his way forward in Clair¡¯s wake, noting how now that the ambiguity had disappeared, the Champion was calm. She stopped twenty metres from where the Gym Leader was seated ¨C just on a plastic chair, but with the way he lounged Apollo made it look like a throne.

    ¡°Carl Apollo, Gym Leader of Viridian City,¡± Clair began. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you know why we¡¯re here.¡±

    The figure in green chitin sat silent for a long second. Body double? Could be he already booked it. But no, when he spoke it was in the same voice Koichi was familiar with. ¡°Champion. I¡¯ve always wondered this, but I never thought I¡¯d get the chance to ask.¡± He stood, the motion smooth despite the thick armour plates covering every inch of his body. ¡°Do you ever have nightmares? Of when Mewtwo took your arm? Do you bolt awake in a cold sweat, the pain of it fresh like it had happened all over again?¡±

    The Dragon Empress snarled. ¡°Really? A crack about my arm, that¡¯s what you¡¯re opening with? You¡¯re under arrest, Apollo.¡±

    The Gym Trainers jeered harder. ¡°I remember my darkest moment,¡± their leader continued. ¡°Every time I close my eyes. When we got the broadcast off, and¡­ nothing happened. Under arrest¡­ Ha. What charges could you possibly leverage?¡±

    ¡°Treason.¡±

    The crowd¡¯s volume increased even further. ¡°Ha,¡± Apollo laughed again. ¡°Ha, ha. Treason. Do you expect me to go quietly?¡±

    Clair didn¡¯t mince words; her dragonite and kingdra appeared in twin flashes, the dragons¡¯ displeasure adding to the situation¡¯s menacing air. ¡°I¡¯d be disappointed if you did. The Moltres didn¡¯t put up quite as much of a fight as I¡¯d expected, you know?¡±

    Another laugh from Apollo, the sound growing as his followers¡¯ exclamations went silent. ¡°Ha¡­ The Moltres. What a debacle that was. You aren¡¯t blaming me for that, are you?¡±

    ¡°No. Just the standard smuggling and murder and all that.¡± Clair¡¯s fist clenched. ¡°The rest of Indigo¡¯s traitors will be dealt with appropriately ¨C but you¡¯re the worst of them, so you get to skip the line.¡±

    ¡°Hah¡­ Do you expect me to feel honoured?¡± From the Gym- no, from the Rocket Boss¡¯s belt came a full team of Pok¨¦mon, entirely different from the ones he used in his official matches.

    A houndoom, a golbat, a weezing, a magmar, a misdreavus, and an octillery. Each of them put off an aura of power ¨C this was an Elite-level team. Maybe even a Champion-level team.

    More flashes as the lesser Rockets released their own Pok¨¦mon, the warbling electronic sounds melting into one as the three Elites were surrounded from all sides.

    ¡°You can¡¯t think you¡¯ll win,¡± Karen commented, her tone lazy. ¡°You¡¯re not deluded. What¡¯s the point?¡±

    ¡°The point?¡± Apollo waved his hands, gesturing to the massive stadium they were standing inside. ¡°What a foolish question! Does a lord not defend his castle to the very end? When Giavanni failed to return, we almost broke ¨C and yet here I stand, stronger than he ever was! Come, take Viridian from me ¨C if you can!¡±

    The battle began, the tense calm turning to frenzy in an instant. Koichi was bombarded by an overlapping wave of Supersonics from a flock of zu- and golbat ¨C but rather than stumble, he smoothly lowered himself into a horse stance. Fangs gleamed, and he breathed in. They darted for his neck, and he breathed out.

    There was the smallest sliver of resistance as his punch met the back of the golbat¡¯s throat, a small slice of eternity where everything froze at the moment of impact. Then the giant bat was bowling over a dozen trainers and their Pok¨¦mon as it blasted away.

    Koichi shook out his fist. There was no need to tire out his team before the real fight; for this, his fists alone were enough.

    <hr>

    Golden Donuts and Black Coffee, read the sign. The font, colour, and position were all identical to that of the Ankoku cover business not ten metres away. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s on purpose?¡± Jiei asked.

    None of the black-clad women answered. They were silent ¨C completely silent ¨C as they moved, some flitting up to the building¡¯s roof as others positioned themselves under the windows and in the adjacent alley.

    Jiei, for his part, made no attempt to hide himself. He stood openly in front of the shop, peering into its dark windows. Closed on Sundays, I imagine. This part of it, at least. ¡°Do you think we should begin the operation?¡±

    Again, his question provoked no response. As if he were a ghost himself, the Ankoku ninja moved without any care for his presence. I suppose that¡¯s to be expected; while they serve the League in theory, in practice they have very few ties to it. I probably don¡¯t register as an authority figure, so much as an annoyance.

    Perhaps he should be offended at the slight to his station. Hah, unfortunately my title will just have to bear the indignity. I¡¯m quite enjoying being ignored for a moment.

    Ten seconds passed before everyone was in position, and without any discernible signal the Ankoku began. There was an eerie beauty to it ¨C like watching the synchronised movements of Ecruteak¡¯s Kimono Girls, if they were clad in thin black cloth that hugged every curve rather than voluminous, colourful silks. Karen would probably make a lewd comment about me noting that¡­

    As the ninja broke the windows ¨C again, with complete silence ¨C and slid inside, Jiei followed more sedately. This was a point of pride for them, and so he allowed the Ankoku to take the lead; he would only intervene if it was necessary, to avoid hurt feelings. I understand completely. If there were to be a Rocket hideout directly across from Tin Bell Tower, I would feel ashamed to not have noticed ¨C and I imagine it is many times more shameful when one¡¯s profession is subterfuge.

    The ground floor of the building continued the mirroring of its sister shop; the tables were arranged differently, but were of the same make, as was the counter that would have displayed baked goods if the place were open.

    I wonder if maybe they were just built by the same people. Maybe there¡¯s only the one small collection of secretive architects, responsible for all the hidden basements dotting Indigo¡¯s underworld.

    The silly thought released a bit of tension as the entrance to the hideout proper was revealed ¨C and again it was the same as the Ankoku¡¯s coffee shop, a trap door concealed in the bathroom. Like liquid shadows the ninja poured down the opening, and Jiei made to follow-

    ¡°Hey,¡± a voice from the street outside interrupted. ¡°Anybody here? Damnit, I should¡¯ve left earlier¡­¡±

    Who..? Jiei retreated from the bathroom. ¡°Hello? Ah, I recognize you.¡± Red hair, slightly shaggy where it cascaded down the man¡¯s head, and large grey eyes set on either side of a pointed nose. ¡°Silver, yes? I wasn¡¯t expecting a Gym Leader.¡± Clair must have sent him as backup.

    The Dragon Empress¡¯s apprentice was familiar to him, but only distantly; Jiei found the man intimidating and aloof, and preferred to avoid his piercing, intense gaze. Said gaze was particularly strong today.

    It almost felt like he was being pierced by a sword. The ghosts felt the tension too, roiling inside his body like mating eels.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me. Is it over?¡±

    Jiei shook his head. ¡°No, you¡¯re right on time. The Ankoku just entered ¨C come, let us follow.¡±

    He turned back to the secret entrance, while Silver grunted in affirmation and vaulted through a broken window. ¡°Right on time,¡± he repeated as he joined the Elite at the tunnel¡¯s mouth. ¡°I guess I am. So, you know what¡¯s down there?¡±

    Not entirely, but¡­ ¡°We believe that Rocket¡¯s Chief Executive has been using this location for at least two years ¨C likely more. I hope the Ankoku can clean things out, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Should be prepared for a fight, yeah.¡± The man ground his teeth. ¡°Well? You¡¯re the Elite, get on with it.¡±

    The tunnel, too, was eerily similar to the Ankoku¡¯s. Not necessarily in structure ¨C it twisted in different directions than the one he¡¯d followed earlier ¨C but the ambiance was identical. Jiei drew a calming breath as he prepared himself for battle. I can¡¯t hear anything, but that isn¡¯t a relief. With the distance dampening vibrations and numerous twists doing the same for sound, there could be a raging battle taking place and I wouldn¡¯t feel a thing.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Silver broke the silence. ¡°You know Clair pretty well, right?¡±

    Well is¡­ not the word I would use. ¡°I suppose we¡¯re as close as any leader and subordinate could be.¡±

    ¡°But if you say something, she¡¯d listen?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ assume so?¡± This is a strange conversation. Silver¡¯s tone was inconsistent, angry one moment and quiet the next. His face was the same, flitting between different expressions. ¡°May I ask why you ask? Are you having issues with her?¡± I don¡¯t actually know how close they are. I suppose I should be cultivating a better relationship with the Gym Leaders¡­

    He grunted again. ¡°Yeah, I guess I do. Or I will.¡±

    ¡°You-?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just ¨C she always thinks shit¡¯s about her, you get me?¡± Silver interrupted, his voice settling on angry. ¡°Everything. It was the same when she was the Blackthorn Gym Leader ¨C if she didn''t think somebody could hack it and they beat her anyway, she took it personally. Like she didn¡¯t go hard enough, and it was her fault they were stronger than she¡¯d thought. It¡¯s so stupid.¡±

    Jiei had no idea how to reply, and so he did not.

    ¡°So like¡­ She¡¯s going to try and turn this around. Act like it¡¯s her fault.¡±

    ¡°Her fault that¡­ Team Rocket had a base in Goldenrod?¡±

    ¡°No. Yeah. Whatever.¡±

    This continues to be a strange conversation. ¡°Pardon, senior, but I feel you¡¯re being a bit harsh.¡± Those intense eyes turned, and Jiei suppressed a wince. ¡°While Clair is not a very personable woman, she performs the duties of Champion quite well. Under her wings, if you¡¯ll pardon the pun, Indigo has flourished. Wild Pok¨¦mon attacks are less of a problem than they¡¯ve ever been, and our relations with foreign powers are more stable than¡­ ah, other Champions have managed.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Lance was shit. But I¡¯m not talking about her as Champion, I¡¯m¡­¡± He ground his teeth further.

    ¡°You are..?¡±

    Silence ¨C and then, a flash of danger and movement. Jiei blinked and stepped back, but was unable to dodge completely as a fully-grown feraligatr appeared and clamped its jaws around his shoulder, the teeth sharp even as they had yet to become fully physical.

    ¡°Ah! You..!¡± The roiling mass of ectoplasm in his core reached out ¨C and then stilled as the dark energy flowing through the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s teeth quieted them, blocking their ability to sense the world. Jiei¡¯s free hand reached in for the Pok¨¦balls inside his robes, his fingers numb with shock and pain, and threw a fraction of a second later.

    But his gengar failed to appear. Despite the monk having set them into active mode before even entering the Ankoku¡¯s hideout, the ball clinked to the floor at a fraction of its size. He drew another, but it was the same ¨C forced into stasis mode. ¡°You¡­ What is the meaning of this?¡±

    Silver raised his right hand, showing off a small machine. It had the shape of a television remote, but there was only a single button. An inhibitor? How? Only a small number of League officials were allowed to carry those powerful devices, which had the power to forcefully lock all Pok¨¦balls in their vicinity ¨C not even the Champion would be able to obtain one without a mountain of red tape.

    ¡°Like I said, she¡¯s going to try and turn this around. Make it about her.¡± Silver bent down, picking up the inactive Pok¨¦ball. ¡°It isn¡¯t. This doesn¡¯t have anything to do with her, alright? Tell her that.¡±

    ¡°Silver,¡± Jiei hissed. The pain in his shoulder was immense, the feraligatr''s dagger-like teeth buried fully inside his shoulder, upper arm, and chest. It was holding itself back only just enough to not pierce through bone, and as he stuffed his hand back into his robes it was like deliberately pressing hot coals to his flesh. ¡°This is mad. Why side with Rocket?¡± They had two Gym Leaders, this entire time? How could this have happened? Apollo was one thing, but Silver had been an honorary member of the Blackthorn clan since he¡¯d been a child, Jiei knew that much at least. What loyalty could remain strong for so many years, while being showered in accolades from another?

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about Rocket,¡± Silver answered. His expression twisted in distaste as he spoke, as though the words were sour. ¡°This isn¡¯t about that.¡±

    ¡°Then why-¡±

    ¡°Silver,¡± breathed a feminine voice from behind Jiei¡¯s back, and he dearly wished he could twist his head far enough to see who made it. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡±

    Silver¡¯s face continued to twist in distaste. ¡°Mom. Yeah. C¡¯mon, the kid¡¯s already called for backup.¡± He threw his chin, gesturing back down the tunnel as Jiei winced. So he noticed me using my Pok¨¦gear. But he didn¡¯t stop me..?

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come,¡± the voice continued. Jiei had a sinking feeling he knew who this was, and that hunch was confirmed as Athena Ariana, Rocket Chief Executive, passed into his field of vision. ¡°I had it handled ¨C now they¡¯ll know about you.¡±

    She was obviously not well; the white dress she wore was stained with blood, and her movement was closer to a limp than a walk. But even injured and no doubt poisoned, the woman carried herself with authority ¨C exactly, he realised, as her son did.

    ¡°That ship was going to sail eventually,¡± Silver shot back, walking away. Then he paused and looked back. ¡°Though I guess I should probably not make it too easy. Jaws, pass me the rest of his balls.¡±

    Sharp claws moved from restraining his torso to digging in his robes, and soon the feraligatr had torn Jiei¡¯s bandolier away. ¡°Your master is throwing his life away,¡± he attempted, ¡°If you care for him, help me convince-¡±

    A sharp increase to the horrible pain encircling half his torso told Jiei exactly what Jaws thought of that argument, and so he fell silent as his team was given over to Blackthorn¡¯s Gym Leader ¨C or former Gym Leader, he should say.

    ¡°We should kill him.¡± Ariana commented, to which Silver shook his head.

    ¡°No. He¡¯s full of ghosts.¡± He drew a set of leather restraints, fitted them around each Pok¨¦ball, and then put the balls in his bag as Jiei watched, helpless between the great crocodillian¡¯s jaws. ¡°But hopefully they won¡¯t follow us too far if he¡¯s asleep.¡± The remote clicked off. ¡°Stein, come out and use Hypnosis.¡±

    <hr>

    The Magnet Rise was strong, despite the intervening distance ¨C those vibrations earlier must have been a preparation for this moment, digging down so the collective of magneton could reach far enough. Good job, pencil-neck. I¡¯ll put in a good word with Mayor Denki.

    Surge didn¡¯t even attempt to keep hold of his rifle, letting it slip through his fingers as the Rocket, surprised, pulled the trigger. The bullet missed its target by inches, burying itself in the floor rather than the hostage¡¯s head. ¡°RAH!¡± Surge roared, and his uppercut took the man right in the chin.

    It had been a long, long time since he¡¯d had cause to knock a guy out with his fists, but his weekly training hadn¡¯t been a waste; the Rocket flew, his head nearly hitting the ceiling as his pistol did, going straight up and sticking. On the way down Blitz hit him with a baby-strength Volt Tackle, and when he landed he didn¡¯t get up.

    ¡°Ha! Let that be a lesson to the rest of you ¨C if a Gym Leader tells you to do something, you¡¯d better do it!¡± The beating rhythm of Surge¡¯s heart began to slow down as his raichu sat on the hostage-taker¡¯s chest, his cheeks holding another round of lightning. It was touchy there for a second, but we pulled through. ¡°Tetsuro, you¡¯re on blue duty! I want these guys out of the building yesterday! And you..!¡±

    Three large steps took him to where the Rocket was sprawled out. He was, against all odds, still conscious. Guess I am a bit rusty, hah. He stared up a Blitz with a vacant expression, gobsmacked, like he¡¯d actually thought he¡¯d have been able to get away with whatever dumb stunt this was. ¡°Oh,¡± he said vacantly. ¡°I¡¯m not where I was. That¡¯s bad.¡±

    Blitz hopped off his seat as Surge hauled the man up, another step taking them to the edge of the room. The man¡¯s back cracked against the artificial stone wall, his teeth clacking together and his feet limply kicking as he dangled.

    ¡°You said something about an evil monologue,¡± Surge said in a low growl. ¡°Well? I¡¯m all ears!¡± The Rocket gaped. ¡°Talk, skinny! Or do you need a third round of lightning, this time at full blast?¡± They say torture doesn¡¯t work, but I¡¯ve never met a man who doesn¡¯t start yapping when his balls are on the line. ¡°You had some kinda plan! What was it?¡±

    He continued to gape. ¡°The plan..?¡± Then his brain must have turned back on, because his eyes went from vacant to panicked. ¡°Oh, fuck. The-!¡±

    Then his mouth snapped shut. Surge cracked him against the wall a second time, but he didn¡¯t budge. ¡°TALK, asswipe! What¡¯re you hiding? Don¡¯t think you can hold out on-¡±

    ¡°Not here. Outside. Get me outside and I¡¯ll talk.¡±

    The sudden reversal threw the Gym Leader for a loop ¨C and then Surge¡¯s eyes widened. I wasn¡¯t stalling him, he was stalling me. ¡°Emergency release ¨C EVERYBODY, GET OUT!¡± he roared, his Pok¨¦mon releasing themselves with the command phrase. ¡°Protect! Grab a civvie and-¡±

    The rest of the sentence died in his throat as a voltorb appeared in mid-air, falling up to hit the ceiling with a soft clack as another followed. Surge took a step towards the door.

    The man he was dragging spoke, soft now, afraid and despairing. ¡°That was the teleport out. Fuck.¡±

    Another step, and hexagonal panels began to spring into existence. The first voltorb began to glow.

    Well trained. They don¡¯t do that unprompted, not in the wild. The thought bridged the gap between one step and the next. No detonator or nothing, just the Pok¨¦mon. Somebody must have really given a shit about making this work¡­ Wish my whole team had Protect, hah.

    Another step. His people had gotten out, each of them taking a civvy or two with them ¨C while Surge was still dragging the Rocket like an idiot. ¡°Damn.¡± Not quite enough.

    The Rocket gasped ¨C and, in what was probably a combination of hope and a desperate scramble to make his dying words cool, spouted a movie quote. ¡°When you get to hell, tell ¡®em Petrel sent ya.¡±

    Surge considered tossing him, but didn¡¯t get the chance. White light ¨C and then nothing.

    <hr>

    The Silver Range had many mountains. Of course there was the one from which the group took its name, but Two found himself repelled from that tallest and harshest of peaks.

    As much as he enjoyed speaking to its occupant, the¡­ other one was less easy to stomach.

    No, after being driven from Cerulean Cave Two had found a new home, further north than Mount Silver. If either of the great edifices of stone he dwelled between had a name, it was unknown to him, and so Two simply called the space the valley. There was life there, and after years of effort he and his siblings had tamed it completely. Berry bushes stood in neat rows, placed where sturdy pines had been pulled up. Those pines had become houses and other structures, as had the boulders that had once littered the valley floor.

    It was warmer than one would expect, enough to be comfortable, and as Two stared down at it his chest was filled with emotion.

    Conflicted emotion. For as much as it had been his home for three years, there was a part of him that felt a resentment to it, a fear. Twice now I have been forced to flee from a place I considered mine. Will the valley follow that pattern¡­ or will it simply become my self-imposed prison, a secret space that stands still as the world moves on around me?

    Old questions filtered up through the deep recesses of his mind, ones that he had long since considered answered. Who am I? Where am I?

    What am I?

    There was a sort of sick nostalgia that came with them. Down below, nestled in the community he had created, there was a visitor. A human, one he had not seen for many years. Someone who could be considered his father ¨C not that Two desired such a thing, or that he would choose Giovanni from amongst the large number of candidates if he had.

    His appearance had uprooted the uneasy peace that had begun to settle around Two¡¯s mind. Like questing tendrils, the doubts crept up and asked ¨C why?

    Why do I hide away? Am I afraid? Content? Do I simply tire of fighting those damnable birds?

    He shook his head, dispelling the thoughts. These were pointless questions, distractions from the larger one. The one which Giovanni had given him upon the man¡¯s appearance.

    ¡°Has your desire for mastery ended?¡± he had asked, and Two hadn¡¯t had an answer. He still didn¡¯t have an answer, despite seeking guidance from his neighbour and¡­ predecessor.

    The air up above the clouds was chilly even for him, and so he reluctantly descended. Mist curved away from his body as he passed through a cloud, and soon his feet touched down on the soft grass that blanketed the valley¡¯s floor. Around him his siblings called out their greetings as they tended the crops.

    Two nodded his own greetings, and then made his way on foot. From the fields to the houses, and to one house in particular. There was nothing to differentiate it in terms of construction, save that it was perhaps slightly larger than the rest ¨C and again, the question tugged at his mind. Did I build my house larger than the others because I am large, or because I desired to lord over them?

    He could not remember ¨C had not thought to mark out his emotional state as relevant. All he could recall was the seething anger of being driven out again.

    The door opened at his touch, and inside he found a strange scene. ¡°All in,¡± the human playing poker against a ninetails, two nidoqueen, and a copy of himself said as he pushed a pile of dried berries forward. It was the ditto that noticed Two first, turning and briefly revealing its protean nature as it transformed from a copy of Giovanni to one of its fellow clone.

    ¡°Giovanni,¡± Two announced himself. The man opened his mouth, but Two rode over his attempt to speak. ¡°I have given your proposal great thought, and come to a conclusion. My answer is¡­ I do not know.¡±

    The man did not react much to the statement ¨C physically or emotionally. That steadiness, as though Giovanni¡¯s mind was as heavy as any of the mountains surrounding the valley, had been something that Two had briefly admired, and then despised. It had been what had allowed the man to lie to him when he said they would be equals, the sheer mass of his ego masking whether he considered it to be true.

    That aspect had not changed over the years; whether Giovanni meant what he said, Two could not discern. So when the man smiled, soft and sharp in equal measure, the clone was wary.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised yet again, Two. I was expecting you to reject my apology outright, but you¡¯ve allowed me to stay. I expected you to accept the stone and then throw me out, and yet you haven¡¯t touched it. And then I took those two surprises, examined them, and expected you to accept my partnership.¡± The cards were discarded. ¡°You do not know if you wish to rule the world? Again ¨C you surprise me. I have never known you to act indecisively.¡±

    There was the impulse to crush the man into pulp, strong and fleeting and easily passed over. Less ignorable was the melancholy that followed; Two was acting strangely, even to himself. He had even gone to see her, seeking advice. A completely absurd action, both in the moment and in retrospect.

    ¡°What can I do to convince you?¡± Giovanni continued. ¡°Do you expect me to kneel and beg? You¡¯ll be sorely disappointed, if so.¡±

    There it was again, the urge to attack. The surety in the man¡¯s voice, the proud posture¡­ the indication that he did not fear something so much greater than him¡­

    It was enraging. Illogical. Enviable.

    Two turned his head, gesturing at the door. ¡°Leave me. I will consider your words further.¡±

    And in a display that the Giovanni of two decades ago would never have made, he obeyed. The human stood, stepped past Two¡¯s still form, and opened the door.

    ¡°You should decide soon, Two,¡± he said to the clone¡¯s back. ¡°Whether you are a man, or a Pok¨¦mon. Though honestly, looking at what you¡¯ve built here ¨C the houses, the farms, the fumbling attempts at civilisation ¨C you already know.¡±

    He departed, his nidoqueen following, and Two was left alone with his fellow clones. The ninetails made an interrogative sound, and after a moment¡¯s consideration he nodded. ¡°I suppose.¡± Telekinesis took him to where Giovanni had left his cards, and Two smoothly entered the game.

    Complete garbage. Giovanni had been bluffing with a worthless hand. Two smiled as he rearranged the cards, again with telekinesis. ¡°So? You heard the man: all in. Match me or fold.¡±

    The game went on.

    Once, Two had attempted to live as an equal to humans. He had failed, and so sought to place himself above them as their master. He had failed again, and so tried to live as a Pok¨¦mon at the urging of Mew.

    That had failed as well, more catastrophically than ever before. What was the answer, then? What option existed, besides endless violence and meekly slinking into the darkness?

    The ditto called his bluff, and he lost Giovanni¡¯s berries. In that simple interaction, Two found the answer he sought.

    No more useless contemplation; it is time to act. If Giovanni is lying, I will simply crush him and leave as I did the first time.

    Space folded before his power, and between one moment and the next he was once again in front of the man who had bankrolled his creation. ¡°Giovanni.¡±

    The human¡¯s utterly black eyes blinked, taken aback for the barest fraction of a second before his surprised expression returned to that indomitable smirk. ¡°That was quick.¡±

    ¡°It was. I have decided.¡± With a casual gesture Two retrieved something else from within his home, a small round gem. It was clear as glass, save for a paired twist of blue and pink that formed a double helix. ¡°Show me,¡± he repeated the words that had led to his first, least failure all those years ago. ¡°Show me the world you would create with unlimited power.¡±

 6.01 - Do we Stay or do we Go?

    Still. As what seemed like entirely too many people bustled around him, Hoshi Mutsu found himself sitting completely, utterly still.

    I think I¡¯m having some kind of attack.

    Everything felt¡­ surreal. A children¡¯s cartoon twisted into three dimensions by the wish of some malevolent genie. The instructors¡¯ whiteboard was a great plain of snow, marked with black lines that seemed to shift even as he looked at them.

    ¡®TEAM ROCKET STRIKES BACK!

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">All Pok¨¦mon exist for the glory of Team Rocket!</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Convene with Junior Executive Tanya in Vermilion!</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Relocate to Warehouse Base #3!</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Science!</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Strike back at the League!¡¯</li>

    </ul>

    I think I can tell which of them wrote what, he idly thought. James has better penmanship. Each of the lines, the words, made sense individually, but attempting to put them together was making Hoshi¡¯s head ache ¨C not because he was tired or injured, he didn¡¯t think, but because there was so much swirling around in his skull already that there simply wasn¡¯t room.

    The academy, he continued to think to himself as the others worked on¡­ something in the background. The Electric Academy is no more. What does that mean? It had been such an off-handed sentence, he was struggling to parse it out. Did it get raided? Leveled? What other places does Rocket even have in Vermilion?

    My name¡­ the League has my name. All of our names. Or was it just the ninja clans that did? Hoshi remembered Nerine saying something, but already that long night had turned into a giant smear of red across the shaky amateur film of his memory. Does Uncle Bob know? Will he ¨C will he be waiting for me at my apartment, disappointed? Angry? What about-

    ¡°Hey Boss.¡±

    The interruption disturbed the whirlpool in his head, and Hoshi belatedly realised that the board had disappeared ¨C blocked entirely by the full moon of Kenny¡¯s bald, pale head. Actually¡­

    ¡°You have stubble,¡± his mouth said without much input from upstairs.

    Kenny blinked, the heavy bruises across his face competing with red splotches of chronic acne for territory. ¡°Yeah? We¡¯ve been in the woods, man. I ain¡¯t shavin¡¯ with a damn knife, that¡¯s dumb.¡±

    No, not your¡­ The thought dried up and blew away, his head too full even for the barest whisper of exasperation. Despite waking seemingly refreshed, that was only in comparison ¨C Hoshi found that he was slowly returning to a state much like the one he¡¯d been in the previous night, one where everything was detached, dreamy, two-steps-removed as though he was looking at himself through a screen through a memory through a drug-induced hallucination. Except I¡¯m not drugged, just¡­ freaking out. Is this shellshock?

    Kenny blinked again, waiting for a reply that wasn¡¯t coming. ¡°¡­Anyway. Uh, you good Boss? You¡¯ve kinda been sittin¡¯ there a minute.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±

    The moon-faced man frowned. ¡°Look man, we gotta get this shit put together. You hit your head or some shit? Yer spacin¡¯ the fuck out.¡±

    I really am, man. I¡¯m all the way up in fucking space. But despite how much he wanted to just keep sitting in place, waiting until the world made sense again, the senior grunt forced himself to his feet. Hoshi stood, only a little wobbly, and received a soft punch to the shoulder for his efforts.

    ¡°There ya go. Chin up Boss ¨C we¡¯re gettin¡¯ new Pok¨¦mon!¡± Kenny¡¯s exclamation came with a nod, and a grin ¨C a forced grin, maybe ¨C as he turned away, getting back to¡­ whatever it was everyone else was doing.

    What are they doing? Jessie and James told me, but I was¡­ Not paying attention. The world threatened to devolve into meaningless babble again, but instead of standing still and entering another loop of pointless thoughts, the way every muscle across his body wanted to, Hoshi forced himself to move once more ¨C this time forwards. ¡°Casca,¡± he softly called, drawing her attention as he took a shaky step.

    ¡°Stud?¡± Her eyes, when they focused, were concerned. ¡°You need a hand?¡±

    ¡°Tell me what we¡¯re doing,¡± he replied, his tongue feeling more numb than it had back when he¡¯d woken up¡­ What was it, ten minutes ago? Five? Twenty?

    A moment of hesitation, and then her brows shifted into something like ¨C determination? The colours are gone. I guess¡­ I guess it really was psychic shit after all. I used up my tank, and now it¡¯s gone. ¡°Okay,¡± she said, drawing him back out from the mire of introspection he¡¯d briefly dipped into. ¡°Come over here.¡±

    He followed, and his girlfriend pointed at a half-assembled machine. It was familiar, to some extent; Hoshi could easily compare it to the healing machines in the Academy¡¯s battle court. ¡°This is a terminal for the Pok¨¦mon Storage System ¨C or it will be, once we put it together.¡± As they huddled, Tor and the other two rookies approached with what looked like a pamphlet and two different mechanical pieces respectively. ¡°It¡¯s not too complicated; grab a box, open it, and then find someone with instructions to tell you where it goes. The instructors should be back in a half-hour, and hopefully we¡¯ll be done by then. Most of¡­¡±

    She must¡¯ve noticed the blankness of his stare, because Casca trailed off before fixing him with a look. ¡°Hoshi, are you alright? We all got banged up pretty bad, and ¨C how many fingers am I holding up?¡±

    He waved off her concern. ¡°I¡¯m not concussed.¡± I don¡¯t think. ¡°I just¡­¡± He watched the machine gain a few new parts, Mimi and Bart sliding past the edges of his awareness to slot in a couple more doodads. Like putting plastic bricks together. ¡°Why are you not freaking out? Why isn''t anybody freaking out? I¡¯m- I can¡¯t stop thinking. Are our lives over? What will¡­¡± What will we do for money? Will we have to leave the country? My- my aunt tried to kill me. My own flesh and blood.

    Casca held his gaze for a long moment, steady baby blue like the spring skies keeping red-tinged white from bleeding into black. ¡°Well, it helps that we all woke up before you ¨C got it out of our systems early.¡± Her hand found his ¨C and his skin was still numb, her warmth present but muted, somehow, like there was a layer of plastic between Hoshi''s brain and body clogging up all the signals. ¡°But also, we got a better explanation. C¡¯mere, let¡¯s sit for a second.¡±

    Again Hoshi followed his girlfriend, her image slightly foreign in the hyper-traditional garb of the Fuchsia Gym Trainer uniform ¨C a black and pink kimono, startlingly vibrant while still breaking up the lines of her body. Camouflage, in a way, for people who still needed to be seen to do their jobs.

    They sat, and Hoshi fought against the urge to zone out like he¡¯d been. His finger drew across his Pok¨¦balls, and the memory of that warbling crystalline tone brought him down a little closer to earth. Can I- would it be okay to release my girls?

    He didn¡¯t voice the question; he was about to get some actual concrete answers, and interrupting that would be dumb, no matter how much his fingers itched to examine his newly-evolved team. ¡°Let¡¯s start,¡± Casca began, ¡°With us.¡±

    She gestured to the room. ¡°According to the instructors, we¡¯ve all been made. Cover¡¯s blown, no going back.¡± Hoshi swallowed, again pushing down the urge to interrupt. ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re gonna have to smash-and-grab some places for capital, before we do anything else. Not sure exactly where yet, but I¡¯m pretty sure Jessie and James have a whole plan going, so I¡¯ll leave that part to them. Our part, right now, is to get into the system and pick out some Pok¨¦mon ¨C we haven¡¯t been wiped yet, according ¨C again ¨C to the instructors, so we¡¯ll be able to get out pretty much any Pok¨¦mon that isn¡¯t owned. We¡¯ve got the run of it, thanks to that thing we shoved into Surge¡¯s computer, so the computer thingy¡¯ll see us as genuine League admins.¡±

    ¡°As many as we want?¡±

    She paused, expression uncertain. I can still tell. Even without the colours ¨C I¡¯m not crippled. That¡¯s good. ¡°I don¡¯t know that bit. Maybe we¡¯re still locked to six at a time? I¡¯m not sure if anyone gets to break those rules.¡±

    ¡°If it sees us just as administrators, then no, it¡¯s still six,¡± Hoshi answered, the trivia floating to the top of his brain. ¡°I looked this up once, I can¡¯t remember where ¨C I think Gym Leaders can have as large a team as they want, but not League guys.¡±

    Casca smiled. ¡°There¡¯s my man. You feeling more awake?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± With slightly-less-shaky movements he stood. ¡°Thanks, I needed that ¨C and I still want the rest of what you¡¯ve been told, but I think we can do that while getting some of this done.¡± He waved toward where Bart and Ryan were arguing, both men gesturing to their instructions as Mimi held up a part with multiple wires coming off.

    <hr>

    Casca had been right; it wasn¡¯t complicated. Actually, it¡¯s impressive how easy it is ¨C not quite a kid¡¯s block set, but almost like putting together furniture.

    The storage system kiosk came together startlingly quickly with so many hands ¨C especially when Hoshi remembered he was actually an authority figure, and started to organise things a bit better. And as more of his brain was freed up by the passage of time ¨C or maybe just having the focus of a job to do ¨C he was able to slip in some extra observations.

    Like the fact that Puce and Cliff weren¡¯t present. ¡°Hey, where¡¯s the other two?¡± Nobody died, right? No, obviously not ¨C people would be even more shaken if that had happened. Stupid post-trauma brain.

    It was Ryan who answered. ¡°Recovering. They were both much more injured than the rest of us¡­ though speaking honestly, I think Puce¡¯s affliction is more emotional than not.¡±

    Really? Her head got sliced up¡­ maybe? Again, his memory of only a few hours ago seemed washed-out and unreal, the mental equivalent of looking through a dirty window. I¡¯ll have to push through that ¨C yesterday was important, I can¡¯t afford to forget any of it. ¡°Maybe. Her and Nerine were close.¡±

    The blond nodded, solemn, and then turned away to direct the latest wave of new bits and bobs. Unlike before, with people just doing whatever, now there were specific people doing specific things; Kenny, Casca, and Mojo were opening up the little cardboard boxes with the parts, then passing them to the other two rookies, Mimi, and himself. Then, the carriers were directed by Bart and Ryan.

    It was much more efficient than the way it¡¯d been going, and Hoshi was surprised someone else hadn¡¯t done it first. Actually¡­

    His eyes lingered on Ryan¡¯s face as he walked back to the unboxing place. Now that I¡¯m looking for it, we all seem pretty much the same. Hoshi could see the signs; blank looks, jerky movements, moments where his fellow Rockets just sort of stood there for a half-second and stared off into space¡­ They¡¯re freaking out too. Just¡­ as quietly as I am, now that I¡¯ve started moving again.

    It was reassuring in a way that it probably shouldn¡¯t have been. Casca handed him a mechanical piece ¨C like an oversized version of the computer chips Danny liked to line up on his windowsill, wires thick and colour-coded ¨C and rounded, heading back to the nearly-complete machine. ¡°Got a¡­¡± He glanced down at the thing. ¡°An ay-oh-one-two-two.¡±

    Less than a second between Ryan flipping through his instructional pamphlet, and pointing to a spot. ¡°The blue port goes into the ay-oh-one-two-one ¨C yes, right there.¡±

    Again, it wasn¡¯t hard; the bits were all numbered, with the only problems coming from making sure they were brought in the right order. And having dedicated box-sorters handled that. The connector snapped into place with a solid, that¡¯s-right feeling that managed to finally penetrate through the plastic numbness disconnecting Hoshi¡¯s skin from the rest of him. ¡°Looks almost done.¡±

    An absent nod. ¡°Any minute now.¡±

    <hr>

    It looks kind of like a sci-fi robot.

    The machine was very obviously not whole; like its distant cousins that Rocket used to heal their Pok¨¦mon, it was stripped down to the bare minimum. There wasn¡¯t an outer casing like the full Pok¨¦centre version would have, and all the wires were left hanging loose with the screen sitting flat on the ground, nothing there to secure them or hold them up. Maybe we can stack some empty boxes..? No, whatever, it¡¯s fine. But despite looking half-done, the most important bits should be there; this machine would, unless they¡¯d messed up somewhere, automatically connect to the network when they turned it on.

    ¡°So,¡± Casca said, drawing Hoshi¡¯s eyes backwards to find her amongst the small crowd of grunts. ¡°Are we gonna wake up Puce and Cliff for this?¡±

    It took a moment for him to realise she was asking him. ¡°Oh, uh.¡± Still kind of soup-brained, even now. Hopefully I just need some more sleep ¨C fuck, I hope I didn¡¯t break something on my weird spirit-quest. He¡¯d just gotten confirmation that all this psychic shit was for real; losing it right after would suck all kinds of ass. ¡°Yeah, they should be here for this. Kenny?¡±

    A maybe-sarcastic salute. ¡°On it, Boss.¡±

    He headed off, and Hoshi¡¯s attention was dragged back, almost against his will, to the transfer kiosk waiting to be used. It feels ominous, somehow. Why is that? Almost like the blank screen was looking at them, waiting for someone to step close so it could snatch them up like a victreebel hiding in the treetops. Steady, he admonished himself. Breathe in, breathe out.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Thirty seconds passed in silence, more than enough proof that the rest of them were feeling the heavy atmosphere as well ¨C though whether they were reading dread or anticipation from it, Hoshi couldn¡¯t say. Fuck, I can say for myself either. This plan is crazy. Then, footsteps.

    Hoshi turned again to see the trio of muscleheads approach slowly, Cliff leaning on Kenny¡¯s shoulder. Puce, somehow, was fine to walk despite taking enough poison to down a full-grown elephant.

    Not that she looked good, but it was amazing the woman could stand at all. ¡°Hey Puce, Cliff,¡± he called. ¡°You two doing alright?¡±

    ¡°Been better,¡± Cliff answered. Puce, for her part, only made a small sound like the wind heard through a thick glass window.

    Yeah, me too. ¡°Good to see you both up, at least. You know where we are and what¡¯s happening?¡± Neither was wearing the Gym trainer uniform, only great swaths of bandages with what were probably their undergarments peeking through.

    The enforcer nodded. ¡°I knew the plan from the start ¨C or, well, a version of the plan.¡± His lantern jaw quirked as a lop-sided smile bent his face. ¡°Wasn¡¯t expecting a damn Gym Leader and someone as strong as one, too. That tree-man-thing beat the shit out of my team.¡±

    Hoshi nodded back, more solemnly. ¡°Yeah, that was¡­¡± Do I wanna say? ¡°My aunt. Probably my fault we were hit so hard; she was there for me.¡±

    The three joined the group, nearly doubling its mass. Cliff replied with a conciliatory sound, while Puce was again silent. ¡°Well, we won,¡± the enforcer continued. ¡°Damn close fight ¨C but let¡¯s get this show on the road, yeah?¡±

    A general murmur of agreement followed, and Hoshi turned back to the machine. Well¡­ no point in stalling. He stepped forward and flipped a bare electronic toggle, and the screen came alive.

    At first it showed only a no-signal background of coloured bars, and there was a moment of spiky anger and sick, humid relief that mixed together so thoroughly they were impossible to separate ¨C and then the machine began to churn. A half-dozen fans all spun to life at once, an electric hum joining in as the screen flickered black then blue then black again-

    And then, with a cheerful jingle, a graphic of a slowly-spinning Pok¨¦ Ball on a blue gradient background appeared. The words ¡®Insert ID¡¯ blinked on top, while more text below read ¡®Safety Mode.¡¯

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Kenny yelled. ¡°Shit works! You goin¡¯ first Boss, or can I?¡±

    Various replies sounded out, while Hoshi just stared. ¡°No, I¡¯ll go first. But before that¡­¡±

    He turned to the gathering once more, and took in the Rockets¡¯ various expressions. Casca, Cliff, and Bart appeared calm; Lilian and Mojo were blank-faced while Tor vacillated between cringing fear and solid determination. Kenny and Ryan were annoyed at the delay, and Mimi was actually smiling.

    Puce had no expression, even moreso than the shellshock the rookies ¨C and probably Hoshi himself ¨C were sporting. She didn¡¯t even move her eyes to look at him. Yeah. Yeah, we didn¡¯t exactly make it all the way out yet, did we?

    ¡°I wanted to take my turn with a speech yesterday,¡± Hoshi began. ¡°But that got interrupted. So I¡¯m doing it now.¡± Kenny groaned, but the sound was easily ignored. ¡°It was gonna be a big spiel about patriotism and Johto and shit ¨C I¡¯m sure you three would¡¯ve loved it, while everybody else would¡¯ve groaned and rolled their eyes like Kenny did just now.¡± The rookies blinked at being aknowledged, but didn¡¯t otherwise react ¨C save for Tor, who stood even straighter for a second. ¡°This is gonna be an entirely different speech. Basically the opposite.¡±

    A humourless smile crossed his lips. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll hate it just as much, but it needs to be said¡­¡± This is going to get me in trouble, but¡­ No, I can¡¯t do anything else, it really does need to be said. ¡°Guys, we aren¡¯t ready to fight the League.¡±

    Before anyone could protest, he rushed forward. ¡°We got our asses handed to us, guys.¡± I was really hyped at the end, but looking at it in the light of day¡­ ¡°And not just because most of us have only been part-time trainers for three months. We got split up, we got played with, and at least a few of us would¡¯ve straight-up died if the instructors had been literally one second later with the save.¡±

    Again, expressions were mixed ¨C though it was, at least, a different mixture. The only person actually angry was Cliff ¨C even Ryan and Bart, the next most likely candidates to riot, only looked bleak and closed-off respectively.

    ¡°It was an ambush,¡± the enforcer growled. ¡°When we fall on ¡®em, it¡¯ll be the exact opposite ¨C our ambush, us with the upper hand.¡±

    Ryan stepped forward to argue as well, though his voice was hesitant. ¡°I¡­ Don¡¯t disagree with the content of your argument, Mutsu, but I think you¡¯re taking things more poorly than they warrant. Yes, we received our Pok¨¦mon recently in the grand scheme of things, but is that not, in fact, a point in our favour?¡± He looked around, meeting eyes. ¡°We, being mostly untrained rabble, managed to fight evenly with a Gym Leader¡¯s ace Pok¨¦mon. That is impressive! That is astounding!¡± As his voice went on, it became more boisterous. ¡°With stronger monsters, I have no doubt we¡¯ll become a force to reckon with! And do not forget, we won¡¯t be alone; many other members of Team Rocket will be joining us, including Executives.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t fight a Pok¨¦mon last night, Sampo,¡± Hoshi snapped. There was no red film, no dark cloud eating out the back of his eyes, but still the fury came ¨C thick and fast, urging his feet to move, his fists and jaw to clench. ¡°I fought a human, my fucking aunt, my dad¡¯s little sister. With six Pok¨¦mon, including Cliff¡¯s pinsir.¡± Heat rose up his face, veins standing out as his heart beat hard enough to rattle the cage of bone enclosing it. ¡°And we lost. A woman with a sword and some knives beat my whole team, and Casca¡¯s team, and she only left when she smelled a chance they might lose. Hands up, who actually knocked out an enemy Pok¨¦mon last night?¡±

    Only a single hand rose, Bart waving lazily before crossing his arms. Despite being the one who could most easily counter Hoshi¡¯s argument Clifford Moon was still, almost statue-like, the only motion to mark him as flesh and blood being the slight flare of his nostrils as he breathed. ¡°I took out Nerine¡¯s team,¡± Casca said into the silence. ¡°But I¡­ understand your point, Hoshi.¡±

    ¡°The moment they decided to stop holding back, we were dead. I-¡±

    ¡°Boss,¡± Kenny interrupted. ¡°C¡¯mon. Like, you aren¡¯t wrong, last night was fucked up, but what else can we do? Hop a boat to the islands?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I ain¡¯t got any cash ¨C and I sure as fuck ain¡¯t leavin¡¯ my nana behind. Nothin¡¯ ta do but push through.¡±

    Hoshi opened his mouth, but no words came out. Do you not- do you not get it? We were dead. Dead-dead. You can¡¯t make any money if you¡¯re a damn corpse, you roided-to-the-gills-! Then, even the thought stopped as he ran out of words to say to himself. Hoshi continued to stand, facing his grunts and the other Rockets, in the main chamber of the Fuchsia City Pok¨¦mon Gym.

    Behind him, the machine hummed. Waiting.

    Then, movement. Casca took a step forward ¨C and was all but bowled over by Puce as the larger woman, who looked like a pile of hospital supplies possessed by an unruly haunter, pushed past.

    ¡°Puce?¡±

    She continued, silent, and put her hands on his shoulders ¨C and there was a moment, brief and terrible, where Hoshi was sure, down to his bones, that he was about to have his neck snapped like a dry twig. It was her eyes ¨C cold, lifeless, more dead than he could imagine an actual corpse¡¯s being.

    But then she pressed him in with a force that was still terrifyingly large, but without malice. The hug bent his ribs, his shoulders, his spine, almost to the point it was painful.

    ¡°Puce-!¡±

    The voice that whispered in his ear held no girlish enthusiasm or shrinking shyness; it was also cold, also dead, the rattle of something with no will to live. ¡°Tell me what to do,¡± Puce whispered. ¡°Please. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s real anymore¡­ Tell me what to do, and I¡¯ll do it¡­¡±

    ¡°Puce..?¡± A second passed, and Hoshi calmed down. He wiggled, but it was impossible to move; he wasn¡¯t breaking this hug with force. ¡°Puce. I¡­¡± I don¡¯t know either. It¡¯s not like I want to give up. I just¡­ I can¡¯t even imagine fighting the League as I am now. As we are now. Even if I pull six dragonite out of that thing and the instructors come back with all the Potions and Revives they can carry, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll amount to anything.

    I want to win, I do, I just¡­ I can¡¯t see a way to get there.

    ¡°Puce,¡± he said again. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay,¡± he lied. ¡°We just- I need to sit down and think. I don¡¯t have an answer for you right now, so¡­ How about you go get some more rest? You¡¯ll feel better when you wake up.¡±

    She didn¡¯t reply. Puce only released him, her movements as ponderous as a tree¡¯s, and trudged back to the room she¡¯d emerged from.

    <hr>

    Hoshi sat in the corner as the others used the machine. He wasn¡¯t abstaining, he just¡­ Needed a moment to put himself back together.

    It¡¯s done, a dark thought narrated inside his head. They¡¯ll never respect you now. You flinched, and they saw ¨C none of them are going to take orders ever again.

    Shut the fuck up, he said to himself, the anger having nowhere to go but in. Fuck. Fuck! This is fucked up. I was supposed to be in Pewter a week from now, to visit Auntie Denju and Uncle Huck. If I actually show up, she¡¯d probably try and cut my head off!

    FUCK!

    And then, like an exclamation point bouncing out of the aether to punctuate his curse, a tiny speck of red coloured his vision. Oh, great, you¡¯re fucking back now. Fucking missed you too, useless-ass psychic empathy. What was even the point of being able to read his own emotions? Actually, what was the point at all? It had never helped him tell what anyone was thinking, no more than their expression and body language already spelled out. It was, in fact, a fucking pain. Obscures my fucking vision with rainbow nonsense, and it isn¡¯t even more accurate than a damn horoscope. Can¡¯t see it through walls, or smoke, or when someone¡¯s behind me ¨C no, nothing that¡¯d actually be useful.

    He realised he was spiralling again, and violently stood. A sharp motion scattered his Pok¨¦balls, and in the next moment he was buried in fur.

    It¡­ helped. ¡°Hey girls. You¡¯re probably confused ¨C we just won from your perspective, didn¡¯t we?¡±

    He tried to dredge up that feeling of victory, that wild elation he¡¯d had in the last moment before he¡¯d passed out ¨C and, coming with a few cool blue sparkles of relief, Hoshi was able to capture a ghost of that feeling.

    ¡°You¡¯re all- you¡¯re all so much bigger.¡± A giggle escaped his throat, laden with conflicting emotions. ¡°Look at you. My girls¡­¡± Pride, and hysterical joy, and despair, and even a tinge of bittersweet melancholy¡­

    Because even though they were evolved, Hoshi¡¯s team still carried as many fresh scars as he did. Crow¡¯s left foot was a paler blue than the rest of her, the fur shorter to match its slightly stunted size. Venus had a great scar going down her entire face, and while it looked healed it still bisected her nose into two pieces. And Guts¡­

    They weren¡¯t visible, but when he ran his hands through her fur Hoshi felt ridges of scar tissue. And not just from last night. Every time we fight, she takes a beating for me¡­ Even when they won, it came out bloody. She was so small, smaller than a raticate should be. I made her evolve too early. I¡¯m a terrible trainer. I should march up to Surge and hand back my Thunder Badge, apologise, turn myself in¡­

    Again, he attempted to pull himself out of the sucking whirlpool in his skull, and again he succeeded for the moment. The three Pok¨¦mon crowded, hugging and nuzzling, working off their own stress from the long night.

    And gradually, Hoshi¡¯s heart settled. His eyes dried, his limbs ceased to be leaden weights dragging him down, and the pulsing red-blue wave of anger-swallowing-fear-swallowing-anger rushing up and down his throat dwindled to background noise. He breathed in, imagined all the poison of cowardice and directionless rage soaking into the air like it was a sponge, and blew it out.

    It didn¡¯t fix anything, but he still felt¡­ cleaner.

    ¡°Hey, stud,¡± came a sweet voice from behind his back, as if Arcus Himself was rewarding him, and Hoshi managed a genuine, if small, smile.

    ¡°Hey sunshine. Come to join the pile?¡±

    Casca let out a half-laugh half-scoff, her eyes twinkling. ¡°We can cuddle in a minute. First¡­¡± Her own smile disappeared as she subtly checked their surroundings, and he felt anxiety creeping back.

    ¡°What?¡± What is it? Are the actual Gym trainers back?

    ¡°Turn around,¡± she replied, and he obeyed. She slid into the huddle, an intensity to her face that Hoshi rarely saw.

    ¡°Casca..?¡±

    ¡°Just making sure we aren¡¯t overheard ¨C Mimi can read lips, and I¡¯d bet that Cliff can too.¡± She took her own deep, steadying breath. ¡°Do you want to bail?¡±

    The question made Hoshi¡¯s brain seize. ¡°Huh?¡± I- do I¡­?

    ¡°I swiped some of Mimi¡¯s emergency stash while we were changing, and I¡¯ve got Nerine¡¯s Pok¨¦mon. We could tell the others you need a nap, sneak out a side door ¨C there are like five I¡¯ve found so far ¨C and bribe a fisherman or something to drive us out to the archipelago.¡±

    He was speechless, and the look on his face brought back Casca¡¯s smile. ¡°What?¡± she continued. ¡°We¡¯ve got good odds. You¡¯ve got a Fuchsian face; throw in a sob story about our parents not letting us be together and we might even manage it for free.¡± It was a sly expression, half-joking and completely serious at the same time. ¡°Hoshi. Talk to me.¡±

    He swallowed. ¡°I¡­¡± Do I? Actually want to split? He didn¡¯t. That would be the most disgusting cowardice imaginable, deserting before a battle. Dad would come back as a gastly just to slap him across the face.

    He did. He couldn¡¯t handle another battle like the one he¡¯d only just barely survived, not now, not so soon. And Casca¡­ Casca almost died too. That¡¯s even worse. I can¡¯t face that.

    He didn¡¯t. Kenny had been right; there wasn¡¯t anywhere to go but through. Even if they escaped, he¡¯d be spending the rest of his life looking over his shoulder ¨C and they might not escape.

    He did. If they went to Viridian, other ninja would be there. The rest of Clan Mutsu. And while he didn¡¯t know them, not even as well as Tsuyu, fighting his own family wasn¡¯t something he wanted to do.

    He¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± came the most honest answer he could give. ¡°If I leave- if we leave and make it out, I¡¯ll regret it for the rest of my life. And if anything happens to you because I stayed, I¡¯ll die. I¡¯m not seeing a good answer here.¡± This must be what Puce felt, or at least something close. The uncertainty was a wall, tall and sturdy as any castle, as solid and unyielding as the cold, unused cannons lining the docks. ¡°I¡¯ve never had to make a decision like this. I¡¯m a construction worker, Casca. I can¡¯t handle this. I can¡¯t beat the League ¨C I couldn¡¯t even beat Auntie Tsuyu.¡±

    His girlfriend¡¯s eyes softened, her voice following suit as she hugged him closer. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll make the call, okay? So you¡¯d better not regret a damn thing ¨C if anything happens, it¡¯s on me.¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± Hoshi muttered, but his heart wasn¡¯t in it, and Casca knew it. She put her hands on either side of his face, guided his eyes until they were locked on her own, and with a hard expression opened her mouth-

    Only to be interrupted by an aged, masculine voice.

    ¡°Meow,¡± said Meowth the persian from behind his back, and Hoshi¡¯s blood turned to ice.

 6.02 - Legacy

    There was a singular moment where Hoshi was pretty sure his heart stopped beating entirely.

    Then he grimaced, cursed himself in his head, cursed everything else in his head, replaced the grimace with as bland a look as he could force, and turned around. ¡°Sir,¡± he said, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t notice you come in.¡± Please, please, please let the cat be less intelligent than I think it is.

    Meowth the persian was, as was usually the case, dressed in a suit. Today¡¯s was a sleek black satin paired with a simple head wrap of the same colour; it was almost feminine in cut, though the aging feline¡¯s face overpowered the aesthetic by an order of magnitude. Ninja-chic. Of course, why would I expect anything else?

    But as Hoshi¡¯s eyes wandered, he saw that the Pok¨¦mon was, like the instructors, also sporting something uncharacteristic: an open wound, placed high on his front right leg, slowly oozing blood into the reed-fibre mats ¨C and also onto a roughly-woven sack.

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re bleeding,¡± Casca replied, echoing his thoughts. Her words, unlike Hoshi''s, managed to completely hide any fear she might be feeling. ¡°Are you¡­ alone, sir? Did something happen to the instructors?¡±

    The predator stared at them, nonplussed, and they stared back. He heard. There¡¯s no way he didn¡¯t hear, it¡¯s a fucking cat. Arcus, how long was he eavesdropping? His mouth dry, Hoshi nonetheless opened it to speak ¨C only to be smacked in the face by the wet sack.

    ¡°Pah!¡± he spat, the familiar metallic tang of fresh blood coating his tongue as rough burlap pooled in his lap. He felt his team bristling around him, not quite aggrieved enough to attack, but working up to it. ¡°Everybody calm down. What¡¯s..?¡±

    ¡°Meow,¡± the persian said, and promptly held out its paw. Hoshi struggled to think for a moment, but as Meowth waggled his injured limb the human looked down, saw the familiar shape of the sack¡¯s piled contents, and realised what he wanted.

    ¡°Potions.¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°Right, right.¡± With defter motions than he thought himself capable of with the day he¡¯d been having ¨C thanks a lot, muscle memory ¨C he popped the top off a canister of medicinal spray and began hosing down his bosses¡¯¡­ pet? Team member? Partner?

    Or maybe he¡¯s the boss, and they¡¯re just his mouthpiece, said a wild thought from his still-panicking subconscious. It would explain why they seem so Arc-damned weird, if they¡¯re being directed by a small sapient panther.

    The cut healed, blood clotting and disappearing within seconds, and Meowth made a pleased rumble low in his chest. Then he threw his head and turned, gesturing for them to follow.

    A beat, and then Hoshi felt his girlfriend¡¯s fingernails digging through the soft silk of his kimono. ¡°If the instructors get back anytime soon we¡¯re fucked,¡± she whispered. ¡°I¡¯m ninety-nine percent sure he actually says stuff to them ¨C like, that it isn¡¯t just a funny act.¡±

    ¡°He can read,¡± Hoshi supplied. ¡°And type. On a keyboard.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. So¡­ Do we run?¡±

    Why the fuck are you asking me? I didn¡¯t know a minute ago, so-

    But as he thought about it, the situation crystalised. No, things actually have changed. Even if we run, Jessie and James will be on our tail within¡­ The two were actually running late already. Anywhere from ¡®a few minutes¡¯ to ¡®forever because the ninjas got them¡¯ ¨C but that second one seems a lot less likely.

    They tracked Giovanni across five continents, there¡¯s no way they won¡¯t find us basically instantly ¨C if they bother to look. Would they? As absurd as it was, whether he and his girlfriend came out of this with their hides intact came down to predicting what Jessie Oakley and James Kidd would do in a novel situation. Fuck me.

    ¡°Casca,¡± he whispered back as he watched Meowth¡¯s tail retreat. ¡°I trust your judgment with this shit way more than mine. Would they come after us?¡±

    ¡°Oh, sir! I didn¡¯t see you come in,¡± Ryan¡¯s voice reached out from across the room, the other Rockets only now realising the persian had appeared. ¡°For some reason I assumed you¡¯d stayed in Vermilion, but I don¡¯t recall why I thought that. Are the Senior Executives returning soon?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d give it¡­ five-to-three odds. Jessie would want to, and James tends to take her lead, but they¡¯re both injured.¡±

    ¡°And if we do go and they do catch us, what happens?¡±

    Her tone was less certain. ¡°Now that¡¯s a good question.¡± Meowth turned and beckoned them again, more insistently, and the golbat bundled up against Hoshi¡¯s side hissed. ¡°I think¡­ They probably wouldn¡¯t kill us, but it would be pretty bad. They love Rocket, the same way you love Kanto. It¡¯s an ideal for them, and if we turn traitor¡­¡±

    He nodded slowly. Okay, I think there¡¯s time for one more. ¡°And if we¡¯re straight with them?¡± Casca¡¯s ungroomed hair whipped his shoulder as she sent him a sharp look, but he kept his eyes forward. ¡°Serious question. If we just say ¡®hey, we¡¯re not up for fighting the League yet,¡¯ what happens?¡±

    She chewed on the question. ¡°¡­Speculating here¡­¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°I think they¡¯ll probably stick us in a basement somewhere. Not a punishment punishment, but there¡¯d be a lock on the door.¡±

    The cat gave them a glance that was almost a Mean Look, and Hoshi knew that time was up. ¡°I think we gamble on staying ¨C but I¡¯m willing to be talked out of it.¡± He stood, returning Guts and Venus but leaving Crow out; she was the most level-headed of his Pok¨¦mon by a landslide, and he wanted the false comfort of a Pok¨¦mon¡¯s protection without the volatility that he¡¯d felt radiating off the other two. ¡°Last chance.¡±

    The woman at his side ceased digging her fingernails into his chest, standing with him. ¡°I¡­ I guess I¡¯ll take that gamble with you,¡± she said in a more normal volume. ¡°But since you¡¯re making the call, I¡¯m not regretting anything. Fair enough, stud?¡±

    They walked forward, Crow tottering forward with a waddle that he would have found very cute if Hoshi¡¯s heart hadn¡¯t been trying to make up for its earlier pause by running double-time. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Arcus, this whole trip has been a clusterfuck.

    ¡°¡­And as you can see, the machine is working,¡± Ryan concluded with a nod.

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    Their return failed to grab much attention from the others, despite Hoshi¡¯s emotions labeling each passing moment as a horrible, towering mistake. Be cool. It¡¯s¡­ The situation is what it is. No going back, only forward. ¡°I see there was some good stuff in there after all,¡± he said as nonchalantly as possible. ¡°I was afraid it would be nothing but dregs; if I was a League employee, I¡¯d be pretty tempted to ¡®misplace¡¯ the cream of the crop.¡±

    Ryan snorted, and¡­

    And Meowth gave a pleased chuff.

    ¡°That is because you are a man of action,¡± the blond grunt said, ¡°While they are ineffectual bureaucrats.¡± Then the haughtiness dripped away as the man¡¯s expression dipped towards concern. ¡°Are you feeling well, Mutsu? I apologise for not thinking of your mental state; I can¡¯t even imagine being aligned against my own family.¡±

    That brought Hoshi up short. Actual sympathy? From Ryan? Fuck, we really are all going crazy. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ yeah, my head¡¯s on a bit straighter. I should apologise too ¨C I didn¡¯t mean to imply you¡¯re a bad trainer, just-¡±

    He held up a hand. ¡°As I said, I didn¡¯t ¨C and continue to not ¨C disagree with the base of your statement. If the Senior Executives point us in the direction of the Elite Four, I have no doubt you will suddenly hear many arguments in-line with your own thoughts, from a great many mouths.¡± He glanced towards Meowth and smiled, the expression wan and brittle but not fake. ¡°But I see no reason to carry on about it further. Come, let¡¯s get you two of you your share of the spoils ¨C I convinced Menard to leave something specific for you, Mutsu¡­¡±

    He turned, and Hoshi¡¯s eyes followed him ¨C partially, at least; the senior grunt couldn¡¯t resist letting his gaze be drawn to the bounty of Pok¨¦mon gathered around. I still have reservations, but¡­ Arcus, some of these look strong.

    Mimi had picked up a team of fire types, Bart was getting a batch of eevee evolutions working on combo attacks with his electabuzz, Kenny was cheering on a machoke and nidoking as they grappled¡­

    And for a moment he locked eyes with Meowth, the persian¡¯s expression too inhuman to discern. Then it turned, padding off silently towards a side room.

    ¡°Something better than nidoking?¡± Casca asked, her own gaze following the same track.

    ¡°Yes! Well, in the long run¡­¡±

    Hoshi turned properly to give his subordinate a dubious look. ¡°Really. Fine, let¡¯s see it.¡±

    The three dodged through the crowd of Pok¨¦mon, Crow following at Hoshi¡¯s heel, to where the transfer machine sat. It was in use; Tor squatted down, his hands hovering over the quasi-assembled controls with a conflicted look on his face. ¡°Tor!¡± Ryan called. ¡°Are you not done yet? I swear it¡¯s been ten minutes since I last checked in ¨C are you having trouble with the machine?¡±

    The man shook his head, causing the wild hair that had once been a neat, professional-looking crew-cut to shake. ¡°No, I¡¯ve got it. Just¡­ indecisive.¡± How many good ones can there be left? Even accounting for the stasis meaning that this is years worth of Pok¨¦mon, we¡¯re still sharing with the rest of Rocket ¨C unless we¡¯re the first to get in, for some reason? Hoshi discarded the speculation to just step to the side, and saw that the rookie ¨C should I still call him a rookie? Last night was basically a small war; it feels almost disrespectful at this point ¨C was looking at the profile of a noctowl.

    ¡°Pretty strong Pok¨¦mon,¡± he commented.

    Tor grunted ¨C and then, expression going from anxious to firm, he clicked a button. The machine¡¯s fans blew harder as a series of blinking lights lit up along the thickest of the wires connected directly to the Gym¡¯s main electrical hub, their pattern implying something coming up into the kiosk. The screen transitioned to a loading bar, ¡®Transfer in Progress¡¯ displayed in white text-

    And with a slightly muted beep, a Pok¨¦ball ¨C a Jet Ball, to be specific ¨C materialised in a circular nook. There was no holder for it to roll into, and so the ball dropped, bounced off the floor, and rolled. Crow swept a wing out to stop it, and Hoshi reached down.

    He presented the ball to the younger-looking man, and Tor collected his new Pok¨¦mon. For whatever reason, his expression was almost sour. Expecting something better, maybe? Hopefully there¡¯s a few good ones left for me and Casca ¨C though I guess I should keep my expectations reasonable. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Tor muttered. ¡°Well, that¡¯s six with Spearow, so I guess I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°Not gonna trade it out for another evolved ¡®mon?¡± Casca asked, causing all three men to blink.

    Huh. You know, I didn¡¯t even consider that. From the look on Ryan¡¯s face the rich bastard saw the very idea as offensive, and even Tor had a hint of distaste in the curve of his eyebrows. Boxing your starter¡­ heh, that might be the smart thing to do here, but I don¡¯t think many trainers would ever go for it.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°¡­No. Uh, I¡¯ll get out of your hair.¡± The two-day-old Rocket Grunt edged away, giving a particularly wide berth to Hoshi¡¯s golbat, and then there was nothing between him and the idling screen.

    Well¡­ Again, no reason to put it off. Hoshi stepped forward ¨C and suddenly realised his kimono didn¡¯t have pockets. His hands roamed over the silk for a moment, increasing confusion twisting his features as he found that there were pockets inside the chest, but that they were empty. ¡°¡­My wallet¡¯s gone.¡±

    Casca made a small inquisitive sound. ¡°Is it? It- actually, it might be with your clothes ¨C one sec, I¡¯ll go check the pile.¡±

    <hr>

    The Fuchsia City Pok¨¦mon Gym wasn¡¯t a hard place to navigate¡­ on the surface, anyway. Just the main room, with a medical centre and storage area coming off one end, and some offices and what was probably housing for live-in trainers the other.

    But while it was mocked-up as traditional architecture on the surface, in reality it was a hyper-modern military installation. The paper walls were way too thick to be real, thick enough that Casca would eat her fresh new socks if there weren¡¯t at least some hidey-holes worked into them. Then there was the floor; under the mats ¨C which were real tatami, as far as she could tell ¨C was a mess of steel panels. She didn¡¯t know what they did on an individual level, but again some of them were probably concealed entrances to a tunnel network.

    It was like being in the academy again ¨C in fact, she had a sneaking suspicion that the Electric Academy had taken inspiration from this very building, or at least one like it.

    She was of two minds about it: on one hand, it would be very easy to defend from inside, and theoretically easy to escape from should things turn sour. On the other, the people most likely to lay siege to them were also the people who knew what every single one of those mystery panels did. The thought made her teeth itch.

    Steady, girl. No need for paranoia; we¡¯ve got enough real problems that we don¡¯t need to go jumping at shadows. They¡¯d easily cleared the Gym trainers out when they¡¯d arrived, and Jessie and James were right: the vast majority of Fuchsia¡¯s forces were in Viridian, and would be staying there until Boss Archer was convicted and the Nationals could begin.

    But still, I¡¯ll be keeping the more obvious exits in my head until we¡¯re out of here.

    She slid the door to the medical area open, and waited a beat to make sure the poliwrath watching from the side got a good look at her before stepping through.

    ¡°Kichi,¡± Cliff greeted from his bed. ¡°The Executives back yet?¡±

    ¡°No, sorry. Just looking for my man¡¯s wallet.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± With a nod Cliff lowered himself down, and she took that as a dismissal. All right, let¡¯s get right to it.

    A few steps took her to the medical bin they were using to store their wrecked clothing. Let¡¯s see¡­ Ugh, it¡¯s all crusty¡­

    There we go. Easy. Casca wasn¡¯t sure how they¡¯d managed to misplace Hoshi¡¯s wallet, especially with it being so obvious; the moment she grabbed his pants, the weight of the overfull thing shifting around was completely unignorable. I know I wasn¡¯t at a hundred percent, but just tossing his ID in the trash? Stupid. Within a second she¡¯d extricated her prize from the bloody fabric, and she turned back to leave.

    Only to stop as her eyes caught on the room¡¯s other patient. A moment of internal debate, and then Casca made her way towards Puce¡¯s bedside. Hoshi can wait one more minute ¨C in fact, I think talking with Ryan might actually help calm him down a bit.

    More than enough reason for a little detour. ¡°Hey girl, how you feeling?¡±

    Puce was undeniably the person who¡¯d walked out of last night¡¯s fight the worst ¨C excepting Nerine, maybe, if the Fuchsian girl had even survived. She had so many puncture wounds, it was probably only the swelling from the poison that¡¯d kept her from bleeding out. Looks like she¡¯s dressed up as a mummy, Casca noted with a shiver. Her right ear down to her chin had also been slashed open to the bone, and according to Jessie she¡¯d had so many toxins in her system it was entirely possible there would be permanent liver damage.

    It was a miracle the woman was even conscious; even accounting for the disparity in mass, Puce had shrugged off a disproportionate amount of the same paralysing agents that had put Casca and Hoshi on the ground.

    It would be scary, if she didn¡¯t seem so¡­ small, sitting on the edge of the bed.

    ¡°Bad day, huh?¡±

    Puce replied with a grunt, not even moving her eyes, and Casca frowned.

    ¡°Maybe lie down for a bit? You¡¯re not getting a proper rest, sitting up like that.¡±

    No response at all. Puce simply stared at the floor, her large brown irises rimmed in more than a little red. Damn, this is pretty bad. Sorry stud, this might take more than a minute¡­

    She sat next to the catatonic woman, pressing her shoulder to Puce¡¯s arm. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault, you know. She got all of us ¨C I¡¯m half-convinced she got the instructors too.¡± Maybe. Hoshi might trust me to be ¡®good at people,¡¯ but those two are¡­ very strange. Hah, not that the rest of us are much better¡­

    ¡°Do you think¡­¡± Puce said in a bland tone. ¡°I killed her?¡±

    ¡°¡­I Don¡¯t know, girl. If you did, then¡­ I think she¡¯d understand. She seemed to really regret it.¡±

    Silence for long seconds, the bandage-wrapped woman blinking slowly. ¡°Was it real?¡± she eventually asked. ¡°I can¡¯t even tell¡­ Were we friends? She helped me so much, if she were planning to betray us from the start¡­ why do that?¡±

    Because it¡¯s the easiest thing in the world to fall in love with a lie, Casca didn¡¯t say. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll ever have an answer, big girl. The world¡¯s¡­ tough like that.¡± This isn¡¯t working. I think I might even be making her spiral harder. But then a thought occurred. Would that..? Or would it be even worse..?

    Everything was discombobulated, and Puce was a solid brick wall as far as discernible emotions were concerned; she would have to keep making gambles, and hope. ¡°Hey,¡± Casca continued, hands moving to her belt. ¡°I¡¯ve got something here for you. Hold out your hands.¡±

    Puce failed to obey, so with an internal wince she flipped over the woman¡¯s hands herself. Putting the size aside, she¡¯s got nice fingers. Covered by as many bandages as the rest of her, but slender and soft. Girlish ¨C also like the rest of her, really. ¡°C¡¯mon, help me out here. You¡¯ll like this, I promise.¡± Or get angry. But it¡¯ll put a crack in the wall, at least.

    The large hands gained some semblance of rigidity, even as her face remained so expressionless the word blank wasn¡¯t enough. Casca could only shrug and accept it, depositing the two storage-mode Rocket Balls into Puce¡¯s cupped palms where they looked even smaller than they were.

    Finally, a spark of something. Puce¡¯s narrow eyebrows curved, the nostrils of her pointed nose thinning as her squared jaw, the only part of her face that was even slightly masculine, tensed. ¡°These are¡­ Tomato and Sherry?¡±

    Is that the venonat¡¯s name? ¡°Yeah. Got them back in their balls after knocking them out ¨C didn¡¯t heal them after, for reasons I¡¯m sure you understand.¡±

    Puce continued to look at the balls, her face scrunched ¨C and then, very slowly, she brought her hands in and cupped them in a double-fist. Her back bent further, and if her hair had been longer Casca was sure it would¡¯ve covered her face in shadow. ¡°¡­Thanks.¡±

    A long moment of silence. ¡°Do you feel..?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll live. I¡¯ll get some sleep now.¡±

    Despite her words, Puce did not move. Casca sat at her side for a moment more, before letting out another imaginary sigh and standing. ¡°Alright. See you in a bit, Puce.¡±

    <hr>

    Arc, how long does it take to check a pocket?

    Hoshi suppressed the urge to grind his teeth as his girlfriend¡¯s absence drew on ¨C it had only been a few minutes, and he realised that his growing unease was mostly just the product of fermenting anxiety. ¡°Why a golduck?¡± he asked, as much to distract himself as to satisfy his genuine curiosity.

    Ryan quirked a brow. ¡°Why not? It is a regal and imposing Pok¨¦mon, with balanced offense and defence, as well as access to psychic type moves.¡±

    Rather than reply verbally, the senior grunt only looked past his subordinate to where the other three stolen Pok¨¦mon ¨C a kadabra, scyther, and charizard ¨C were allowing Jormungandr to bounce around them with an air of half-strained, half-amused forbearance,

    ¡°¡­And yes, if you must know, Menard took my first choice water type out from under me.¡± He shook his head. ¡°That man seems to always manage to slip into the front of the line, it¡¯s uncanny. But it does seem a good fit; I¡¯m eager to see what each of them can do out in the field.¡±

    Hoshi nodded. ¡°They do look strong.¡± And old ¨C actually, a lot of these Pok¨¦mon are past their prime. I guess that makes sense, since they¡¯re from deceased trainers¡­ ¡°Have you checked their moves?¡±

    ¡°Yes; mostly standard fare, though the charizard and golduck have TM moves in Brick Break and Power Gem. Not bad by any means.¡±

    The two stood for a moment, arms crossed, and simply observed the Pok¨¦mon. I wonder who owned them. At least a few must¡¯ve been from professional trainers; did they get their badges? Fight in the end-of-season tournaments? Could one of these old Pok¨¦mon have faced a Champion in battle?

    It wasn¡¯t likely, but staring at the thick, knobby chitin covering the kadabra¡¯s shoulders and the numerous scars dotting the charizard¡¯s belly, it was obvious that these monsters had a history. And they¡¯ll be making a new history, soon ¨C win or lose. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll be able to win?¡±

    Ryan took his time answering. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It seems impossible, doesn¡¯t it? But if there was a time to do it, it is now; public support of the Indigo League has been shaken by the Moltres and,¡± he tilted his head, platinum hair and topaz eyes flashing as he gestured to the rookies. ¡°Those college insurrectionists as well. We don¡¯t necessarily have to defeat anyone; make them look to be poor enough defenders of the peace, and the citizenry will turn on them.¡±

    Again, Hoshi nodded. ¡°Like they did to Lance.¡±

    ¡°Just so.¡±

    Another silence, as comfortable as any Hoshi had seen since he¡¯d woken up. His hand drifted down to lightly scratch the top of Crow¡¯s head, the wrapped-up golbat making muffled happy sounds in response.

    ¡°And what of your own Pok¨¦mon?¡± Ryan eventually asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re¡­ fine. Some of the injuries stuck.¡±

    A nod. ¡°Such is life. A trainer¡¯s Pok¨¦mon is a weapon; they are not meant to be safe.¡±

    Yeah. ¡°Blah. You sound like Kiribo when you say things like that.¡±

    A couple more minutes passed as Hoshi left Ryan¡¯s side and wandered across the room, checking in on the others. Bart was the same aggravatingly soft-spoken asshole as he¡¯d been since they met, Kenny was in turns ecstatic about his new Pok¨¦mon and worried about his grandmother, Mimi was way too upbeat given the situation¡­

    And Tor was being coached by Meowth as his friends watched. Hoshi joined the pair of rookies in observing the persian make adjustments to a hitmonchan¡¯s form, the latter¡¯s blistering punches emitting a rapidly-shifting aura of elemental energy. ¡°Looks good,¡± he commented.

    ¡°Sure does,¡± Mojo replied, then followed at a lower volume with ¡°Man, this thing¡¯s turned into a real clusterfuck, hasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Lilian clicked her tongue. ¡°Don¡¯t whine. This is exactly what we joined to do ¨C and years faster than I thought it would happen, too.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon, Lil. A couple days ago I was worried Donald might edge me out as first place batter¡­ Now I¡¯m a damn criminal. Like, capital T traitor.¡±

    The woman¡¯s face hardened, and before she could speak whatever harsh thing was on the tip of her tongue Hoshi intervened. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, with enough force it would be hard to interrupt. ¡°I thought this was years off too. I can appreciate that the higher-ups in Rocket have probably been planning this for a long time, but from down on the ground I can¡¯t quite see the big picture. But don¡¯t worry¡­¡±

    The hitmonchan¡¯s movements slowed, the fighting type running out of breath. ¡°I doubt the instructors would send you three right into the fire ¨C they¡¯re weird, but I trust them a lot when it comes to Pok¨¦mon training.¡± Ryan probably isn¡¯t wrong about he said, though-

    ¡°High praise!¡± came James¡¯s voice from over Hoshi¡¯s shoulder, and for a second time his heart froze in his chest. Crow squeaked, nearly falling over as her newly-bipedal body struggled to handle the novelty of being off-balance.

    Arc-! Damn it, every single time¡­

    The sensation was less intense than before, and he mastered himself quickly. He turned, receiving Jessie¡¯s follow-up as he did. ¡°Especially from the direct student of a Gym Leader! And¡­¡±

    James winked. ¡°As for the fire, be it literal or metaphorical, you can be sure we¡¯ll be keeping a close eye on the heat.¡±

    ¡°Meow,¡± Meowth broke in, approaching. The instructors nodded in-sync, then gave similarly simultaneous thumb-ups.

    ¡°It¡¯s all done!¡± said Jessie. ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°Splendid!¡± said James. ¡°And they¡¯ve all filled up on the fruits of the Professors¡¯ efforts?¡±

    A shake of the feline¡¯s black-wrapped head. ¡°Meow.¡±

    That made both senior executives turn Hoshi¡¯s way, and he cursed in his head. I really wish I could speak fucking cat right now¡­ ¡°I didn¡¯t have my licence on me when I woke up,¡± he explained, making a half-blind guess about what they¡¯d been¡­ communicating. ¡°Casca went to check my clothes. Or maybe I lost it after I passed out ¨C or even during the fight, it¡¯s not like I was paying attention to my pockets mid-battle.¡±

    Jessie and James looked at each other, then turned away to mutter. ¡°Lost his ID?¡± Jessie started, and Hoshi wasn¡¯t sure if she was stage-whispering on purpose or if it was just a habit ¨C either way, he could hear her voice clearly.. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s three Pok¨¦mon going unpilfered!¡± James took up at the same volume. ¡°There¡¯s no way we can get a new one with the academy blown up¡­¡± Oh, so they did mean it was ¡®no more¡¯ as in gone. That¡¯s not ominous at all.

    ¡°Maybe Hypno thought to make a spare?¡±

    ¡°As if!¡±

    They turned back. ¡°Meowth,¡± Jessie said in a more normal volume. ¡°Go help Grunt Kichi with that while we get the rest of them in line over here. Assuming no more delays, we-¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡± Again Meowth gestured, and Hoshi turned to see his girlfriend approaching. She gave a little wave at the attention, a melancholy smile on her face, and something in his gut unclenched.

    ¡°Hey there sir, ma¡¯am. Found your wallet, stud.¡± She underhanded the thick fold of leather his way, and Hoshi felt another burst of relief. Whew. That¡¯s one potential crisis solved, at least.

    The instructors apparently agreed, letting out twin sighs. ¡°There we go, Senior Grunt,¡± James said. ¡°Go get some Pok¨¦mon, there¡¯s no time to spare!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re on a time limit here, you know! The Nationals only last so long!¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Hoshi replied, obeying even as his thoughts disagreed. We¡¯ve got until the end of the month before it even starts, and the year for the last tournament to be over. What exactly is the rush?

 6.03 - Teambuilding

    Hoshi had to admit, the excitement was getting to him a little bit.

    He almost felt like a little kid again as he sat heavily in front of the transfer machine¡¯s screen and disparate controls, each button set against the ground in an arrangement that seemed stunningly less workable now that he was actually about to use the thing. How many times did I build an imaginary team with my friends in elementary school? A hundred? More than that?

    The nostalgia flowed in, thick and multicoloured. Even back then, I already had a thing for ground types ¨C and electabuzz, and bugs, and ditto. That last one had been courtesy of Genji the Transformer, one of his favourite cartoons; it starred an alchemist and his ditto partner, on a quest to bring the former¡¯s mother back to life. Kind of morbid for a kid¡¯s show, actually. I guess the war¡¯d just ended, so things being a bit morbid was just normal. Ditto¡­

    Somehow I doubt they¡¯ve got one of those in here, rare as they are.

    After indulging himself for a few seconds more Hoshi shook the swirling emotions loose, and inserted his ID. The graphic of a Pok¨¦ Ball spun wildly in place before dissolving, replaced by a plain text-only list with a large ¡®3/6¡¯ in the corner. That¡¯s probably my team count. Pretty bare-bones ¨C is that because we only built half the thing, or because it¡¯s in ¡®safety mode¡¯?

    Hoshi knew slightly more about computers than the average Joe, almost entirely from hanging around Danny¡­ but his practical knowledge was still basically zero. ¡°What am I looking for?¡± he asked as he started to scroll. It¡¯s in the Kanto Pok¨¦dex order, I think ¨C damn, that¡¯s a lot of butterfree and beedrill.

    ¡°Quite near the bottom,¡± Ryan answered from over his shoulder. ¡°I think you¡¯ll be pleased.¡±

    With a grunt of acknowledgement, Hoshi continued. There was a squirtle up there near the top; should remember that for later if I don¡¯t find anything evolved. The official Oak Labs starter Pok¨¦mon were amazing ¡®mons, and basically impossible to find in the wild. A few raticate. Could pick Guts up a harem¡­ heh, no. Fearow¡¯s a good choice, there¡¯s a good number of nidoran and nidorina, some strong plants and bugs¡­

    He lingered on the lone persian punctuating a trio of meowth, then kept scrolling. Pain in the ass to press a button that isn¡¯t attached to anything¡­

    The list reached the end of the Pok¨¦mon originally documented by Oak and continued down, stretching into the crumbs he¡¯d left for Elm and Johto¡¯s natives. Hoshi sent a raised eyebrow backwards, and Ryan made a keep going gesture as he replied with a narrow-mouthed smile. Not a Kanto Pok¨¦mon? If you got me all hyped up for a quagsire or something, I¡¯m gonna be pissed¡­ though actually, that wouldn¡¯t be a bad choice. Water-ground was a great combination.

    Speaking of the giant salamanders, there were a few ¨C right after an ampharos. Marking that one too; I wanna finally get my own electric type. He scrolled; the Johto Pok¨¦mon passed, then a small selection of Hoenn natives. A slakoth? If I can get that to evolve all the way¡­

    But with a huff he continued, increasingly impatient as the bar on the screen¡¯s right ticked down closer to the very bottom. ¡°Something from another continent?¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯ll know it when you see it.¡±

    Hoshi clicked his tongue. Sinnohan, then. I can think of a few strong candidates; torterra, gastrodon¡­ maybe a claydol? Despite admonishing himself to keep his expectations grounded, the senior grunt couldn¡¯t help but speculate. What if it¡¯s a krookodile? Or a garchomp ¨C hah, like there¡¯d be a Champion-tier Pok¨¦mon just sitting around-

    Mid-thought, Hoshi reached the bottom of the list. His eyes remained unfocused for a moment, still trying to protect themselves from the nausea-inducing electronic blur, and then he blinked and started to read. That weird Paldean tentacool, some normal types¡­ Sobble? No, I don¡¯t think so. Salandit, deerling, woobat- ¡°A munchlax?¡± he half-exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

    Snorlax are some of the strongest Pok¨¦mon on the continent ¨C holy shit, this is-

    ¡°Not that one,¡± Ryan countered, causing Hoshi to whirl around in confusion. ¡°One above it, Mutsu. Though I¡¯m gratified to have guessed you¡¯d appreciate a baby Pok¨¦mon, if it contains enough potential.¡±

    Baby..? He turned back, and immediately his eyes lit up again. ¡°Holy shit,¡± he repeated aloud.

    Gible, the list proclaimed in plain white text, and Hoshi immediately clicked up and then fumbled for the blue yes button. ¡°How the fuck did you convince Kenny to leave this alone?¡±

    A slither of cloth that might¡¯ve been a shrug; Hoshi was absolutely not turning again to look, not with the young dragon¡¯s statistics opening on the screen. Male, estimated to be four months old, no badges on his record¡­ Who left you in here?

    ¡°It was surprisingly easy, once I pointed out the fully-evolved nidoking.¡±

    Wait ¨C if he saw this, that means Kenny bothered to check all the way to the bottom of the list. Huh. Hoshi didn¡¯t need to think about it for even a second longer; he pressed the button again, then a third time as a ¡®Withdraw? Yes/No¡¯ popup appeared. The machine started up whatever arcane ritual it used to turn its stored Pok¨¦balls from data to atoms, and he waited, elated, with his hand below the nook.

    ¡°Are you sure you want that one?¡± Casca asked from the sidelines. ¡°Sure it¡¯s rare, but it¡¯s still a baby.¡±

    ¡°The Sinnoh Champion¡¯s ace is a garchomp,¡± Hoshi argued as the fans whirled like tiny typhoons. ¡°And she¡¯s held her title for as long as Oak did.¡± And with a lot more competition. ¡°Besides, Jorm¡¯s one of our stronger Pok¨¦mon, and he¡¯s not even close to evolving ¨C this is basically a second him. Actually, I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t take it, Ryan.¡±

    ¡°As if-¡±

    Finally the ball appeared ¨C an Indigo Ball, purple and black with a slight rainbow sheen ¨C and the rest of this subordinate¡¯s sentence went beyond Hoshi¡¯s ears as his attention focused in. It was in its storage mode as it dropped into his waiting palm, but a quick double-tap of the lens brought it to full size. Texture feels good. It looks like glass, but feels like fine sandpaper ¨C or rough leather, maybe. I could throw this a damn mile.

    ¡°Gible, go,¡± he said, and lightly tossed the ball. It bounced once, the sound muffled yet beautiful, and opened with the customary electronic whoosh-oosh-oosh. A torrent of red light was disgorged, and as the ball propelled itself back into Hoshi¡¯s hand said light coalesced into a small, muted-blue shape.

    It was comparable to bagon, in many ways ¨C fitting, since they were both the baby form of their region¡¯s most powerful dragon. The gible was a darker shade, with a much rounder body, but their height was similar and both stood on two legs. Rather than a thick bony plate, Hoshi¡¯s new Pok¨¦mon had two horns tipped with sharpened ovular growths, and something like a shark¡¯s fin swooping upwards and backwards. Echolocation, his brain absently supplied as he marvelled. The horn structures help with sensing vibrations ¨C because the adult form can swim through the ground. And fly as fast as a plane.

    The dragon turned, blinking its large-pupiled eyes, and Hoshi beamed. ¡°Look at those teeth. Amazing. C¡¯mere little guy, let¡¯s introduce you to-¡±

    The gible lunged, its stubbly legs pushing with startling force to turn it into a missile with the teeth Arcus fuck-

    He was saved from having a sizable chunk of his left thigh bitten off by Crow, who suddenly drew up to interpose her body between the dragon and Hoshi. The fearful cry of Astonish sounded out as she spread her wings, each limb nearly the size of her entire previous, unevolved body.

    As the sound washed over him the gible flinched in shock, hit the golbat¡¯s gaping maw, and the two went down doing their level best to sink their fangs into one another ¨C a fight the baby dragon seemed to be losing, given that it¡¯d started with the severe handicap of diving directly down its opponent¡¯s throat.

    ¡°Oh wow,¡± Casca said. ¡°That¡¯s- should we..?¡±

    ¡°Return,¡± Hoshi answered the unasked question, and the gible disappeared ¨C but still, he was smiling. ¡°Feisty thing. We¡¯ll have to do what we did with Quake, let it loose inside a posse.¡± It¡¯s a fighter. That¡¯s good, that¡¯s what we¡¯ll need.

    His girlfriend shook her head. ¡°Feisty doesn¡¯t seem strong enough. Looks like Crow¡¯s gotten one heck of a french kiss.¡±

    Hoshi could only nod; his golbat¡¯s tongue had a wide bite mark oozing blood, painful-looking proof that her toothsome new teammate was, indeed, a dragon.

    Then they collectively flinched again as Ryan clapped his hands. He, too, was smiling, though the expression was a bit put-on. ¡°Looks like Jormungandr will have a sparring partner to match his zeal! Here, let me lend you a Potion-¡±

    ¡°No need, there¡¯s a pile of them in that bag there.¡± And some other stuff too, I think ¨C probably other battle items. ¡°Give me one sec, I¡¯ll be right back to choose the rest.¡±

    As he returned his aggrieved bat to spare her a few unnecessary seconds of pain, Hoshi felt his expression turning sardonic. Hah, I hope I don¡¯t get in trouble for taking too long; paring that massive list down to just two will take a while.

    <hr>

    As his human partners got the grunts lined up and doing simple drills ¨C not only a necessity for the new recruits, but a good cool-down exercise from the uneven battle they¡¯d all gone through last night, the executives included ¨C Meowth found himself with a certain amount of trepidation turning sourly in his stomach.

    Dey ain¡¯t quite reddeh yet. Even with stronger Pok¨¦mon, and even with the fire-baptism inherent to fighting a Gym Leader¡¯s real team, the grunts were still green. A month, mebbeh. Two, prob¡¯ly. If we send ¡®em in now¡­

    But they didn¡¯t have that much time. With Jitsu gone and his Inner Ministry decapitated, they were on a strict time limit before the volatile cult realised they were done for and everything exploded ¨C Jus¡¯ like tha academy. Dere but fer da grace a¡¯ da maker. He was going to miss Petrel; the organisation had been bleeding out its old blood steadily over the years, and any day now it might just be him, Jessie, James, and Ariana. And mebbeh Archer, if we can bust ¡®im outta dere.

    Watching Jessie and James personally training a new cell of Rockets made him feel old, even more than the grey starting to show in his fur.

    And so when the metallic scent of fresh blood hit his nose, it was from a need to look away from the heartache-inducing sight as much as anything else that made Meowth turn. What¡¯s all dat now?

    Oh. Mutsu. Waddah we gonna do wit¡¯ you, kid?

    It wasn¡¯t like Meowth didn¡¯t understand; he must¡¯ve had a thousand similar arguments with his humans over the years, their resolve waxing and waning as they¡¯d flown from one continent to the next. Because yes, it had been exciting, and beautiful, and the adventure of a lifetime¡­ but trying to catch up to the Boss¡¯s shadow while also keeping Rocket alive had been hard, dangerous, and, for the most part, entirely thankless work.

    But now we ain¡¯t tree stooges out roamin¡¯ da countryside; we are da bosses. And we gotta keep a tight ship. The thought brought with it something he had no name for ¨C the opposite of nostalgia, almost, like looking back to see that he didn''t recognise his own tracks. Used ta dream ¡®bout bein¡¯ on da top. Turns out, it¡¯s still a lotta dirty work. Dirtier ¡®n bein¡¯ on da bottom, sometimes.

    The thin human finished pilfering from the sack of loot Meowth had snuck out of the nearby Pok¨¦mart, his young golbat waggling its tongue at the taste of Potion. Too young. Must¡¯a been some fight to get da girl to evolve so early. Meowth kept watching as he went back to the PTS console, where his mate and rival were waiting ¨C and the persian wasn¡¯t sure whether to nod at the care he was making his selections with, or wince at how long it would obviously take.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    The thought repeated itself: waddah we do wit¡¯ you, kid? He didn¡¯t want to rat the guy out, but as things stood he might be a liability if things started looking sour.

    ¡°Meowth! Could you take over here? I need to refresh James¡¯s bandages.¡±

    ¡°And I need to do yours!¡±

    He turned back to see his two humans bickering ¨C and under the zeal, under the fervour and the high spirits and the sparkle of this is it, we¡¯re finally doing it, he could see that Jessie and James were, like him, tired.

    Ya know, I¡¯m prob¡¯ly over-tinkin¡¯ it. Might be a good long talk solves everytin¡¯ ¨C we¡¯re due one ¡®a dose anyhow. ¡°Meow.¡±

    The two blinked, immediately discarding their argument over who needed their wounds cared for first. ¡°A private talk?¡± James said, understanding.

    Jessie winced. ¡°But we need to be in Saffron by-¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡± He didn¡¯t like putting his foot down too often, but there were still days where these two really couldn¡¯t read the room. They looked at each other, James mirroring Jessie¡¯s wince, and then back to him.

    ¡°Fine!¡± they both said. ¡°But you¡¯re doing the bandages!¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Oh hey,¡± Casca said as Hoshi scrolled carefully, making sure his eyes didn¡¯t skip over any potential gold among the dross. ¡°Corphish evolves into a dark type, right? One of those would be really useful.¡±

    ¡°Enforcer Moon has his tyranitar,¡± Ryan countered. ¡°And Tor picked out an Alolan raticate as well.¡±

    Hoshi grunted. ¡°Might pick one up anyway. Immunity to psychic¡¯ll be useful.¡± And maybe a psychic of my own? Or maybe not; Ryan had already snagged the one kadabra, and while he¡¯d seen a hypno on the way down that pick felt¡­ weird. Probably because I¡¯ve spent so much time around the Doc lately. Blah.

    He went up, checking profiles and enduring side commentary all the way, gradually filling up a list then winnowing it back down. ¡°Okay,¡± he eventually said. ¡°First thing¡¯s first, I¡¯m getting that magneton.¡±

    Ryan made a sound of protest, but it didn¡¯t stop Hoshi from pressing the button. ¡°Gah! It¡¯s such a niche type, we don¡¯t need three of them! Honestly, you Vermilions are as bad as Ceruleans with their fish.¡±

    Casca blew a raspberry, and Hoshi snorted. ¡°Yeah, and I noticed that scyther on your team.¡± The fans spun up once again, the machine conjuring a standard Pok¨¦ Ball with a beep. ¡°Besides, magneton is steel, too. That¡¯s good defensively.¡±

    The blond sighed, giving up his protest. ¡°Fine. But at least check those normal types to see if any of them are fairy.¡±

    Ugh, like I¡¯d use a jigglypuff even if it was immune to dragons. ¡°Fine,¡± Hoshi conceded. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look even though we both already have dragons ourselves. But if the instructors yell at me, you¡¯re taking the blame.¡±

    After carefully checking the one clefairy, two jigglypuff, three marill, and four snubbull, it was concluded that none of them were miraculously of a foreign type. ¡°There we go,¡± Hoshi said. ¡°Happy?¡±

    Ryan huffed, his arms crossed. ¡°It was worth looking at. But yes, fine, I¡¯m happy.¡±

    ¡°Good. Now¡­¡± Flexing the joints on his right hand, Hoshi once more took hold of the down button. ¡°I¡¯ve narrowed my last pick down to six. Quagsire, umbreon, ursaring, houndour, slakoth, and munchlax.¡±

    As he listed them out, both members of his audience hummed ¨C and Crow let out a steady chirp as well, though she was probably just trying to fit in. ¡°Why quagsire?¡± Ryan asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to have a water type, and pairing it with ground makes for only one weakness.¡±

    Casca spoke next, slender fingers cupping her chin. ¡°You should kick out one of the dark types and two of the normals. That seems like the easiest way to start.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m torn. The umbreon is probably stronger ¨C it looks like a battler from the picture ¨C but when the houndour evolves it¡¯ll get a big boost in power.¡±

    ¡°If it evolves,¡± Casca corrected, ¡°in time to be useful.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorta making these picks on the assumption that we''ll, you know, win. Kind of pointless to plan for failure.¡±

    A moment of thought, and then she shrugged. ¡°But a stronger Pok¨¦mon now makes us more likely to win. So¡­¡±

    So there¡¯s the quandary. Do I build my team for the next month, or assume we¡¯ll make it through and plan for the next year? ¡®Cause we definitely aren¡¯t rebuilding the whole government anything close to quickly. ¡°Okay, I can drop the slakoth at least.¡±

    ¡°But not the munchlax?¡± Ryan asked.

    ¡°Snorlax is just too strong to write off.¡±

    He scoffed. ¡°Just because Red had one¡­¡±

    The argument went on, long enough that Hoshi was surprised someone hadn¡¯t come over to see what the fuss was about. But eventually, he was persuaded to choose between umbreon and ursaring.

    ¡°Offence or defence,¡± Casca summarised as they all looked at the screen, and Hoshi grunted.

    ¡°Well, I do still think a dark type would be useful¡­¡± So¡­ Umbreon it is.

    His hand hovered over the button, hesitating ¨C and his girlfriend noticed. ¡°You don¡¯t seem satisfied with it.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s teeth clenched. ¡°I dunno. I feel like it¡¯s¡­ not my style, if that makes sense? Fuck, Surge was always on my ass for only going on the attack, and he¡¯s right, but I¡­¡± I don¡¯t fucking know what I¡¯m saying. ¡°I find it infuriating, fighting guys like Kenny¡¯s lickitung. Maybe it¡¯ll feel different from the other side, but I don¡¯t think so. It feels¡­¡± Again, he struggled to find the right words. ¡°Like I won¡¯t be able to use a defensive Pok¨¦mon the right way. I¡¯m not a patient guy, not when a fight¡¯s happening. Hit the other guy first, harder, until he goes down. That makes sense, right?¡± When I tried to get tricky fighting Bart, I lost. When I toughed it out and turned it into a brawl with Bob, I got my first really good-feeling win. Am I just seeing shapes in the clouds?

    The two grunts looked at each other, and shrugged simultaneously. ¡°In the end, the choice is yours, Mutsu,¡± Ryan concluded.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been thinking about that corphish anyway this whole time. And I¡¯m sure Puce would love an umbreon ¨C if we can get her out of bed.¡±

    Hoshi stared at the screen, sour, but eventually sighed. ¡°Thanks for supporting my bad decisions, guys,¡± he said, only half-joking, and slapped the down button until he hit his third and final pick. With three more inputs the machine began to rumble, and he sighed again, softer but with greater emotion. There, it¡¯s done. Full team of six. Arcus, I feel like I fought another battle. Despite feeling giddy as a child loaded down with candy, he was undeniably drained ¨C and there was still whatever fallout was hanging over their heads from Meowth overhearing his and Casca¡¯s plans. Gonna need a damn nap at this rate.

    The ball appeared ¨C a black Jet Ball this time ¨C and fell into his waiting hand like the first two. ¡°There we go. Machine¡¯s all yours, Casca.¡±

    ¡°Great!¡± she exclaimed, trading places. ¡°I¡¯ve already got it basically done in my head; I can¡¯t believe everyone ignored that cloyster just sitting there!¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°He¡¯s what?!¡± ¡°She¡¯s what?!¡±Jessie and James exclaimed, the force of the combined shout rattling the scrolls packed neatly along one wall of Janine¡¯s office.

    Hopefully not quite loud enough to make it through the vacuum-sealed walls, but better to nip their anger in the bud regardless. ¡°Meow,¡± Meowth said, then continued when he saw the short answer didn¡¯t quite get the message across. ¡°Not attack. Fear both ways.¡±

    ¡°Still!¡± James yelled. ¡°Even thinking about abandoning ship ¨C and right when we¡¯re on the cusp of victory!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! Why, we should march out there right now and-¡±

    Meowth let out a long, aggravated yowl, causing the two humans to freeze. ¡°You. Sleep bad.¡±

    A moment of silence ¨C and then they replied sheepishly, James speaking first. ¡°Well, yes-¡±

    ¡°We have been burning the midnight oil¡­¡±

    ¡°-But it¡¯s necessary. Clair¡¯s strongest Pok¨¦mon won¡¯t be on the mend forever.¡±

    ¡°And the Professors can¡¯t keep Sabrina contained forever, gengar or no.¡±

    ¡°And there¡¯s only so many hands to lighten the work! Honestly, we should probably have been doing more¡­¡±

    The three looked at each other, tired and irritable¡­ Then they pulled together. ¡°Meow. Salvageable.¡±

    Jessie sighed. ¡°Yes, but for how long? He¡¯s going to find out that Surge is dead eventually ¨C and almost certainly before we get to Saffron. We can¡¯t just stash them all in a bunker and wait; as James said, we need able hands.¡± She looked to her blue-haired partner. ¡°Or everything we¡¯ve built will just fall apart¡­¡±

    James was uncharacteristically silent for long seconds, staring at the pattern woven into the floor¡¯s coverings. ¡°¡­We need to be the ones to tell him,¡± he concluded.

    ¡°James?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t think of any way out other than through, Jessie. The young man¡¯s on edge ¨C Cascade as well.¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    Jessie reluctantly nodded, her teeth bared. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Ariana had the gall to almost nearly lose; if we had twenty or thirty more Grunts, a few Executives¡­¡±

    A collective sigh. ¡°Gold flakes. Rocks with steel hit. Big spark.¡±

    The other two nodded, and their path was set.

    <hr>

    ¡°Are you sure you want just water and grass? There¡¯s still the houndour; you could finish the classic triangle.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s words caused Casca to pause. She put a finger to her lips, chewing lightly at the edge of her nail. ¡°I think one unevolved Pok¨¦mon is enough for me.¡±

    ¡°Magcargo?¡±

    A quick head-shake. ¡°No, I think Mimi took enough fire types for all of us. I know I said I didn¡¯t want a specialist team, but I¡¯m kind of changing my mind; I don¡¯t have the knowledge you or Ryan do. Keeping it down to three with Quake will make them easy to feed, and I can use what I learn with one on all the others¡­¡±

    Hoshi nodded, more to himself than Casca. Those are legitimate reasons to specialise. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll drop it. So, leafeon or ludicolo?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t know. Which one¡¯s better?¡±

    If I could say straight-out, I¡¯d have already suggested it. In truth, he wasn¡¯t very familiar with either; leafeon was a lot rarer than the other eevee evolutions, given there were so many other targets for a leaf stone, and ludicolo wasn¡¯t a ¡®mon he¡¯d ever paid much attention to.

    All they had to go off of were the stats pages the transfer system provided, and they were less informative than even what the Mini-Dex gave, let alone a proper Pok¨¦dex. ¡°Ludicolo is a third-stage evolution. It¡¯s probably better?¡±

    His tone caused Casca to let out a soft moan of frustration. ¡°That was a question, Hoshi. I don¡¯t want you to answer my question with a question!¡± Her over-dramatic tone cut the tension they were both feeling, and Hoshi laughed.

    ¡°Ha. Want me to call Ryan over?¡±

    Another shake. ¡°No, no, I think I¡¯ve waffled long enough. Ludicolo is fine; it¡¯s water type anyway. Two are better than one, right?¡±

    Now that¡¯s a complicated question. But she was right; they''d both taken long enough. ¡°That¡¯s the prevailing wisdom.¡±

    Twenty seconds of menu fiddling and waiting later, a strange Pok¨¦ball appeared. While it retained the solid-colour upper-lower divide of the standard Pok¨¦ Ball and Jet Ball, the top was an unfamiliar dull gold ¨C and even weirder, the lens was bright fluorescent orange. It is glowing..?

    ¡°Huh, never seen that one before.¡±

    ¡°Me either.¡± Custom? A promotional ball for some special event? ¡°Whatever, it¡¯s yours now.¡±

    Casca spun the ball in her palm, letting it settle naturally before magnetically attaching it to her belt. ¡°And that makes six. How does this thing know how many we have anyway? Is it just proximity?¡±

    You know, I don¡¯t actually know that one. ¡°I think it connects to our IDs? I know that trying to catch a seventh Pok¨¦mon just teleports the ball away, so it isn¡¯t the machine that knows¡­¡± You¡¯d think Rocket would¡¯ve left that feature out. I suppose they would¡¯ve if they could; it¡¯s probably a prerequisite to using the transfer system at all. ¡°We¡¯ll have to see if it counts Puce as having two or four when she comes out.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh. Anyway, with all that done¡­¡± They turned, focusing on the other Rockets training furiously in twos and threes. ¡°I¡¯ve got four monsters to break in. Let¡¯s-¡±

    ¡°Meow,¡± yet again from behind, and this time Hoshi managed to suppress his startlement. Hah, I¡¯ve been expecting it.

    He turned to see the persian looking at the machine, an inhuman look in his eye. ¡°Sir?¡±

    Meowth turned back ¨C but when he opened his mouth, what he said was definitely unexpected.

    ¡°Ho. Shi. Mu. Tsu.¡± The Pok¨¦mon turned his head towards his girlfriend. ¡°Ca-as, cade. Ki. Chi.¡± Then he did a one-eighty, tail flicking like a long, loud exclamation point. ¡°Come.¡±

    Hoshi was speechless. He glanced to his side, and saw the rare sight of his girlfriend absolutely gobsmacked.

    ¡°Yo!¡± came Kenny¡¯s growling voice from the background. ¡°Did that cat just fuckin¡¯ talk? That¡¯s so fuckin¡¯ cool!¡±

 6.04 - Legacy II

    When Hoshi had been young ¨C he couldn¡¯t remember the exact year, just ¡®young¡¯ ¨C he¡¯d broken one of his mother¡¯s old bone-china plates. The context was long gone; whether he¡¯d been playing or helping her clean or actually eating off the thing was lost to the river of time.

    What he did remember was the feeling of waiting to be scolded¡­ and as he walked a step behind the talking Pok¨¦mon, the woman he¡¯d fallen in love with at his side, he felt the exact same way.

    It would¡¯ve been funny, if he didn¡¯t feel so fucking sick.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± came a whisper to his ear. ¡°If they were go- if it were a punishment, they¡¯d do it in front of everyone.¡± The stutter betrayed how nervous Casca was, the same as him, and its mere existence washed away any comfort the words might have had.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied anyway, because there was no reason to make her worried. Amazing how emotions can turn on a dime. I woke up feeling pretty good, fell into despair, got buoyed back up, and now I¡¯m drowning again. I have to ask it one more time: is this fucking shellshock?

    Meowth the persian ¨C the TALKING persian, he had to emphasise ¨C went up on his hind legs to open a sliding door. He entered without turning back, and not for the first time Hoshi considered just attacking with all his Pok¨¦mon and letting the dice fall where they would. It¡¯s a bad gamble, but at least I¡¯d have some kind of control.

    He ignored the suicidal impulse, pushing forward instead to enter a slightly cramped office in the same timeless style as the rest of the Gym. Casca closed the door as she came in behind him, and the two stood silently as they were regarded by Senior Rocket Executives Jessie Oakley and James Kidd. For once, there was no artistry to their posing, no theatre, no performance; James sat behind the office¡¯s desk, his fingers steepled in front of his nose, while Jessie leaned against its side in a startlingly delinquent slouch.

    The former was cold, the latter smouldering, both tense and angry. Have I seen them angry before? I¡¯ve been taking lessons from them since August, surely they¡¯ve frowned once..?

    If they had, the memory was playing hard to get. ¡°Please,¡± James said, the blandness of the word not fitting the green flames in his eyes. ¡°Sit, both of you.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve heard you have some concerns.¡± Jessie enunciated the word like the final sentence of a judge ¨C guilty.

    Or maybe I¡¯m just freaking out. Casca said they¡¯d just stick us somewhere if I came clean, right? I have to trust her ¨C I¡¯ve got nothing else. Fighting them would be no different from fighting the League; if he had to choose one, at least let it be the one he wanted to fight. Hoshi took one step, one more, his motions mechanical for how tightly he was controlling his body, and then he sat in one of the two chairs as the reflective black slits of Meowth¡¯s eyes tracked him. At least they¡¯re not making us stand ¨C that¡¯s good, right?

    As Casca took her own seat, he opened his mouth to explain. ¡°Yeah, I do. Just me, really. I-¡±

    ¡°Mu,¡± came the first syllable of his name from something that should have been only slightly smarter than a housecat. ¡°Tsu. No. L-l-lies.¡±

    He swallowed. ¡°Okay.¡± Fuck.

    A lingering second of tension passed as James took a breath. ¡°Let¡¯s start with all our cards on the table. You are considering ¨C only considering ¨C fleeing our organisation due to a belief that our ultimate goal is¡­ untenable. And we are considering ¨C again, only considering ¨C giving you the appropriate punishment for such an act. Is this accurate?¡±

    Hoshi didn¡¯t have enough saliva to swallow again, though he dearly wished to. ¡°Not¡­ completely untenable. Sir.¡± Don¡¯t falter. It¡¯s¡­ like you and Dabi. If they think you¡¯re a worm, it doesn¡¯t matter if you are ¨C they¡¯ll treat you like one. ¡°Just¡­ within the bounds of the tournament season. And¡­ my feelings have cooled off a little bit, from where I was at my most panicky.¡±

    ¡°Have they?¡± Jessie asked, looking in his direction without turning her head.

    ¡°Yes. I spoke with Ryan, and he reminded me that there are likely many more Rockets, more skilled than me and my team, that you can call on. You aren¡¯t going to be asking me to fight the Champion¡­¡± The sick urge to laugh, smothered in its cradle. ¡°¡­Right?¡±

    An entirely-too-long silence, and then he saw James relax. ¡°No, Mister Mutsu, we wouldn¡¯t consider that unless things were truly dire.¡±

    Jessie, too, seemed to become less angry ¨C though hers was a lesser change. ¡°We have the Professors, and a core of Executives. You will be asked to do your part, in repayment for the many benefits you have been given, but the risk will be¡­¡± She fished for a word. ¡°Commiserate.¡±

    ¡°Commensurate,¡± James corrected, and the woman shot him a dirty look. It was enough of a return to familiarity for Hoshi¡¯s chest to melt slightly, the feeling of a blade over his head retreating just enough it might be possible to dodge if he saw it move.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± he said, his own muscles starting to untense. ¡°I hope that¡­ a little crisis of faith is forgivable, given the circumstances.¡±

    ¡°And the fact that we haven¡¯t actually done anything,¡± Casca followed up. Casca! This isn¡¯t the time to talk casually!

    James continued to look at them behind his steepled fingers, the icy emerald flame burning in his eyes holding steady ¨C before disappearing all at once. The executive let out a breath, and when he spoke there was relief in his voice. ¡°Yes, you haven¡¯t, have you?¡±

    ¡°Beyond a few words to your fellow grunts, of course,¡± Jessie slid in. ¡°Easily dismissable as the aftermath of a bad day. And there won¡¯t be anything more than that, will there?¡±

    His girlfriend¡¯s soft touch on his leg kept Hoshi¡¯s reply steady. The irreverence seemed to do wonders. Maybe..? ¡°If I can repeat something you said¡­ we wouldn¡¯t consider that, unless things were dire.¡± Too much? How hard can I push ¨C fuck, this is a thousand times worse than getting the Ditto to give me overtime.

    Luckily, it seemed he¡¯d gauged it right; Jessie huffed out a single laugh, and James¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Touch¨¦,¡± the latter said. ¡°You know, the two of us see a lot of ourselves in you.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Casca asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Jessie picked up. ¡°Like Mister Mutsu, my parents died when I was young.¡±

    ¡°And like you, Miss Kichi, I fled my home to escape a¡­ burdensome situation.¡±

    Silence. ¡°Oh,¡± Casca said again. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ know that.¡±

    James nodded. ¡°Yes. Though the contents of our lives are of course very different, I hope you can empathise with us seeing¡­ something of a mirror in the two of you.¡± His smile edged towards the expression he normally wore, the cold tensity retreating and ebbing away second by second. ¡°So I suppose we can mark this as water under the bridge.¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    Hah. Back to the meows. Hoshi¡¯s body relaxed further. ¡°I suppose I¡¯m flattered.¡± How do they even get information out of that? Even accounting for him being smart, Meowth is still just saying ¡®meow¡¯¡­ Actually, can I ask about that whole thing?¡±

    ¡°About our past? I suppose we could talk a little, though time is-¡±

    ¡°Uh, sorry,¡± he interrupted. Blah. They can¡¯t hear your thoughts, dummy ¨C don¡¯t relax too much now, we aren¡¯t out of the woods. ¡°I meant about Meowth. How he can talk?¡±

    ¡°We know about Professor Mokusen¡¯s intelligent machoke,¡± Casca followed. ¡°Is he the- sorry, are you the same thing, sir?¡±

    A moment where the three senior Rockets, human and persian alike, looked at each other. Then Meowth stood from where he¡¯d been sitting, and padded forwards. ¡°Nno,¡± he said, the sound not quite human. ¡°They. Ex. Pl-lain.¡±

    ¡°Meowth has trouble speaking Kantonese,¡± James said. ¡°So I hope you¡¯re not too disappointed to get it from us, rather than¡­ straight from the horse¡¯s mouth.¡±

    An offended glance. ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°But no, he is not the product of the Professor¡¯s efforts,¡± Jessie said, ignoring the byplay as Meowth and James argued about idioms. She reached up to tuck a strand of flawless hair ¨C did they shower since last night? ¨C behind her ear, the motion causing each of her pearl earrings to catch the light like twinkling white stars. Yet still, she continued to keep her gaze from crossing lines with either Hoshi¡¯s or his girlfriend¡¯s own; the redhead was still smoldering with anger, much more than her partner was. Or something else? ¡°It is¡­ something of a story in and of itself. As James said, we are strapped for time; we¡¯re indulging this because of the necessity of its existence, not because we have a few minutes to kill.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    That one was insistent, and whatever the persian had said caused the executives to tense, some of the previous atmosphere returning. James nodded, his mouth a flat line. ¡°We¡¯re building up to it! Just doing it raw would be¡­ But yes, there are only so many hours in the day; I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to choose: our story, or Meowth¡¯s.¡±

    Hoshi blinked. I wasn¡¯t expecting either when I walked in. But we¡¯re firmly off the topic of any punishment for my speech or theoretical desertion, so that¡¯s good. He turned to his girlfriend. ¡°Casca?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Her eyes went to him, then James, then Meowth, then back to him, where they stayed. She leaned in, voice dropping. ¡°This is super selfish and dumb but¡­ I¡¯d rather you not know James¡¯s backstory? If it¡¯s as similar to mine as he¡¯s implying, anyway¡­¡±

    A firm nod. ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°I know it¡¯s dumb, we¡¯ve been dating for months now¡­¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I want to hear it from you, when you¡¯re ready ¨C or not at all.¡± He turned back to the executives, a spot of blush heating his cheeks when he saw the amusement on their faces. Meowth, meanwhile, only rolled his eyes. ¡°Uh, we¡¯d like to hear Meowth¡¯s story, if that¡¯s fine.¡± I am actually pretty curious ¨C a real talking Pok¨¦mon!

    Twin nods, and Jessie began narrating. ¡°Listen closely, you¡¯re only getting this once. We first met Meowth in nineteen-ninety-five, though the actual start to his story began six years earlier, with a military project by the name of Project Two¡­¡±

    <hr>

    The story that unfolded was¡­ strange, was the only label Hoshi could apply. Shocking wasn¡¯t quite right, because of course Kanto had any number of secret projects going on during the war years. Cloning a legendary Pok¨¦mon? Sure, that sounded like something people would at least try ¨C it was arguably more practical than getting one in a ball, even. Imbuing it with human genes? Hypno had already implied as much during his rant near the month¡¯s start. That it had blown up the lab and escaped? A lifetime of movies had primed him to accept that outcome before Jessie and James had said a single word.

    That the Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres had attacked it during an attempt to wipe out humanity with a giant storm? Okay, that was shocking, but it was almost too fantastical to hit his brain full-on. And so the emotion that Hoshi felt as the executives wound down was mostly a sort of off-kilter confusion; not at what he¡¯d heard ¨C or the possibility that Jessie and James might be lying, which was real but not really important right that moment ¨C but rather that he was hearing it at all.

    ¡°¡­And so we rode back to Pallet Town, stashing the canoe in a little nook prepared beforehand,¡± James continued the denouement, handing it off to his partner as they¡¯d been doing for¡­ however long the story¡¯d been going.

    ¡°It was a little mini-adventure all its own ¨C those small-town housewives can be nosy ¨C but eventually we were back in Viridian.¡±

    ¡°Meowth walking with us, we sat down with the Chief Executive, then the Boss, telling them mostly the same thing you just heard¡­ And that was that.¡±

    ¡°Team Rocket soldiered on, with a few additional members. I like to think it an apt lesson.¡± Jessie examined her fingernails as she went on. ¡°You can¡¯t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s breath almost hitched as something incongruous happened: the two Rocket Executives fell out-of-sync. Jessie looked up sharply.

    ¡°James! That was your cue!¡±

    The blue-haired man shifted uncomfortably. Actually, they both look uncomfortable. It was Casca who asked, sending out a hesitant ¡°Sirs? Are you¡­ alright?¡±

    Jessie stared at her partner, who cringed. ¡°Maybe we just skip it?¡± James asked. ¡°I know I was the one who suggested it, but now that it¡¯s happening-¡±

    ¡°James!¡± ¡°Meow!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright..!¡± He turned forward, looking Hoshi in the eye ¨C Hoshi specifically, ignoring Casca completely, which painted a line of cold down the senior grunt¡¯s back. Ah, there¡¯s the blade ¨C coming from a completely unexpected direction. The change in atmosphere was putting him off his game, and Hoshi couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine what was causing it.

    ¡°Hoshi Mutsu,¡± James said, pronouncing his name with a tone even more graven than Jessie had said the word concerns earlier. Not just a judgment ¨C it was the sound of the rope pulling taught. ¡°Putting sentimentality aside, the primary reason we recruited you was your connection to Bob Surge. Not only to improve the chances of placing the Super Re-router successfully, but also for the slim chance we might be able to secure a Gym Leader on our side of the field.¡±

    It was Hoshi¡¯s turn to wince. Stay cool. Spine straight. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible, sir. Even without the¡­ swift timetable we¡¯re on, Surge just isn¡¯t the right kind of patriot to see what we¡¯re doing as correct.¡± Dad would probably be able to convince him, if he were here, but despite his reputation Uncle Bob is a by-the-books kind of hardass. He¡¯d want everything to go through the official channels, and that¡¯s¡­ not possible anymore.

    Somehow, his words caused James to look even more distraught ¨C and in a moment of epiphany, Hoshi realised that it was fear he was seeing, as much as anger. ¡°About that¡­¡±

    Jessie took things up as her partner trailed off. She exhaled, squared her jaw, and to Hoshi¡¯s continually rising trepidation sent him a conciliatory look. ¡°Just as the Indigo War caused mass casualties among your father¡¯s generation, I¡¯m afraid our current conflict has failed to start cleanly.¡±

    What are they..? Beside him Casca stiffened, and her realisation sparked his own. No. You said it blew up, but- no.

    ¡°I am afraid,¡± James said, blue obscuring green as the ephemeral colour spilled from his eyes in great waterfalls. ¡°That Bob Surge was killed during an attempt by the League to secure the Electric Academy. A voltorb trap rigged up by Special Executive Petrel Lamb, who also died in the ensuing explosion, triggered to unfortunate consequences.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Hoshi said, refuting the torrent of words trying to force their way into his head.

    ¡°He would have died instantly ¨C painlessly.¡±

    The chair hit the floor at the same time his fist hit the desk, the two dull thuds overlapping. ¡°No!¡± he cried, resolute. ¡°That¡¯s- that¡¯s not possible. Surge can¡¯t be dead.¡± I- I just lost the Mutsu side of my family. I have nothing- I-

    Red and blue swirled under his eyelids, tinting the world into a kaleidoscope as James put his hands up in a gesture of placation. ¡°We understand this is hard to hear, but-¡±

    Another slam, running up arms that were buried under layers of growing emotion. ¡°Bullshit! He- you- you weren¡¯t there! You couldn¡¯t have been there!¡± Or were they? said the red. Maybe that¡¯s why they took so long to show up last night ¨C they were busy snipping the only connection to my old life I had left.

    It doesn¡¯t matter, said the blue. It doesn¡¯t matter, they don¡¯t matter ¨C it was me. If Bob was in that building, it was because he was looking for me. He died because I left without telling him I¡¯d be out of town, because I joined Rocket, because I¡¯ve lived my entire life without even considering him at all, because I¡¯m a shitty person.

    ¡°He might be alive!¡± Hoshi lied. The desk cracked under his fists as he beat them against the solid wood, as if he could smash through reality and turn the past day into a dream. ¡°He¡­¡±

    But no. The world was tragic and stupid, and he¡¯d gotten his uncle killed by joining a fucking gang. The red and blue combined into a black abyss as his anger and sadness drained away, and Hoshi looked down at his lightly bleeding fists feeling a plastic numbness ten times stronger than realising an aunt he¡¯d met twice in his life had written him off.

    The arm Casca snaked around his shoulder provided little comfort, and the Rocket Executives¡¯ continuing stream of words none at all. Neither could penetrate the coffin around his body, only smash into it like the bay smashing against concrete docks. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t handle this.

    Without further speech Hoshi stood and left the room, leaving a bloodstain on the door as he went. Again Casca closed it behind him ¨C and she, too, had no words as she followed him, his footsteps becoming less steady as he went.

    ¡°Hey Boss,¡± Kenny called. ¡°You-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m taking a nap.¡±

    The infirmary was in the same style as the rest of the building, paper and reed hand-inked with images of cherry trees, their double-flowering branches laden with purple. The dark-skinned enforcer said something as he entered, but Hoshi couldn¡¯t dredge up the effort to hear it; he tumbled into a bed, and all but ceased to exist.

    <hr>

    Casca looked down at her man, at the curve of his spine and the strain of his shoulders. The way his bushy eyebrows seemed to cover his eyes from view like a forest canopy, and the bleak dryness of said eyes where they peeked through, open and yet unseeing.

    ¡°Is Hoshi..?¡± Puce half-asked from the neighbouring bed, and the ex-aspiring Rocket Agent distantly noted that she, at least, seemed a bit better. I guess you traded places.

    ¡°He¡¯s just had a shock¡­ I don¡¯t feel like talking about it right now, okay? Let¡¯s just all rest for a bit.¡±

    Puce mumbled something under her breath, which Casca ignored as she slid in beside her boyfriend¡¯s rigid frame. The silk around his body was cold under her fingers, and she wished that there was some magic combination of words that would make them warm again.

    Her hand slid to her stomach. There isn¡¯t. Grief doesn¡¯t work that way.

    <hr>

    A familiar dream unfolded; rings or red and blue and pink, losing bits of themselves, melting and dripping down to plant life on a barren land. It was probably beautiful, but Hoshi wasn¡¯t in the right mood to enjoy it.

    ¡°Go away,¡± he spoke into the verdantly growing surroundings as his feet left the surface. ¡°I don¡¯t care about whatever bullshit thing these dreams mean. I want to sleep.¡± His voice was monotone, a match for the inside of his head. ¡°Go away.¡±

    The dream failed to obey, and he rose up into the air, into the great blackness with its rings of gold. ¡°Fuck off.¡± They passed over him, shining, brilliant. ¡°Fuck off!¡±

    For Hoshi¡¯s entire adult life, he¡¯d lived in mingled annoyance and anticipation of that familiar red film filling his vision. It was like a drug; stealing away his ability to make decisions, but also shielding him from pain. A great stormcloud with the faintest of silver linings, his rage had taken him through as many drunken brawls as it had gotten him into.

    But the silver had tarnished ¨C there was no shield protecting him now. Hoshi raged in the lightless void, crashing down as a red-and-blue meteor onto the deeper blackness at the end of the dreamscape. The rage and sadness twined against each other, feeding despair, and he collapsed into the gritty nothing.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want this!¡± he cried, tears of colour spilling from his eyes. ¡°The psychic vision shit ¨C go away! Leave me alone!¡±

    The darkness cradled him like the arms of a father as Hoshi¡¯s cry dwindled to quiet sobs, and an equally quiet heartbeat lightly thumped out from somewhere underneath.

    Eventually, he woke up.

 Interlude - Worldâ€™s Strongest

    I am ready¡­ to be¡­

    Meowth¡¯s ears perked up as the strange, incongruous thought passed in one ear and out the other. Huh? In fact, it almost didn¡¯t feel like a thought at all ¨C except it had come from inside his head. What was that? Is Abratwo playing a prank? But it didn¡¯t sound like his voice¡­ Maybe I¡¯m overthinking it?

    He opened his mouth, and forced his tongue into the correct shape. ¡°You hear?¡±

    The simple words caused the tip of Fuji¡¯s hair to bob as the doctor looked up from his clipboard, the strength of the lab¡¯s lighting making the swooping brown waterfall somehow both more and less defined. ¡°Hm? What was that, Meowthtwo?¡±

    ¡°Hear? Sound.¡±

    The doctor blinked, cocked his head, and a second passed where it was clear he was trying to hear with his weak, round human ears. Meowth frowned. Not now. It¡¯s already stopped. But the words came slowly, and so instead of putting in what would be a wasted effort he simply remained silent. ¡°Sorry,¡± Fuji said. ¡°I don¡¯t hear anything.¡± Then his voice lowered ¨C pointless, since the only other person in the room was a Pok¨¦mon with superior ears. ¡°Infrasound maybe? Note to self, have the ductwork checked again¡­¡±

    The doctor returned to scribbling away, and Meowth couldn¡¯t help but huff and let his attention wander. In the beginning it was easy to pay attention, but after nearly twelve months of testing the toys and obstacle courses of Fuji¡¯s laboratory could no longer interest him; while the individual puzzles might be changed every few weeks and the nature of the tests tweaked slightly, the experiences remained mostly the same as they¡¯d been when he was¡­ born.

    At least Sam and Kim do interesting things. Fuji is always cognitive tests and exercise¡­ And he was in the sad part of his sad to happy to sad cycle, so that was going to turn today into an even bigger chore.

    Though maybe that could be changed. ¡°Battle test today?¡± the Pok¨¦mon attempted, hopeful.

    Fuji stopped writing, a frown beginning to form ¨C not on the surface, but deeper inside, a place Meowth had no word for. The doctor¡¯s face, at least, was interesting to look at; the hair on his head curved up and down, wavy and voluminous, while his beard did the opposite from below ¨C the combination gave him a silhouette like a crescent moon, though unlike the real moon Fuji¡¯s huge pointed nose jutted from the middle. It was a bit like Spearowtwo¡¯s beak, actually ¨C Meowth wasn¡¯t sure if the man was ugly, by human standards, but he definitely looked different from the others.

    ¡°Battle..? No, not today,¡± Fuji said, voice louder, looking up from his clipboard as the frown finally made its way to his lips. ¡°I¡¯d like us to do some more reading.¡± He looked up ¨C and he must¡¯ve noticed the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s own frown, because then the doctor¡¯s eyes changed shape. Pity, was the emotion Meowth read. Sympathy, regret, hesitation. ¡°Although if you do well¡­ I¡¯m sure Blaine and Charmandertwo could be persuaded to have a match, afterwards.¡±

    The combination made him want to frown harder, to bear his teeth and let his claws extrude, but Meowth held himself back; it was important to reward the humans when they did things he wanted. Otherwise they wouldn¡¯t keep doing them. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The words for that were ¡®operant conditioning,¡¯ and they were very useful.

    Again the doctor spoke whisper-quiet, so low that his peers wouldn¡¯t have heard. ¡°Always fighting¡­ Is it the Pok¨¦mon nature coming out, or the human..? I wonder¡­¡± The clipboard went to its place on the desk, replaced with a different thing to write on: a notebook. Fuji¡¯s notes were thick and neat, unlike Blaine¡¯s own book which was thin, or Sam¡¯s which was messy. Then he drew out a second book, a sturdier thing wrapped in some kind of skin. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Let¡¯s get started then: The Journey of the Gull,¡± Fuji named ¨C redundantly, since the words were printed on the surface for Meowth to see.

    Inside, the cat sighed. There won¡¯t be pictures ¨C I can tell from how boring the cover is.

    Two hours passed, and then at long last they began to reach the end.

    Meowth may have disliked the cognitive tests, but they were still better than the medical ones ¨C and there was a reward waiting for him, so he tried his genuine best. He read each chapter, answered Fuji¡¯s questions, and attempted to guess what the next chapter would be about before moving on. It wasn¡¯t hard, and only a little boring, and so halfway through the Pok¨¦mon concluded that today¡¯s test was okay. Not as good as a battle test, but-

    I am ready¡­ to be.

    The pen nearly slipped from his paws, the drawing of what he thought the main character would look like ¨C if he were real and not just an idea ¨C gaining a thick line. The motion was joined by a sound, a wordless expression of mixed curiosity and unease coming from somewhere deep inside. Both were involuntary, like jerking awake from a nightmare.

    ¡°Meowthtwo? Are you alright?¡±

    For a moment, there was an overwhelming yet nameless emotion ¨C and then it was gone. Like the stars disappearing with dawn, suddenly Meowth¡¯s head was silent again. ¡°Sound again. Words.¡± But not¡­ Not human words, not Kantonese. The meaning is¡­ closer to itself. More fundamental. He blinked. What? More fundamental to what? What am I even..?

    As he grappled with the slippery thing that refused to be put into language, even inside his own thoughts, Meowth watched Fuji¡¯s expression take on a different texture of unease. ¡°You hear someone talking? What are they saying?¡±

    ¡°Weird. Deep?¡± Meowth continued grappling, the drawing forgotten. ¡°Voice says: ¡®I am ready to be.¡¯¡±

    Apparently that was as mysterious to the doctor as it was to him, because Fuji¡¯s thin eyebrows curved in confusion. ¡°And¡­ where is it coming from?¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t know. Gone again.¡± Actually, that was a good segue. ¡°Battle test?¡± He said the words with a certain expression: eyes widened, lips pulled in then out, brows raised as high as they would go. The Big Eyes always worked ¨C even on Blaine.

    Fuji¡¯s expression dipped, juked, moved from dull confusion to a spark of frustration to resigned acceptance in the time it took to blink twice. ¡°Fine,¡± he said, the harshness of the barked word softening as he continued. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can rustle something up. Meet you in the battle chamber?¡±

    The cat nodded aggressively, and hopped to his feet. The Big Eyes always works.

    <hr>

    Meowth liked to think he was one of the smarter people in Cinnabar Labs. Evidence of this: he knew that the building was called Cinnabar Labs, on Cinnabar Island, an island ¨C which was land surrounded by ocean, which was a lot of water in a really deep puddle ¨C that was part of a country called Kanto. Things that the doctors took care to never say out loud when they knew the clones could hear.

    More evidence: he knew they were clones. And that clones were things that were born in a tube, instead of inside another living thing, and that that latter way was how pretty much every other Pok¨¦mon that existed was born.

    He knew that he was created as a military project ¨C which was a special way of saying he was made to fight. And he knew that the scientists who¡¯d made him must have done a good job, because liked to fight. Except Fuji. Fuji wants to make a smart human clone instead. Actually, all the really important doctors seemed to have extra things they wanted to do; Blaine was very concerned about something called a war, which from context Meowth was pretty sure meant a very large, long battle, and thought they should be making machines that a Pok¨¦mon could wear or drink to become stronger. Sam wanted to find new evolutions and complete something he named a Pok¨¦dex, and Kim was very, very interested in fusing ¡®DNA¡¯ with ¡®EPI,¡¯ though Meowth hadn¡¯t figured out what those things were yet.

    The less important scientists, the ones whose names he didn¡¯t bother remembering, also had their own concerns ¨C mostly money, as far as he could tell ¨C but they weren¡¯t the people who controlled what was happening, so they didn¡¯t matter much. That was another thing he knew: that the four lead doctors were the lead doctors, even if there were other ones who seemed to be doing all the same things.

    But more than anything, Meowth was smart because he knew that he didn¡¯t know things. That he needed to keep learning.

    As so when he got the battle room, he didn¡¯t loiter on the field to enjoy the big plants and soft dirt like he wanted to; instead, he picked the entrance closest to Blaine¡¯s lair, put his ear against the crack where door met wall, and listened.

    Cinnabar Labs was full of all different kinds of rooms, but they could be roughly split into two groups: the ones where Pok¨¦mon were allowed, and the ones where they weren¡¯t. The battle room was on the edge between one side and the other, and it was from there that Meowth had learned much of what he knew.

    A minute passed, and then-

    ¡°We¡¯re still a military project, Tenmo. And besides, they¡¯re getting along quite well!¡±

    Meowth blinked, then smiled. Sam, not Blaine. Good. Blaine was gruff; he didn¡¯t talk much, even when he was speaking to another human. This was going to be a good day, and not just because he would get to battle.

    ¡°They¡¯re like children!¡± Fuji countered, nearly yelling, and that drained a bit of the good feeling from Meowth¡¯s bones. I¡¯m not. I¡¯m a year old already ¨C fully grown!

    Sam seemed to agree. ¡°They aren¡¯t human, old friend. You can¡¯t treat them like toddlers, that¡¯s not fair to them.¡±

    The tap-squeak of rubber soles on tile changed as one of the humans¡¯ anger was expressed physically. ¡°We¡¯re sending them out to die, Oak! People! They can talk, Meowthtwo can read like a middleschooler, they¡¯re obviously people!¡±

    One person stopped walking entirely, then the other, and Meowth heard Sam let out a beleaguered sigh. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re asking them to do anything a soldier wouldn¡¯t. Like it or not there¡¯s a war happening, Tenmo ¨C and stopping it quickly, cleanly, and with a minimum loss of life needs to be our top priority.¡± The footsteps started again. ¡°If a heavy conscience is the most we have to pay for that, I¡¯ll do it with a smile.¡±

    A long pause, their footsteps growing louder, then: ¡°Besides, it¡¯s almost over. Mewtwo is grown enough to be woken up; everything¡¯s worked out. Kanto has its weapon, you have your stable clone, Kimigawa¡¯s theories will make him a millionaire¡­ you should be happy, Tenmo. Go home with your new daughter ¨C forget all this and be a family man, if that¡¯s what makes you happy.¡±

    They approached, and the cat retreated. Mewtwo? The name was familiar ¨C it followed the same scheme as the rest of them. Another clone. Of ¡®mew,¡¯ whatever Pok¨¦mon that is. Another cat type, maybe?

    The knowledge he¡¯d gathered sizzled through Meowth¡¯s veins, invigorating him as he slinked into the underbrush. ¡®Almost over,¡¯ he said. Does that mean we¡¯ll get to leave soon? The possibility was sweet. I want to. I want to see the world outside this building ¨C the whole thing, not just what I can spy through a few cracks.

    As he pondered, the door finally opened. The greying Professor Oak walked through swiftly while the scowling Fuji followed at a more hesitant pace, the former letting out a breath as he calmed himself. ¡°Let¡¯s put all that heavy talk aside for now ¨C after all, we have a young man to entertain!¡±

    Sam¡¯s large, expressive eyes scanned the low foliage ¨C and Meowth felt a pang of annoyance when the professor immediately spotted him despite the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s attempts to hide.

    ¡°Meowthtwo, it¡¯s good to see you!¡± he continued, walking forwards. ¡°Sorry I haven¡¯t been in to see you and the rest this past week, but Blaine¡¯s gone mad over these new stimulants he¡¯s developed ¨C and Kimigawa is adding fuel to the fire! Honestly, those two are always bouncing around every which way¡­¡±

    Samuel Oak ¨C or just Sam, as he preferred to be called ¨C was a very normal type human, at least as far as Meowth¡¯s small sample size could be trusted. He almost looked like one of the subordinate scientists; his grey-brown hair was cut simply, short down the sides and windswept up top. His head was square, matching a slightly wider, bulkier body than most humans, notable but not nearly aberrant enough to stand out. His eyes were black, his skin bore a mild tan, and he was always energetic and upbeat.

    In comparison to the cavorting bones-and-fat Kimigawa, the alternatingly sullen and feverish giant-haired Fuji, and the erratic-but-stoic Blaine with his bald head and perpetually-burnt clothes, Sam was almost a background figure ¨C and yet he was Meowth¡¯s favourite. All the clones¡¯ favourite. He was fun, in a way that felt¡­ deeper, more personal than Kimigawa dancing in the halls when an experiment worked out or Fuji¡¯s condescending kindness.

    ¡°Sam,¡± Meowth replied. ¡°Battle test?¡±

    The human laughed. ¡°Of course! Though I¡¯m afraid none of the other special Pok¨¦mon were available; you¡¯ll have to settle for my old raichu.¡±

    That was fine. Meowth stood up from the undergrowth with a nod, shook off a few stray leaves, and made his way to the far side of the field. It was hard to maintain his dignity as he went; battles were exciting. ¡°One?¡±

    ¡°If you beat him we might do another,¡± Sam allowed. ¡°Though it¡¯ll have to be quick; I¡¯ve got some exciting things happening later that can¡¯t be put off.¡± Mewtwo? He said he was ready to wake up ¨C I wonder if we¡¯ll meet.

    Sam threw out a Pok¨¦ Ball and, with an oddly comforting sound, a large orange rat appeared. As always the appearance of the much-larger rodent sparked something in Meowth¡¯s subconscious, an instinctive wariness that came forward when he was in the presence of an evolved Pok¨¦mon. The raichu held no such regard for him, though; the giant rat barely acknowledged the predator¡¯s existence.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Meowth said, but there was no response ¨C and he chided himself. Stupid, always trying to talk; if they could do that, the humans wouldn¡¯t have needed to make me. ¡°Battle start three?¡± he continued, playing it off like he¡¯d been talking to Sam the whole time.

    ¡°Actually, why don¡¯t you make the first move? No need for a countdown; I want to see if you can outsmart Raichu.¡±

    That made his eyes narrow. Outsmart? Don¡¯t say that like we¡¯re on the same level! Meowth had been working on his Fury Swipes with Mankeytwo; it was very possible he¡¯d win in a full-on fight.

    But in the next moment he folded the competitive anger away, his eyes narrowing further in thought. ¡°Fine. Win in first move.¡± That only made the professor chuckle, and the annoyance spiked back up for a second. The cat exhaled sharply. Dumb rat won¡¯t know what hit him.

    First, he drew up the pattern for Scratch. It wasn¡¯t really a pattern, but that was the word that fit closest; like a thousand thousand glittering stars, drifting in great clouds across his body before being pulled into a constellation.

    A constellation that made something. Meowth¡¯s claws lightened, and he knew that if he looked down he¡¯d see a faint sheen to them, almost like a coating of oil ¨C but he wasn¡¯t done. The stars, the puzzle, the vibration, the energy could be put in a different order, and as he slowly circled around the raichu¡¯s fat body Meowth did just that; he pulled pieces away and put them back differently, slowly turning Scratch into Fury Swipes.

    It wasn¡¯t yet a real Fury Swipes, the way Mankey could do it, but the power was there ¨C and still he wasn¡¯t done. Another pattern came up, a second type of energy thrumming through his body.

    The two moves ground against each other, fighting as they occupied the same space, and with a savage cry he pounced before they could annihilate each other. ¡°Combo!¡±

    The rat had the gall to look affronted, merely sweeping its lightning-bolt tail across to intercept Meowth¡¯s attack as lazily as possible ¨C but its expression turned to confusion as the Feint did its job, causing the defensive Tail Whip to whiff. The limb slid harmlessly across his body as Meowth descended, claws gleaming, and satisfaction filled his heart as he first drew blood. The raichu squeaked, more in surprise than pain, its expression becoming angry as sparks shot from its cheeks.

    But he still wasn¡¯t done! Combo! His claws came around again, drawing more blood, tiny droplets flying as again, again, again Meowth struck his opponent¡¯s body and face, a flurry of blows that flowed into each other so perfectly there was no gap for retaliation-

    Until the incomplete pattern fell apart, the immature cat¡¯s body incapable of sustaining it. Meowth blinked as his claws suddenly caught on the raichu¡¯s fur, stuck fast ¨C or stuck slow, actually. From the sidelines came a cheerful clap, completely at odds with the dread blossoming in the cat¡¯s gut. ¡°Was that an attempt at a combined move? Magnificent!¡± Sam¡¯s voice blended with the continuing crackle of sparks his affronted raichu was sending out, the different reactions leading to a singular result. ¡°You were close! Another week or two and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have it down ¨C but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s Raichu¡¯s turn now!¡±

    Pain.

    <hr>

    ¡°Another Potion?¡± Sam asked, cordial as always. It took a bit of the sting out of losing twice ¨C first to Raichu and then to another rodent Pok¨¦mon, a blue round thing that the professor called Marill ¨C both figuratively and literally.

    ¡°No. Pain done.¡±

    ¡°Gone,¡± the human corrected, and Meowth nodded.

    ¡°Exciting thing happening today?¡± he asked, licking his paw with a lingering shallow shadow of dejection; he liked to battle, but he liked it more when he won. ¡°Can I see?¡±

    Sam blinked, and rather than answering looked towards Fuji. The taller, thinner scientist made an ambiguous expression, and Meowth was surprised. Oh, I thought I¡¯d seen all the faces he could make. What does this one mean? ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Fuji eventually said. ¡°We¡¯ll be in full clean-room mode for it; you¡¯ll have to wear something airtight for your fur.¡±

    Blah. Meowth stuck out his tongue, expressing his disgust at the thought of wearing the heavy rubber things he and the other Pok¨¦mon needed when they were inside ¡®clean rooms.¡¯ ¡°No thank you.¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d say that,¡± Sam replied with a nod. ¡°But it never hurts to ask. Perhaps I can introduce you to-¡±

    Was everything before just a dream?

    The weight of the thought was like what Meowth imagined the ocean must be like, water and water and water as far as the eyes could see, rippling softly in the outside air. It washed out everything, sight and sound disappearing underneath, and when he was himself again Meowth could only stare at the bright light in front of him, confused. Then he gathered himself up, a shake of the head re-orienting his senses ¨C he¡¯d fallen down.

    As had the humans, at least partially. Sam held his knees, sweat coating his face, while Fuji¡¯s arms were wrapped around a bush. ¡°Heard that? Voice. Heavy. Where from?¡± Meowth asked, half-babbling, and Sam¡¯s eyes focused.

    ¡°Mewtwo- the lab!¡± he cried, ignoring the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s questions while also answering them. ¡°Tenmo ¨C you get over there right now, I¡¯ll check on the other two.¡± A pause. ¡°Now! We need to move!¡±

    Despite the urgency in his voice, the old human was slow to get going, his spine straightening only with what seemed to be immense effort. Sam helped Fuji detach himself from the plant without falling, and the two began to walk while Meowth followed ¨C at least for a ways.

    ¡°Meowth,¡± Fuji said as they went through the exit. ¡°You should go to your quarters and lay down ¨C there¡¯s no telling how many times that will happen.¡± The sadness he¡¯d been carrying the whole day was gone, replaced now by a manic gleam shining from his eyes. He seemed larger like this, despite needing to lean on Sam¡¯s shoulder; his hair, his limbs, even his breaths were more voluminous, each inhale sucking up more air than should have fit in his lungs.

    ¡°Tenmo¡¯s right,¡± the other scientist agreed. ¡°Please check on the other Pok¨¦mon for us; the caretakers should be doing that themselves, but-¡±

    They¡¯re outside ¨C where I must be.

    Again, the whatever-it-was struck with an all-erasing weight. Meowth disappeared for a second, no room left in his head for thought or personality or awareness ¨C and when he came back, he was on the ground again.

    Fuji wheezed out a ¡°Go,¡± and found his feet first. He hobble-sprinted off, leaving Sam and the Pok¨¦mon behind.

    ¡°What happening?¡±

    ¡°A- an experiment with a powerful psychic Pok¨¦mon.¡± The professor breathed heavily, then spat to the side. ¡°Its abilities seem stronger than we assumed they¡¯d be.¡± His eyes, like Fuji¡¯s, held a gleam of triumph as he smiled.

    Psychic. Meowth knew that word. ¡°Like Abratwo?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly- sorry, I need to go. You get yourself back to the dorms!¡±

    Then he too left, turning a different corner from Fuji, and Meowth was alone. Psychic¡­ that didn¡¯t feel like a voice. When he ¡®spoke¡¯ with Abratwo it was almost like hearing words; the sedate clone¡¯s tone was small and somehow fragile, like the sound version of the cobwebs that appeared mysteriously in disused rooms. The voice of this Mewtwo was something entirely different, stronger than the solid walls that made up the labs.

    Meowth lay on the floor for a minute, still dazed, and was only roused when another researcher thundered past in a sprint. He rolled clear of the woman¡¯s path at the last moment, panic moving his limbs where intellect failed. I shouldn¡¯t be here, he thought as the white tails of her coat disappeared around a corner. The scientists are panicking, but once they calm down they¡¯ll be angry I came this far in. I should do what Fuji said, and go check on the others.

    But¡­

    This was his chance to learn more than he ever had before. He¡¯d never been able to sneak into the human-only sections ¨C the opportunity was irresistible. And so when he stood, he padded further into the unknown rather than back to his nice soft bed.

    And that meant that when the explosion rumbled through the building, he was close enough to be caught in it. He looked up from the documents he¡¯d been pawing through, a vibration rattling the tiles of the empty room, and glanced towards the door ¨C but before he could do more than begin considering whether to double down on exploring or change his mind and flee, the door made its own decision and leapt inwards. Whoa-! It rebounded off the desk Meowth was standing on, fire following in a burst of light and heat, and he barely managed to get behind the solid wooden thing before the room caved in.

    <hr>

    When Meowth woke up, the first thing he noticed was smoke.

    The second was blood, the third pain, and the fourth thing he noticed, made very evident as he tried to move, was that he was pinned under the half-crushed remains of the desk. ¡°Help,¡± he wheezed, choking on thick black air. ¡°Help me-!¡±

    A coughing fit stole his breath away, and when he recovered he noticed a fifth thing: the room he¡¯d been in no longer had a roof. Visible through the splintered wood that hemmed in his vision was a brilliantly blue sky, completely clear despite the horrible clouds covering the ground level. He¡¯d only ever seen tiny slivers of it through bug holes and windows too high to reach, and the way it stretched out would have been breathtaking if he¡¯d had any left to take. It¡¯s so far away, was all he could think for a long second.

    Then his attention was taken by something far less beautiful, if equally intimidating; a great mechanical slice-thump-rumble entered his ears, and all at once the smoke cleared.

    Meowth looked out from his pile of rubble to see a gigantic metal thing, bigger than any Pok¨¦mon he¡¯d ever seen, descend to the ground on four spinning wings. Watching it with him was something else ¨C not a human, though it was roughly that size and shape.

    Is that..? Mewtwo?

    Grey skin, or maybe fur, with a slightly more vibrant purple curving from its belly up the length of a massive tail, the limb easily equalling its body in volume. It looked a bit like Abratwo, with an armoured-looking section covering its shoulders, but the scale and sharp, triangular eyes were more like a male human¡¯s. ¡°Help,¡± Meowth croaked again, watching the tall Pok¨¦mon watch the metal bird in turn ¨C but the effort was almost certainly pointless; they were basically the entire length of-

    They¡¯re basically the entire length of the labs away, Meowth thought incredulously. What happened to the walls? Where are the researchers? The only thing other than the distant figures and more distant sky was rubble, some of it still smouldering away despite the behemoth¡¯s descent creating a strong wind ¨C a wind that didn¡¯t touch Mewtwo, if that was what they were, at all.

    The flier came in slowly, hovering, and landed ¨C and then Meowth realised his mistake as its side opened. He wasn¡¯t looking at some massive fully-evolved Pok¨¦mon, but at a vehicle like the trucks he¡¯d seen in picture books. How? How can something so big fly without flying type energy? From inside emerged a man, and the contrast between him and his transportation underscored just how huge the latter was ¨C it was bigger than the room Meowth slept in.

    Mewtwo, too, gained something to be held against as the human approached, his black clothing flapping in the wind still issuing from the spinning wings. The Pok¨¦mon was taller than any human Meowth had ever seen, at least six feet. ¡°Help,¡± he cried out fruitlessly. ¡°Help me! Mewtwo!¡±

    The Pok¨¦mon failed to notice; it only had eyes for the approaching man, and the cat fell silent. Without anything to do, he could only watch and listen ¨C an effort that was proven half-useless as Mewtwo¡¯s speech boomed through Meowth¡¯s head, less intense than what he¡¯d experienced before but still distinctly uncomfortable.

    ¡°Another human? No, you are different. What are you?¡±

    Even hundreds of metres away, Meowth cringed from the harshness of Mewtwo¡¯s psychic voice ¨C but the human¡¯s brow only tensed for a moment before he continued forward. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re mistaken,¡± he said, voice almost entirely smothered under the flying machine¡¯s cacophony. ¡°I am human. Giovanni, the master of a city to the north. And you¡­ are Mewtwo. The strongest Pok¨¦mon in the world.¡±

    ¡°Am I?¡± Mewtwo asked again. ¡°Pok¨¦mon¡­ The creatures who created me called me a clone. A mere copy.¡±

    ¡°Mere? You are only a copy in the way any child is a copy of their parents. No, your power is-¡±

    The rest of the sentence was lost as the smashed desk shifted, something on top moving in a way that made the wooden walls press harder against Meowth¡¯s back. His breath rushed out, and despite straining with all his might his lungs failed to fill enough to satisfy. He began panicking, Scratching at whatever was in reach, trying to break free of the pile.

    Psychic sentences smashed into him, useless with only half the conversation. ¡°You think me a weapon as well?¡± ¡°That cannot be my destiny.¡± ¡°Control? I am already in control.¡±

    And then a great shifting brought Meowth¡¯s panic over the edge. He thrashed, the world narrowing down to just a rapidly-darkening hole pressing in from all sides ¨C before a miracle occurred. Everything shook, and suddenly he was free, or freer at least, for he could suddenly move his arms and breathe properly again. The top of the desk blew away in a great shockwave, and his attention went to its epicentre ¨C to where Mewtwo floated, glowing with a solid blue more intense than even the sky.

    ¡°Do you see my control, Giovanni? Do not insult me further.¡±

    The human¡¯s ¨C Giovanni¡¯s? ¨C machine tilted, sliding across the ground under the pressure of Mewtwo¡¯s power. The man himself grimaced in pain for a moment ¨C but that was all. Somehow, through a process Meowth couldn¡¯t conceive of, he remained standing before a force great enough to blast away rubble an entire lab-length away.

    ¡°I speak no insult,¡± Giovanni¡¯s calm, unshaken voice called back. ¡°You could be ten times stronger, a hundred, a thousand. Join me ¨C with your psychic powers and my resources, together we could control the world.¡±

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Mewtwo hung in the air, and again Meowth was reminded of Abratwo ¨C but unlike the tiny, fearful abra who could only float just above the ground in a strange, boneless manner, this more powerful psychic stood on the air like it was more solid than hard tile. His head lowered, and Meowth braced for another explosion ¨C but there was only the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s deep voice, rattling the cat¡¯s head but leaving the rest intact. ¡°The world¡­ Show me.¡±

    <hr>

    Am I going to die under here?

    It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d thought it, in the past minutes. Since Mewtwo and Giovanni¡¯s departure ¨C the latter in his machine and the former flying under their own power ¨C Meowth had been struggling against what was left of the debris covering his body. But despite being diminished, it was still much too heavy to move. Neither Scratch nor Fury Swipes nor even Pay Day could make more than a surface-level mark on the hard chunks of stone and wood, and though he could breathe again his back half was firmly trapped.

    The panic was gone, but in its wake was a calmer sort of fear; his left leg hurt, while the right one was distressingly numb.

    I should have listened to Fuji and Sam. The others probably escaped from the explosion, since they were further away. Or they were dead, a more pessimistic part of him replied; there weren¡¯t any intact rooms in his field of vision, even as far away as the dormitories would be behind his back.

    Only rubble and sky, and a small slice of earth arching upwards ¨C the wall of the volcano, a terrain feature Meowth was really hoping would be set off by the explosion.

    Minutes continued to pass as the Pok¨¦mon struggled, widening the little scratches he¡¯d made into¡­ big wasn¡¯t the right word, but medium felt like giving up, so he supposed they were big scratches. The energy coating his claws protected them, but it wouldn¡¯t last forever; already he was getting hungry, and his hurt leg pulsed like-

    ¡°Ey! Wat¡¯s goin¡¯ on ¡®ere? Boys, spread out!¡±

    The voice was strange, different from any Meowth had heard before, but despite that his heart soared. ¡°Help!¡± he called back. ¡°Here! Under desk!¡±

    Footsteps answered, very faint and far-off ¨C whoever his rescuer was, their voice was loud. ¡°Surviv¡¯rs, eh? C¡¯mon boys, time to do us our daily good deed!¡± More footsteps, heavy and numerous, and Meowth continued to call out.

    Eventually, a pair of human legs appeared. ¡°Under ¡®ere, eh? Sounds like a little kid ¨C ¡®bout da right size for it, too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Meowth! Dig!¡±

    Scrabbling, grunts, and other sounds as the rubble was moved away. Six of them, maybe? Some of the footsteps feel weird¡­ They don¡¯t talk like the researchers, either. Meowth waited patiently, afraid that trying to pull free too early would only cause him to crush himself at the dumbest possible moment ¨C but soon, the weight lifted off his back.

    He looked up at the faces of his rescuers, and found surprise. ¡°Blimey, boss,¡± a thin man said. ¡°That¡¯s jus¡¯ a meowth.¡±

    I already said I was, didn¡¯t I? Despite the pain coming from his lower body, the Pok¨¦mon smiled. ¡°Thank you. Rescue. Explosion ¨C should find others.¡±

    The humans continued to look surprised, their expressions becoming stronger if anything. The first person Meowth had heard ¨C the one the thin man had called ¡®boss¡¯ ¨C worked his jaw like he was chewing his tongue. ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned. A talkin¡¯ cat. Boys, I¡¯m right stumped.¡± A series of groans, for reasons Meowth didn¡¯t understand. ¡°But puttin¡¯ dat aside, dere¡¯s some loot what needs lib¡¯ratin¡¯. You all get on it bef¡¯r da authorities get ¡®ere, I¡¯ll deal wit¡¯ dis oddity.¡±

    The humans looked at each other, shuffled for a bit, and then broke up.

    <hr>

    The man who rescued Meowth from the ruins of Cinnabar Labs was named Gorgy. He was something called a pirate, or sometimes a privateer, two words whose meaning the cat couldn¡¯t seem to get a straight answer to; when he asked, the answer was always a wink and an obvious deflection.

    ¡°We¡¯re just honest busy-ness men, see?¡± or ¡°Bruvvers ov da sea, little boyo,¡± or ¡°Dat¡¯s not a question youse should be askin¡¯, catnip.¡± None of Gorgy¡¯s crew ever said it the same way twice, and after a week Meowth was convinced it was some kind of joke ¨C and he was the punchline.

    They hadn¡¯t found any of the other clones¡­ But they also hadn¡¯t found any of their bodies either, so he remained hopeful.

    Something he couldn¡¯t say about Fuji or most of the other scientists.

    They¡¯d scoured the remains of the labs for everything identifiable as something other than a pile of smashed, charred bricks, loaded them up on their ship, and then¡­

    Dere are clouds again today, came a listless, vapid thought. Meowth found that they were becoming the norm; as he grew more used to the rolling motion of the ship under him, it seemed like his head was calming along with his stomach. Some days he barely thought in words at all, just watching the ocean go by in a great unbroken line of blue. Choppier ¡®n I¡¯d thought it¡¯d be. More wind.

    ¡°Oi,¡± came the voice of Scubby, the swabbie ¨C another word that Meowth hadn¡¯t quite sussed out, though he was pretty sure it was somewhere within throwing distance of ¡®boat janitor.¡¯ ¡°Boss wants ¡®a see ya, catnip. Gedoutta theer.¡± His head popped up from the edge of the crow¡¯s nest, red hair flapping in the breeze.

    Meowth sniffed. ¡°What¡¯s ¡®e want?¡± To his mingled frustration and acceptance, not all the letters made it to where he wanted them to be; the crew was a mish-mash of wildly different accents, and with each day it seemed like his own voice was changing to match. It was easier to speak than normal Kantonese, but he was halfway afraid that he¡¯d become as indecipherable to other humans as Gorgy¡¯s men had been the day they¡¯d met.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t say. Ee¡¯m takin¡¯ yer post anyhow, so scoot.¡±

    He huffed, but obeyed; the way down from the nest was nothing more than a mess of ropes, and with increasingly-practised motions he descended with what, a week ago, would have been an insane pace. His claws made dull sounds where they met the deck, digging into the wood lightly enough there probably wouldn¡¯t be a mark.

    Laconic greetings sounded out as he made his way to the captain¡¯s quarters, but Meowth only grunted back. Bad mood today¡­ The crew of the Cloud Bullion, which was the name of the ship, was as varied in appearance as they were in accent; some had cream-coloured skin and others dark chocolate-y brown, some were tall and others short, some fat and others thin. A few were even missing bits, eyes and fingers and Gorgy a whole leg, a fact that still left the Pok¨¦mon feeling a bit queasy to think about.

    They were obviously fighters, and obviously not from the same place, and pondering the mystery of their origins always made him wonder if there was a similar variety of meowth. The pictures Sam had shown him all looked mostly the same, but presumably those were local meowth; would one from an entirely different continent not look different, the way Gorgy¡¯s crew did?

    Wonder if I¡¯ll ever be able to see, he continued to think as he arrived at the captain¡¯s door, lazily scratching the rough wood to announce himself. The ocean is wide ¨C the world is bigger than I¡¯d thought. It takes a whole day of sailing to go from one coast to the other, and that¡¯s not even leaving Kanto¡­

    He shook off the thoughtful mood as Gorgy answered. ¡°Dun¡¯t scratch da damn wood, boy!¡± he cried, booming voice easily overpowering the thick wood. ¡°A hunnerd times I¡¯ve said it! Now get in ¡¯ere, afore I fix to belt ya a strong one!¡±

    Meowth rolled his eyes. I swear he¡¯s puttin¡¯ it on stronger every day, just to confuse me. The doorknob was slippery in his paws, more than the ones in the lab had been, but with some effort it turned ¨C and then he was stepping into a dim, smokey room covered in maps.

    They blanketed every wall, in too many styles to name; clean white with crisp black lines obviously made by a computer, aged parchment with ink blots and handwritten notes, full colour illustrations with realistic Pok¨¦mon drawn emerging from the ocean ¨C again, there were dozens and dozens, blending together into a single colourful tapestry. Meowth¡¯s eyes scanned up and down, drinking in the ambience for a brief moment before his attention settled on the large-boned man sitting in a stiff-looking fabric chair.

    ¡°Meowth,¡± the pirate greeted, and the cat returned a nod.

    ¡°You wanted see- to see me, boss?¡±

    Another nod. Gorgy¡¯s face was tight; the fat piled under his cheeks, which usually made his smile look welcoming, was instead stretched out in an uneasy near-grimace. ¡°I did, boy. Been with us a whole week now, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Yeah..?¡±

    A third nod. ¡°Yeah. Da boys ¡®ve takin¡¯ a real likin¡¯ to ya, kitty.¡± His face says there¡¯s a but coming. ¡°But¡­¡± Dang it. ¡°Speakin¡¯ honest-like, we¡¯ll be goin¡¯ on back ta our usual profession right quick. Pretty sure you¡¯ve put dat together now, even wit¡¯ da men puttin¡¯ it soft.¡±

    ¡°Eh,¡± Meowth grunted. ¡°Somethin¡¯ to do with fightin¡¯. The war?¡±

    Gorgy¡¯s expression went in a strange direction ¨C for a moment the cat was reminded of Fuji, but it wasn¡¯t sadness. Not regret either. Not fear or apprehension¡­ Not guilt either. He couldn¡¯t place it. ¡°Dat¡¯s right. ¡®N I don¡¯t wanna be draggin¡¯ ya in on dat pile ¡®a onix droppin¡¯s. So¡¯s I was thinkin¡¯ we¡¯ll sail out an¡¯ out ta Goldenrod; dere¡¯s a man named Bill dere, an he¡¯ll be real interested in ya. Cushy life goin¡¯ out, lucre comin¡¯ in fer us. ¡®S a good deal both ways, far ¡®s I can see.¡±

    Meowth blinked. Oh. ¡°Okay,¡± he said ¨C but for some reason, it came out hesitant.

    Is that¡­ what I want?

    He couldn¡¯t honestly say. He wanted to find his friends, his fellow clones, but they were on Cinnabar if they were anywhere. He also wanted to explore the world, and maybe poke Mewtwo in the eye if there was ever a way to do that without being reduced to paste, but¡­ he wasn¡¯t sure how to translate those nebulous wants into actions. I¡¯m on a boat. I need a boat to go places. Dis Bill guy, he¡¯s probably a scientist if he¡¯d be interested in me ¨C do I wanna go right into another lab?

    A moment¡¯s self-examination found that the answer was no, he really didn¡¯t. He¡¯d liked Cinnabar Labs well enough and was sad it¡¯d been blown up, but now that he could look up into the endless blue sky it would be¡­ stifling, to go back to a place like the one he¡¯d been born in.

    So less than a second after agreeing, he reversed. ¡°Wait. No ¨C I wanna stay here.¡±

    Gorgy frowned harder. ¡°Ain¡¯t askin¡¯ yer permission, kitty. I¡¯m da Captain; my ship, my rules. We ¡¯s makin¡¯ landfall in Goldenrod, tellin¡¯ ya was just court¡¯sy. Dat¡¯s all, scram.¡± A shooing gesture accompanied the verbal dismissal, but Meowth stood his ground.

    ¡°I wanna stay. I was made to fight; I¡¯ll fight fer you.¡±

    The scent of annoyance wafted from the pirate¡¯s pores. ¡°Yer a little talkin¡¯ cat, kitty. Wadda you gonna do, try ¡®n Scratch another ship what¡¯s tradin¡¯ cannonballs wit¡¯ us? Nah, ain¡¯t happenin¡¯.¡± Then he frowned even harder as Meowth continued to stand, his own sour look building, and Gorgy¡¯s words became harder to understand as anger loosened his tongue. ¡°You got wax in yer ears, boy? I know you¡¯s smart enough ta hear get out when I says it ¨C so get out.¡±

    The two stared at each other, teeth bared and claws extended ¨C metaphorically, for one of them; Gorgy¡¯s hand was caressing the air above the two Pok¨¦balls holstered at his waist. Meowth didn¡¯t know why, but the more he pushed back the more he wanted to push back. ¡°I¡¯m smart. I can use a cannon, ¡®nd read a map. And I¡¯m a Pok¨¦mon, so I¡¯m stronger ¡®n yer crew, too.¡±

    The large man sniffed. His anger was half put-on ¨C but that meant it was half real, so it was entirely possible Meowth was about to be given an involuntary bath.

    ¡°Bullshit, kitty. Youse a baby, and I ain¡¯t even considerin¡¯ takin¡¯ ya on as crew. So-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll prove it,¡± the cat interrupted. ¡°Gimme a week more ta learn ¨C the cannons or the maps or whatever, just pick something. I¡¯ll be as good as anybody.¡±

    Gorgy¡¯s ruddy face split in something close to amusement, the annoyance still there but hidden underneath. ¡°Cheeky cat. Yer lucky yer a right unique little charm. Fine ¨C but I don¡¯t wanna hear no cryin¡¯ or bellyachin¡¯, ya landlubber of a ¡®mon.¡±

    <hr>

    For four years Meowth learned the trade of piracy. Three of those were during the war ¨C the Indigo War, Indigo being the name of the continent the two countries were fighting over ¨C and as such, he got very good at shooting a cannon.

    He also got good at reading a map, reading the stars, and reading the code-talk that both Kanto and Johto occasionally sent.

    He also learned the difference between a pirate and a privateer, and why the crew considered themselves to be both; the Cloud Bullion wasn¡¯t strictly loyal to one side or the other, only their money. When Kanto paid, they fought for Kanto. When Johto paid, they fought for Johto.

    And when they weren¡¯t being paid, they fought whatever looked juiciest ¨C which turned into a permanent state in 1993, when the war ended. ¡°Contact offa da port!¡± Meowth called down, squinting at the shape centred in the telescope¡¯s lens. ¡°Looks like a freighter. Jus¡¯ da one ¨C easy pickin¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Freighter, eh?¡± Gorgy mused from below, the combination of his booming voice and Meowth¡¯s ears meaning the cat could hear him just fine from the crow¡¯s nest. ¡°Lotta¡¯ dem around lately. Suppose trade must be boomin¡¯ ¨C good opportunity fer honest workin¡¯ men, aye.¡± The words were wry; despite having more soft trader ships dotting the seas than during the war years, things were actually starting to turn lean.

    No war meant no pay, plus all the gunships that had previously been tied up killing each other were free to guard their defenseless cargo hauling sisters; this was the first time in a long time they¡¯d spied something without an escort. ¡°Yer sure it¡¯s jus¡¯ da one, kitty?¡±

    ¡°Jus¡¯ da one,¡± he sent down. ¡°Colours say Silph Co. Low on da water.¡± Which means heavy wit¡¯ loot.

    A few moments, and then the captain issued his order. ¡°Battle stations, boys! We¡¯ll be eatin¡¯ well ¡®r nary at all tonight!¡±

    <hr>

    Real fighting, real battles, weren¡¯t anything like the lab. Not understanding that had gotten Meowth more than one brush with death near the start, but he¡¯d adapted.

    It never started quite the same way twice, but there were patterns; first came the cannons, then the Pok¨¦mon, then the dirty knife-fighting of taking the target before they sank ¨C or repelling boarders and fleeing before the Bullion sank, sometimes.

    This fight didn¡¯t deviate from that pattern; the first sign the enemy ship got that they were in danger was a distant boom, followed by a much closer one as a ball of solid iron smashed right above their waterline.

    Bullseye, Meowth thought with satisfaction as the freighter began taking water. Two more shots rang out from the other cannons ¨C two hits, and they reloaded. Three more shots, making six hits in total-

    And then the Pok¨¦mon battle part of the fight started as the sea suddenly became rough, Whirlpools and Surfs and Waterfalls being exchanged between the two ships, the gunners¡¯ aims were fouled by both the moves themselves and the intense rocking they caused. Meowth quickly pulled his cannon inside and secured the gunport shut ¨C one octillery squirming inside had been enough for him to learn that lesson.

    He ascended to the deck with his fellow gunners, Krait and Ripley, the wood rocking under his paws the whole way, and then the three of them got down to the part they all hated the most: standing behind the crewmembers with seafaring Pok¨¦mon, waiting to see if they¡¯d won or lost.

    Because until they closed to boarding range, they were useless. It was all up to the water and flying types battling it out on the sea to secure passage; if the ship tried to wade in too quick, they''d be sunk in the crossfire. So all they could do was watch, circling, attempting to avoid the worst of the waves and other attacks.

    Dey got a gyarados, Meowth noted with trepidation. Red. Unlucky fer us, dat. Gordy¡¯s oversized tentacruel and quick, darting pikipek were engaging it, but despite their enemy lacking cannons entirely they were proving themselves to be far from defenceless ¨C the Cloud Bullion could still lose this one. Bigger crew means more Pok¨¦mon ¨C prob¡¯ly some ex-soldiers on dere too.

    But the pirates were veteran fighters too, and things were scrappy ¨C and, again, there were the six big holes in the freighter¡¯s side to consider.

    The Cloud Bullion could afford to fight defensively; its victim had to win fast or not at all.

    A minute, then another, red beams criss-crossing the expansive battlefield as the trainers on both sides tried to outmanoeuvre each other. It really wasn¡¯t like a test battle; there were no rules, Pok¨¦mon being pulled away from attacks and sent right back out to gang up on whoever looked weakest. Defeated monsters were back in the fight within seconds as their masters burned Potion after Potion in desperation. And despite witnessing it dozens of times, Meowth could only wince and grit his teeth, impotence translating to anger.

    ¡°Oi,¡± came a sudden cry, snapping him alert. ¡°Floir incoimin,¡± Ripley said, pointing upwards.

    ¡°Pelipper!¡± Krait added ¨C somewhat redundantly, as the bulky Pok¨¦mon was very visible despite the miniature rainstorm it was dragging with it.

    Meowth¡¯s claws made sinister sounds as they scraped against each other, and in moments he was joined by the chittering of a black-furred raticate and the low growl of a herdier. ¡°Dummy. Tinks ¡®e can help ¡®is buddies by cuttin¡¯ da head offa da snake, eh?¡±

    Three smiles showed what they all thought of that idea, and in moments the air was cut by a Pay Day and two crackling Thunderbolts.

    They won. It was close, but close wasn¡¯t enough; the Bullion sailed away with all the expensive consumer nonsense it could carry, the freighter disappearing under the waves as its crew looked on from their inflatable rubber liferafts. It was a good haul, enough to keep them for months if some other seadog didn¡¯t rob them in turn.

    In the aftermath of their victory was a veritable feast, and after that Meowth slept soundly ¨C for a time. But gradually, as the night wore on, he began to toss and turn in his hammock, an entranced whisper just barely passing through his lips.

    ¡°New Island¡­ Mewtwo¡­¡±

    <hr>

    It didn¡¯t quite live up to the thing in his dreams.

    New Island was a small-ish spot of land off the western edge of Route 21, closer to Pallet than Cinnabar but not visible from either¡¯s coast.

    Meowth had seen it a thousand times in the distance during the war years, but never up close; the thing was loaded to the gills with artillery set up to keep people like them from getting close to Kanto¡¯s breadbasket.

    Or rather, it had been that. Now it was basically invisible, covered by a perpetual squall that caused a near-solid wall of water to pour over a perfectly circular border around the elevated platform of land. It had started months ago, and the consensus within the dwindling population of the Seafoam Sea¡¯s pirates was that the Articuno had probably set up a nest there.

    But according to Meowth¡¯s dreams, it wasn¡¯t the Articuno ¨C no, it was something much more dangerous than that befeathered natural disaster.

    ¡®Come,¡¯ the masculine voice of his nightmares had said a hundred times, seeming to repeat every time the Pok¨¦mon closed his eyes. ¡®Come to my New Island, my New Kingdom. Come, brothers and sisters, members of the superior race, and find shelter ¨C for the world of man and Pok¨¦mon shall soon be washed away, undone so that a new order may rise.¡¯

    ¡®The reign of Mewtwo begins now. Join me, or perish as a slave to the old world.¡¯

    It should have sounded silly ¨C heck, it had sounded silly when he¡¯d had to repeat it to the captain. Who even talked like that? But that deep and resonating voice made it real, and the fact that it was reaching him across the ocean told Meowth that the clone who¡¯d blown up his home hadn¡¯t become weaker over time.

    Unlike some ¡¯a us, he thought bitterly. ¡°New Island on da horizon! Stormy seas all-round!¡±

    His observation drew a grumble from the humans below, but it was quickly stomped out as Gorgy¡¯s wooden leg slammed down on the deck. ¡°Quiet you lot! Kitty, I¡¯m ¡®a ask it da once more and again: you¡¯re all sure this¡¯s more ¡®n a nightmare? Cuz if¡¯n we sail through dat cantanker ¡®f a storm ¡®n come on out face-ta-face wit¡¯ Storm hisself, I¡¯mma be hangin¡¯ yer head up on da wall ¡®o me office b¡¯fore we all die!¡±

    Meowth nodded, though of course none of the men could see. ¡°I sees da towers. ¡®S all dere, windmill ¡®n everyting.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t exactly like the visions that interrupted his sleep; the dream lacked the heavy rain, and so the great ovular towers were rather more visible. As seen through a telescope, New Island looked more a gloomy old spectre than shiny utopia ¨C but the shapes were the same, and the great squall reinforced the second part of the dream, where waters rose up and crashed over everything.

    No, it wasn¡¯t just a recurring nightmare; Mewtwo was deadly serious about killing literally everything, and Meowth¡­

    Honestly, he wasn¡¯t a hundred percent sure what he was trying to do. Stop the powerful clone, somehow? How would that even happen?

    By fighting him? Convincing him? Begging with Meowth¡¯s tail between his legs?

    Or was he braving the storm to¡­ join him? Because that sure seemed a lot more likely to work than shooting a half-powered Pay Day into the super-clone¡¯s face and hoping he had a secret weakness to magically-propelled coins. Not even da full attack no more¡­ Not dat it¡¯d work if it was.

    Mood souring further as they went, Meowth listened to the ruckus from below as the rest of the crew tied everything down in preparation of entering a truly awful tempest. In desperation he attempted to activate a simple Scratch, hoping the stress would trigger something like an emergency evolution and set him free ¨C but it wasn¡¯t to be; as had started happening lately, the attack was no longer automatic.

    The pattern failed to form naturally, the swirling constellation of energy flowing through the clone¡¯s body increasingly gummed up by something other, an energy that he had neither a name for nor the ability to control. Like he was learning the move from scratch ¨C hah ¨C he needed to drag it into the proper form completely manually, a process that took long seconds and left him drained.

    Meowth looked away from the rapidly-approaching downpour to examine his claws, glistening with a subtle sheen like they¡¯d been oiled. Hah, he laughed again inside his head. Useless. We was supposed to be better ¡®n normal Pok¨¦mon, but I guess dat came wit¡¯ an expiration date. So much fer da ¡®superior race¡­¡¯

    A bellow from below bid him to hop down from his perch, and the cat went. He cast one last look on the roiling clouds quickly eclipsing the otherwise clear sky, and then he dipped down below, firmly closing the door as he went.

    While his paws did the automatic work of tying him to a beam, his mind sent out something like a prayer. Arcus, or Arceus, or whatever yer name is¡­ If yer really out dere, maybe gimme a little sign? Just so¡¯s I know we ain¡¯t walkin¡¯ inta-

    The ship hit the unnatural circle of Mewtwo¡¯s territory, and the first wave nearly sent them vertical. As he screamed with the rest of the crew, only the rope around his waist keeping him from being dashed against the walls, Meowth reached a conclusion.

    If that was the sign he¡¯d asked for, it was a bad one.

    <hr>

    The persian listened with half an ear as Jessie and James told the story of their meeting. Most of him was in an even further past, reminiscing on the year he¡¯d spent on New Island.

    Reuniting with the other clones. Having to beg and plead with the then-evolved Abratwo to let the human crew live. The growing dread as he¡¯d realised there was no convincing Mewtwo to stop¡­

    The Three Heavenly Birds appearing just as the storm reached its crescendo. Mewtwo¡¯s victory, and subsequent defeat when Mew itself appeared alongside two other great birds¡­

    Feels like a fairytale, even dough I¡¯m da one dat lived it. His humans had skimmed over those parts in favour of the aftermath ¨C the part they were actually there for ¨C but in Meowth¡¯s mind that was only the very end of the story, a cool-down epilogue to more smoothly lead into a sequel. Same author, differn¡¯t genre. Went from epic save-da-world action ta a boots-on-da-ground crime drama. Ha.

    <hr>

    ¡°And you ain¡¯t pullin¡¯ me leg?¡±

    He cringed at his own question; Meowth had followed the two humans all the way to the mainland, drifting on a film of half-numb awe as much as water. If they were planning to double-cross him, then it wasn¡¯t like they¡¯d come clean now.

    It felt like the dumbest question he¡¯d ever asked.

    But the humans took it at face value. ¡°Oh no,¡± said James, the man, as he affixed a painfully fake moustache in place. ¡°Not at all! Team Rocket will be incredibly interested in a talking meowth!¡±

    ¡°And the Storm of the Century, of course,¡± Jessie, the woman, tacked on. She was also affixing a fake moustache atop her lip, but hers was admittedly more realistic. ¡°We might even finally make Agent for this! James, where are the rest of our disguises?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­¡± A beat of silence as the man rummaged around in the hollow of the tree they were camped under. ¡°It should be right here¡­¡±

    ¡°James.¡±

    ¡°You saw me stash it! Don¡¯t act like it¡¯s my fault it¡¯s not here!¡±

    Meowth watched ¨C and heard, to the displeasure of his ears ¨C the two break down into bicking, most of their words going over his head as the degradation of his Kantonese asserted itself. Ya spend one year talkin¡¯ wit¡¯ other Pok¨¦mon¡­ Though honestly, the larger number of years spent near-exclusively in the presence of pirates who barely spoke the language themselves was probably as much to blame. Gotta work on dat¡­

    Or¡­ did he? The humans weren¡¯t even looking at him; it would be the easiest thing in the world to take a few steps into the brush, to where the supply cache had been dragged away by a wild Pok¨¦mon ¨C a hoothoot, according to the smell ¨C pillage some supplies, and simply be on his way.

    He could try¡­ to live as a Pok¨¦mon. Like Mew had suggested.

    But no, his lip curled at the thought. Abratwo had turned into an unbelievable asshole over the years, but he¡¯d had a few good lines before teleporting away. ¡°I am no mere beast,¡± the kadabra had stated as a white glow enveloped the other clones, Mew¡¯s power lifting them gently into the air. ¡°You expect me to accept defeat, retreat to a cave and allow the world to pass me by? No. I am Abratwo, a man, a genetically superior being, and I refuse to devolve. Do as you will; I wash my hands of all of you.¡±

    ¡­Okay, so the superior stuff was bunk, but Meowth agreed with the gist of it. He didn¡¯t feel like living somewhere like Cerulean Cave; if he was going to be cooped up where he couldn¡¯t see the sky, the least he was willing to accept was running water and a stove.

    So instead of fleeing off into the forest, he raised his voice. ¡°Oi! Ya maroons, yer stuff¡¯s right over dere! Landlubbers, I swear¡­¡±

    James blinked, while a vein pulsed in Jessie¡¯s forehead as she yelled back. ¡°Did you just call me a maroon?!¡±

    The journey was fraught ¨C not dangerous, but definitely fraught. Despite being ¡®super secret criminal masterminds¡¯ the two humans he¡¯d allied himself with seemed to be barely capable of tying their shoes.

    ¡­Well, that was maybe a bit harsh. They''d have probably done pretty well in Gordy¡¯s crew; their koffing and ekans were trained well enough, and they could scrounge with the best of them. The path between Pallet and Viridian had been a long slog filled with itchy disguises and an improbable number of run-ins with wild Pok¨¦mon, but Meowth couldn¡¯t deny that it had been¡­ fun, just a bit.

    But now they were at their destination, a very large building with ¡®Viridian City Pok¨¦mon Gym¡¯ painted across its entrance. Gym¡­ Dat¡¯s where trainers go to do dere tournament stuff, right? His understanding of human culture was basically nil when divorced from secret military labs or pirate ships; the one time he¡¯d been in a city had been leaving Cinnabar five years ago. Lotta people runnin¡¯ about. Whatever dey do here, ¡®s popular.

    He scratched under his fake moustache as they went through the large entrance, cursing the sticky glue that he just knew would be impossible to get out of his fur. ¡°Dis da place? Looks fancy.¡±

    ¡°It is!¡± James exclaimed. ¡°Just wait until you see the private areas, they¡¯re first class!¡±

    ¡°A bath,¡± Jessie croaked. She, unlike her partner, was in low spirits. ¡°My immortal soul for a bath¡­¡±

    James scoffed. ¡°In a minute. We have to make our report first! Think of the promotion!¡±

    Up some stairs, through a door ¨C and Meowth¡¯s eyes widened. Wow. Blue-hair wasn¡¯t kiddin¡¯. They were in an office, but it was unlike any example of the room he¡¯d ever seen.

    If he had to draw comparisons, the researchers¡¯ rooms way back in the distant past were the closest; full of loose papers, with a desk and some chairs and tall bookshelves. But unlike Meowth¡¯s memories of Cinnabar Labs, this office was gilded. If Gordy saw dis, he¡¯d try ¡®n pry da paint offa da walls. He was almost gaping, saved from that embarrassment only by the sticky adhesive pulling on his lips if his jaw widened too much.

    The woman behind the desk ¨C red-haired, like Jessie, though this human was older and chunkier ¨C gave the trio a stern look. ¡°Who are- oh for heaven¡¯s sake, you two.¡± Her voice was harsh and dark, but not particularly forceful ¨C it brought to mind the last moment of dusk before it turned to night, dark purples bleeding into black. ¡°Why do you insist on coming here in those ridiculous getups? We are attempting to run a serious enterprise.¡±

    With a sharp motion Jessie removed her moustache, doffing the rest of her disguise at the same time. ¡°It¡¯s important to practice! We¡¯re going to be Agents soon, after all!¡±

    ¡°Indeed!¡± James exclaimed, following suit ¨C or rather unsuiting, as it were. ¡°Forgive us, but I hope we can skip the chit-chat for a moment; our mission went absolutely stunningly!¡±

    The woman frowned, the mild expression masking a larger amount of seething annoyance that stood out from the tenseness of her shoulders and the scent of her sweat. ¡°Fine.¡± She returned to her seat. ¡°Report, then ¨C and who¡¯s this? Did you drag some sailor all this way?¡±

    Meowth blinked. Wow. Didn¡¯t think my disguise was any better ¡®n dere¡¯s¡­ Maybe I¡¯ve just got more discern¡¯in eyes? Or more probably, she dismissed the fur and small stature as mere oddities, rather than evidence of a walking, talking meowth. Gotten dat reaction before, heh.

    ¡°Meowth¡¯s da name,¡± he preempted the other two. ¡°¡®Nd I¡¯d say I¡¯m more of¡¯a pirate dan a sailor, dough dat¡¯s kinda splittin¡¯ hairs. Pleased to meet¡¯cha.¡±

    He removed his hat and white captain¡¯s coat ¨C how Jessie and James had found one in his size, he was only now thinking to question ¨C and was satisfied at the shock the human woman expressed. The moustache stayed on for now; he didn¡¯t feel like pulling half his fur off along with it.

    She gaped, mouth open twice as large as his own had been on entering. Rarer ¡®n a little gold plating on yer desk, eh? But she mastered herself quickly, the surprise folded away under professionalism. ¡°Grunts, explain.¡±

    The story was entertaining, mostly by way of Jessie and James miming their way through the more dramatic bits. Despite having lived it a few days ago, Meowth couldn¡¯t help but feel like the massive slugfest between legendary Pok¨¦mon had been something akin to a dream ¨C just like seeing Mewtwo for the first time, he had no doubt it would fade into a strange, alternatingly exaggerated and overly-subdued retelling in his memories, some moments writ large while others glossed themselves over.

    They concluded with the three of them rowing away from the smouldering ruins of New Island, skipping the rest of the trip entirely, and the woman sat for a moment in deep contemplation.

    ¡°If even a tenth of that is true-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all true!¡± ¡°We saw the Ho-oh bring everyone back to life!¡± ¡°There may or may not have been time travel involved!¡± ¡°It was extremely traumatising!¡±

    ¡°-Then I think I need to send this upstairs. One moment¡­¡± She pressed a button on a machine ¨C a telephone? Meowth vaguely remembered having seen one be used in the labs ¨C and then picked up a crescent-shaped bit on a cord. ¡°Giovanni¡­¡±

    Jessie and James squealed to each other as the woman spoke in the background. ¡°James!¡± Jessie said, whisper-shouting. ¡°The Boss!¡±

    ¡°The Boss!¡± her partner agreed, and the two hugged so hard Meowth swore he could hear their ribs buckling.

    A minute later and they were ushered out of the room, Ariana ¨C whose name he¡¯d finally learned courtesy of the static-y voice on the other end of the machine ¨C leading them across the massive building.

    Jessie and James were excited, in a way he wanted to label kitten-like, while Meowth himself was¡­ mixed. There was trepidation, and annoyance, and yes, a little excitement bleeding off the other two. ¡°Can ya can da waterworks for a sec? Yer actin¡¯ like Arcus hisself came down an¡¯ put a crown on yer heads.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve never seen the Boss in person before!¡± James hissed.

    ¡°We are so getting a bonus!¡±

    Another trip through what Meowth was increasingly certain was some sort of sports stadium refitted into a castle, and then Ariana stopped in front of a door. It wasn¡¯t much different from the one leading to her office, but there was an air of menacing anticipation nonetheless ¨C at least for him.

    ¡°Tell him exactly what you told me,¡± the secretary ordered. ¡°Actually no; cut the embellishments. There¡¯s no way you made it through in a canoe. However embarrassing the real story is, tell it properly.¡±

    She all but pushed them into the room while ignoring Jessie¡¯s protests, and Meowth took a second to examine the room while the humans picked themselves up.

    It was¡­ more normal, actually. Fancy, yes, with red felt everywhere, but the overt luxury that Ariana¡¯s office had smashed into his face wasn¡¯t present. It was just a large room, tiles of dark marble and a desk of equally dark wood, the man behind it-

    Meowth¡¯s heart missed a beat. Dat¡¯s impossible. Dere¡¯s no way ¨C what¡¯re da odds?

    The man behind the desk was familiar; Meowth had seen him in his nightmares for years, standing tall and immovable while the cat¡¯s home had blown apart around him. Facing down Mewtwo without flinching, the same smile he wore now placed on a slightly younger face.

    The real Giovanni was slightly less imposing than the imaginary memory, but that essence, that immovable aura that said I am in charge was, if anything, even stronger than the theatre Meowth¡¯s brain had turned that day into. His face was sharp but masculine, a narrow nose set between large, heavy-browed eyes and a squared jaw. There was something sinister to the perfect black of his irises, nearly impossible to separate from his pupils.

    He wore a suit of a more moderate black felt, a match for his hair, and a smile that was almost blinding in its ego. ¡°So,¡± he said, and Meowth got the feeling the word was directed more at him than the man¡¯s own underlings. ¡°My Chief Executive tells me you¡¯ve encountered an¡­ old acquaintance.¡± The smile widened, exposing his teeth, and a shiver that was half fear and half recognition went down the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s spine like icy sea spray. He sounds like Mewtwo, just a little. ¡°Tell me everything¡­ My three newest Rocket Agents.¡±

 6.05 - The Tides

    When Hoshi Mutsu woke from his short ¨C hopefully short ¨C bout of unconsciousness, he did so to an empty room.

    He also woke up feeling¡­ fine. Not good, not even close, but he was functional. Limbs are heavy. Head full of sopping wet cotton. Veins feel like they¡¯ve got hot tar where blood used to be¡­ But I¡¯m alive. I¡¯ve lived through this before. I¡¯ve¡­ A moment where the pressure behind his eyes threatened to spill forth into wracking sobs, but he mastered it.

    I¡¯ve got work to do.

    <hr>

    ¡°No way, you fought Bruno?!¡±

    The big guy¡¯s eyes went up in something that wasn¡¯t quite an eye-roll. ¡°Like I said, I sparred with Bruno. Once.¡±

    Still, Kenny thought, that¡¯s fuckin¡¯ hardcore. ¡°So you know what Legs here can do, yeah?¡± He gestured to the hitmonlee he¡¯d pulled out of the machine, who responded to the attention by tilting his body a little bit. It was a weird looking monster; if he¡¯d had a head, Legs would be taller than most of the people in the room ¨C but he didn¡¯t, just a light brown body that ended smoothly where a neck would''ve been on most things. He didn¡¯t have much in the way of shoulders or hips either. Like if Arcus took a dude and cut off all the bits that weren¡¯t useful for kickin¡¯.

    ¡°A bit ¨C not that that¡¯s got anything to do with Bruno, but I do.¡± Cliff gestured to the fighting type¡¯s legs, which bulged in and out in a way that reminded Kenny of an earthworm ¨C or one of those noisemaker toys for kids, those hollow plastic things that sang when you spun them. Do those even have a name? Haven¡¯t seen one since- fuck, stay in the moment. ¡°Those things can stretch pretty far. Don¡¯t think they¡¯ve got bones or anything, it¡¯s just pure muscle. The arms¡¯re the same ¨C and they can punch too.¡±

    ¡°This one can¡¯t,¡± Kenny replied with a shake of his head, more to centre himself than to say anything. ¡°Dude¡¯s got Focus Energy, Mind Reader, ¡®n a couple kicking moves. Plus Rock Tomb, but I think that¡¯s a disk move.¡±

    Cliff nodded. ¡°Probably. You need discipline help with any¡¯a them?¡± The enforcer gestured with his chin to where the rest of the new ¨C or old, Kenny guessed ¨C captures were loitering. ¡°See you¡¯ve got a dragon there. They can be ornery.¡±

    ¡°Naw.¡± Seadra¡¯s actually pretty damn chill. Actually, I¡¯m hopin¡¯ he gets less chill when it¡¯s time to fight, otherwise we might have a problem. ¡°Thanks though. The team looks pretty good.¡±

    Cliff nodded again, stiffly, and went off to lend his help to whoever caught his eye next ¨C but not before looking back. ¡°And¡­ What about you, grunt? Bad day yesterday ¨C can help to say stuff out loud.¡±

    For a moment, the enforcer¡¯s silhouette changed in Kenny¡¯s eye. He was replaced by someone shorter, fatter, just starting to bald ¨C and then the imaginary flash of the sole remaining Kaneth from his parent¡¯s generation disappeared, the imaginary sound of a motorbike going with it. ¡°Nah,¡± he grunted, drawing a breath to continue before realising he didn¡¯t want to.

    Cliff¡¯s narrow eyes squinted further, almost disappearing completely, but then he simply nodded a third time, quick and simple, and turned away. Kenny watched him go, feeling his nostrils flare as they clogged up a bit with unshed tears ¨C but then he smiled. Don¡¯t think about it.

    Just¡­ Don¡¯t think about it. Either it¡¯ll work out or it won¡¯t; show¡¯s gotta go on.

    He turned as well, stepping back to his team. ¡°Up and at ¡®em, guys. We¡¯re movin¡¯ out soon.¡± But to his dismay, though the collected Pok¨¦mon moved they did it worryingly out-of-sync; Bubbles perked up immediately, as did Legs, but his new machoke was too busy giving Savage a noogie to listen. The nidoking watched, letting out a groaning chuckle, and the seadra didn¡¯t really do much more than flop in the human¡¯s direction with an inquisitive sound.

    Kenny¡¯s smile threatened to curdle, but he shook it off. ¡°Gonna be a lotta growin¡¯ pains, huh? Fair ¡®nuff.¡± These four¡¯re strong, but they ain¡¯t never worked together before. There¡¯d better be time for a couple¡¯a nice, intense sparrin¡¯ sessions before we hit the field, or that¡¯ll be trouble. He wasn¡¯t too worried; the instructors weren¡¯t dumb, and pure power would smooth over the cracks. Stable¡¯s lookin¡¯ good. I¡¯m actually more worried about what to call all of ¡®em. Legs was easy, but I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve got three more non-dumb names in me right now.

    ¡°Machoke!¡± he cried, putting the issue of nicknames off to the side. ¡°Get off¡¯a Savage, dummy. That¡¯s yer teammate there. Nidoking, you too! Everybody get in line!¡±

    The two troublemakers sent him angry looks, but fell in. He hadn¡¯t been lying when he¡¯d told Cliff they were fine; these weren¡¯t spring chickens or ornery toughs, but real-life trained battlers. There¡¯ll be friction, but they do what I say well enough. Probably worked with more¡¯n one person, if I had to guess; they¡¯re too obedient to have been an ace trainer¡¯s, but not enough for League-raised. Ranger filler, maybe. As for the seadra¡­

    ¡°Uh,¡± he hesitated, watching the seahorse flop. ¡°Probably shoulda put you in yer ball.¡± An inquisitive honk. ¡°Yeah, my bad.¡± The water type¡¯s Pok¨¦ball ¨C a Pearl Ball, creamy and slightly matte like actual mother of pearl, though he was pretty sure it wasn¡¯t ¨C came off his belt with only a second of hesitation to make sure it was the right one.

    He¡¯d have to work on that. Six balls ¡¯re a lot harder to manage than two. Don¡¯t wanna pick the wrong one in a fight. ¡°Return.¡±

    Seadra disappeared, and Kenny turned towards the front of the room ¨C more specifically, to the big double-door.

    Where he could just about make out the instructors driving a truly gigantic truck up onto the curb.

    <hr>

    Casca couldn¡¯t quite stop her eyes from wandering as she guided Puce through the computer¡¯s menu, a fact that, surprisingly, made her feel just the slightest bit guilty. Huh. Didn¡¯t think I cared so much about the rest of them. Should be just me and my man, but¡­ ¡°And then this one makes it go down ¨C no, girl, ease up. We don¡¯t wanna break the thing.¡±

    The bandaged woman¡¯s massive finger let up on the pressure, and the plastic button stopped creaking. ¡°Sorry,¡± Puce said without inflection, and Casca suppressed a wince.

    ¡°No harm no foul. Now me and Hoshi took a good look, and I think we¡¯ve found a few you¡¯d like. How do you feel about umbreon?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Munchlax?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The wince broke through her admittedly flimsy attempts to restrain it. ¡°Hey, girl. Look at me for a sec?¡± She turned, and what Casca saw was¡­ not the worst possible expression, Puce was slightly more alive than she¡¯d been sitting silently in the infirmary, but it seemed that true liveliness would be the work of more than one day. Do I have another pep talk in me? Ugh, I should¡¯ve taken the opportunity to catch a nap with Hoshi¡­ But tired or not, worn-out or not, Casca Kichi was good at her job ¨C she had to be. ¡°I know it seems- no, it is really bad now. You lost someone you trusted, and it feels like the whole world is¡­ pointless.¡±

    Fuck, too close. Reel it back. The instinct to make an off-colour joke or disarming comment bubbled up ¨C and with a firm hand, she shoved it back down. Naw. I might not have a smoke on me, but I think this a serious conversation.

    ¡°And in the grand scheme of things, I guess it kind of is?¡± she continued, voice shaky. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean you should just stop, right? Things get better. You¡¯ve still got all the rest of us, right?¡±

    Puce¡¯s eyelids slowly lowered, moisture building and then disappearing from the corners over the course of a long second. ¡°I don¡¯t want to think about it right now. Can we just¡­ do this?¡± Her voice, too, was shaky. ¡°Umbreon and that other one sounds fine.¡±

    Casca opened her mouth ¨C but hesitated. Baby steps. ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±

    And so she guided her fellow grunt through the painstaking process, the latter woman still mostly catatonic ¨C though Puce did at least perk up when they hit the bottom of the list and she saw her second new team member. ¡°Huh,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s cute. It looks like a baby, though?¡±

    ¡°Hoshi said it evolves into snorlax. That¡¯s like, the best defensive Pok¨¦mon there is, right?¡±

    A moment of contemplation, and then Puce slowly, inexorably pressed the button that meant yes. Then again, and the machine began to hum. ¡°Yeah, I guess. I¡¯m not¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do. None of us can ever go back to how it was, can we?¡±

    Casca chewed on her answer, but as always it was the truth that was least dangerous. ¡°No.¡± Unlike me, your family is actually good to you¡­ Sorry. ¡°Though maybe one day we could, if we win as big as the instructors seem to think we will.¡± Or maybe they don¡¯t care about after at all. Nothing to do but hold on and keep bailing out the water.

    Silence ¨C and then the baby Pok¨¦mon¡¯s ball appeared suddenly, interrupting the glacial conversation. It hit the soft padded floor, failed to catch much air despite being designed to bounce off basically anything, and rolled to a stop. Puce reached over and gingerly picked it up, the walnut-sized tool looking like it should have shattered at the barest touch ¨C but of course it didn¡¯t.

    Puce slowly placed the Pok¨¦ Ball on her belt, then went back to staring at the screen. ¡°Okay,¡± she said, the word ever-so-slightly less dead than her previous attempts. ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°Now,¡± Casca grunted as she stood. ¡°We get you over there with the rest. Those two might need, uh, orientation, and Nerine¡¯s definitely will, so-¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Puce interrupted, pointing at the screen. ¡°I have two more. Right?¡±

    Casca blinked, then looked to a feature she¡¯d been ignoring in favour of the massive woman¡¯s mood: the indicator for the number of withdrawn Pok¨¦mon. Which read 4/6. ¡°Huh.¡± I guess it really does work off our licenses instead of proximity or whatever. Nerine¡¯s team still counts as hers. ¡°I guess that¡¯s two more slots to fill. Uh¡­¡± She hadn¡¯t planned for this. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go back up to the top; I don¡¯t know any of these foreign Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    <hr>

    The fearow screeched, its wings spread wide in an obvious threat display, and Cliff felt his headache grow just slightly less tolerable.

    Not from the sound, of course ¨C spearow may be evolved, but its vocal abilities topped out at Growl ¨C but because of the way the three grunts behind him cringed. ¡°Don¡¯t show fear,¡± he said, standing straight and looking the four-foot-tall bird in the eye. ¡°Crumb¡¯s here, you aren¡¯t in any danger.¡±

    Tor, Mojo, and Lilian shouldn¡¯t even have been behind him; they¡¯d started at his side, lined up behind their Pok¨¦mon, but had gradually edged further away as time dragged on. In fact, the young woman should probably be in front; this was her Pok¨¦mon they were pacifying. ¡°Okay,¡± the scruffy-looking one ¨C Mojo Concolor ¨C said with an aggravatingly sarcastic tone. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just flick the switch in my brain that turns the monkey bits off. Boom, fear gone, easy.¡±

    The spearow shifted, its bright orange plumage puffing out further as the human voices inspired it to cry again. Cliff choked back a sigh. At least their Pok¨¦mon are taking it seriously.

    The spearow, meowth, and mankey were doing their jobs properly, making up a part of the circle separating the spearow from the humans. They showed no fear ¨C though they were admittedly in a better position, standing with a tyranitar, venusaur, pinsir, and a few other Pok¨¦mon rather than the barely-able-to-walk enforcer their trainers were stuck with.

    Come on now, he admonished himself. None of that. The comment was directed in multiple directions ¨C not only at his self-pity, but also at the annoyance Cliff had for the rookies. They¡¯ve been more competent than we should expect, if anything¡­ And I¡¯m doing as good as can be expected after fighting a pair of Clan Heads.

    ¡°Hah,¡± he chuckled, again to himself. Can¡¯t believe that after last night my worst injury is still this damn leg. Even with all the painkillers it throbbed, the torn muscles telling him to sit down ¨C but he couldn¡¯t do that.

    There was still work to do.

    ¡°Sukashi,¡± he ordered, bidding the woman forward. ¡°Get in there.¡± And with only a moment¡¯s hesitation, she obeyed; Lilian stepped forward, drawing close to Cliff¡¯s side and then away again as she walked right up to the line of Pok¨¦mon.

    The granbull that had been the previous occupant of the circle growled softly ¨C at the fearow, not its new trainer. It was amazing how quickly a monster¡¯s loyalty could be secured; a few minutes ago it had looked ready to rip their collective faces off, but now it was stalwartly defending them.

    Hopefully the rest of the pilfered Pok¨¦mon would be the same.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Lilian greeted, receiving a piercing squawk in return. The fearow flapped its wings, showing off a wingspan much more impressive than its stump-legged height. ¡°I¡¯m Lilian. I¡¯m your trainer.¡± Her voice was a little wooden, but even so Cliff felt some of the tension in his temples melt away; there it was. He didn¡¯t always agree with Oakley and Kidd, but they were mostly reliable.

    This time was no different; the last three Rockets they¡¯d recruited had some steel in their spines.

    The bird¡¯s head bobbed, its razor-sharp, forearm-long beak making menacing jabs. ¡°Did you hear me?¡± the grunt continued. ¡°I said I¡¯m your trainer. You¡¯ve been caught for a long time, you know what that means.¡± Another squawk, a nearly-human thread of affront buried inside. ¡°So I know this is just a tantrum. I¡¯m going to give you an ultimatum¡­¡±

    She leaned forward, close enough that the granbull could have headbutted her chest with little effort. ¡°Shape up, or ship off. I can put you back in your ball, put the ball back in the machine, and get something else. Or I can keep you out, and you¡¯ll get to fly and fight for me.¡± The bird¡¯s fierce eyes narrowed, and Cliff felt that if it had the proper anatomy, it would be gritting its teeth in a grimace. ¡°I don¡¯t need you, there are plenty of other Pok¨¦mon I could choose. But I did choose you, because you look strong. So¡­ what¡¯s your answer? Are you the battler you look like?¡±

    Sometimes, Pok¨¦mon could act startlingly human ¨C and at other times, they were impossible to distinguish from wild beasts. These were facts that Cliff had known intimately for very nearly his entire life, and yet every now and then the abrupt transition still startled him; the fearow went from threatened to calm in an instant, the dangerous, animalistic panic in its eyes turning to intelligent, arguably wise regard as it folded its wings.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The evolved bird squawked once more then fell silent, a previously invisible tension in the surrounding monsters dissolving as well.

    Lilian nodded once, then snapped out a Pok¨¦ball with a quickly-barked ¡°Return.¡± Her two companions let out relieved noises as the fearow transformed into light, Tor Yuriyama ¨C the fitter, more handsome, and less stable of the pair ¨C visibly straightening.

    Kid¡¯s going to have to work on that, Cliff thought as Lilian released her next Pok¨¦mon, a stout purple nidorino. A little fear isn¡¯t always a bad thing, but when it turns irrational you¡¯ve got to put a leash on it.

    The nidorino went smoothly, not even attempting to disobey, as did the mime Lilian had chosen as her final team member. After the shaggy-haired redhead retreated with a satisfied smile, Mojo stepped forward to deal with his own problem ¨C a tentacruel that just plain ignored his orders.

    That was also solved relatively quickly, though also a lot less definitively than Lilian¡¯s team; the threat of Scarlet¡¯s Vine Whip got the oversized jellyfish to acknowledge its trainer, but Cliff was pretty sure it would continue to be a problem.

    Then came Tor¡¯s turn. Like Mojo, he¡¯d already vetted most of his team by simply releasing them ¨C a strategy that was a lot more dangerous than forming a posse, though admittedly more convenient for their current situation. They only had until-

    As if responding to his thoughts, the Gym¡¯s doors opened. Jessie, James, and their persian burst into the building wearing uniforms quite different from their usual; they were dressed up as delivery men.

    Jessie clapped her hands. ¡°Alright, people! We¡¯ve procured some transportation!¡±

    ¡°So everybody line up to get on the bus,¡± James continued. ¡°Just like elementary school; it¡¯s like we never left the academy!¡±

    ¡°Meow.¡±

    Cliff blinked, belatedly realising that Meowth was, for the first time he¡¯d ever seen, naked. It was surprisingly strange; the enforcer had, at some point, stopped seeing the persian as a Pok¨¦mon.

    But he shook off his unease as the executives approached, his eyes playing over the room. ¡°Might take a minute, sirs,¡± he called. Gracile and Kichi are still using the transfer machine, and Mutsu¡¯s asleep. Usually that latter fact would¡¯ve prompted him to give the grunt an earful, but not today ¨C they were all at the end of their ropes, and that man was closer to the edge than ever the massive Puce, and she¡¯d been pumped full of more poison than the rest of them combined.

    ¡°That¡¯s convenient,¡± Jessie said, ¡°Since we¡¯ve got about a minute to spare!¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we¡¯re woefully behind schedule! Any longer and I¡¯ll start getting grey hairs!¡±

    The two swept past, beginning to berate the rest of the grunts, and Cliff¡­ paused to think. Do I push back? The soldier in him said to respect the chain of command, that his superiors knew what they were doing a lot better than an oversized grunt like him ¨C but he was, Arcus help them all, also the second highest-ranking officer present.

    And he was pretty sure if the executives didn¡¯t slow down, they would start to make¡­ poor decisions.

    They¡¯d gotten the least sleep out of all of them, and were also walking wounded at least as bad as he was.

    After turning the problem over in his head, Cliff came to a decision. ¡°You three get your teams in order,¡± he said to the rookies, then turned to his father¡¯s poliwrath. ¡°Ravioli, you stay here a minute. Crumb, Scarlet, Pinch, return.¡±

    As half his team returned to their balls, Mojo once again sent out a sarcastic remark. ¡°¡®Get your teams in order,¡¯ he says¡­¡± The man¡¯s beard ¨C somehow nearly full-length despite being clean-shaven a mere two days prior ¨C swayed beneath thin, chewed-raw lips. ¡°Like we know how to do that. That jelly could¡¯ve picked us all up and juggled us, how¡¯re we supposed to-¡±

    He cut himself off as his friend put a hand on Mojo¡¯s shoulder, and Cliff heard the dregs of their muttered conversation as he made for the infirmary. ¡°Don¡¯t rock the boat, man. It¡¯s just my machoke left; I¡¯m sure a fully-evolved fighting type will be enough.¡±

    ¡°Tor, buddy, you nearly shit yourself when Lil sent out a big pidgeon. We are¡­¡±

    The rest of it was lost as he passed through a threshold, sliding the door closed behind him. Cliff saw the room was empty, Hoshi¡¯s bed vacant ¨C and finally let the stress, both physical and mental, slip off his shoulders. He sagged, feeling every miniscule cut that foreign grass type had opened across his body as his injured leg pulsed like a feverish heart, and breathed heavily. Damn long day ¨C and it isn¡¯t even noon yet.

    Then he straightened up, and made for the one place the missing senior grunt could be: the attached bathroom.

    <hr>

    ¡°Shaving?¡±

    Hoshi didn¡¯t cut himself as the sudden voice bid his hand to jump, but it was a close thing ¨C if his arms had been slightly less heavy, he probably would¡¯ve.

    But he didn¡¯t, so that, at least, was one upside to feeling like a possessed corpse. He turned just enough to see Clifford Moon¡¯s reflection, and looked it in the vague outline of a face. ¡°Yeah. There¡¯re more razors in that drawer there. I figure if we¡¯re helping ourselves to their clothes¡­¡±

    The enforcer huffed out a half-laugh as Hoshi continued shaving, removing the small amount of stubble that had built up over their short-lived camping trip. Cliff walked over and opened the drawer, but shook his head with another sound of amusement. ¡°Straight razors. Who even makes these anymore?¡±

    ¡°Fuchsia,¡± Hoshi¡¯s reflection answered easily as he stared at it, watching the oh-so-sharp steel drag across his wet skin like silk. ¡°They¡¯re also popular in Pallet Town, but they get them shipped in instead of making them themselves ¨C same as farming equipment and building supplies.¡±

    Cliff¡¯s image gave him a strange look, but then shrugged it off and exchanged the expression for a sour one as he looked at his fleshy self. ¡°Could use a trim, but I prefer scissors.¡± He closed the drawer, and instead turned the nearest tap to begin washing his face.

    ¡°You feeling better, then?¡± the figure obscured of lights and dancing colours asked between splashes.

    Hoshi continued to lock eyes with himself. Am I? ¡°I¡¯ll live.¡± That seemed to be enough for the muscular Rocket; the two men finished cleaning themselves in silence, finishing up at the same time. Uncle Bob¡­ ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve got a question for you,¡± he continued as he wiped the last errant bit of severed hair away.

    ¡°Shoot,¡± Cliff said, and Hoshi prepared himself for something difficult.

    ¡°You were a military man. Same as my dad. My uncle.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± If he was annoyed by Hoshi building up to it, Cliff¡¯s reflection didn¡¯t show it, only frowning at himself again. ¡°Best years of my life. And the worst, too.¡±

    Hoshi surprised himself by laughing, a tiny spurt of amusement making it through the lake of crude oil sitting in his chest. ¡°Hah. I¡¯ve heard that before. You ever been to the Vermilion Military Museum?¡±

    Cliff¡¯s reflection turned from him to Hoshi. ¡°Course I have.¡± His sour expression went right back to strange. ¡°But¡­ just once. I don¡¯t need any props to remember those years.¡±

    ¡°I can respect that. But there are some veterans who go all the time, and I''ve been listening to them since I was a little kid. I think I¡¯ve heard every opinion on the war¡¯s end there is.¡±

    Cliff turned away from the mirror, looking at the real Hoshi as he leaned against the sink. ¡°I¡¯d believe that. I¡¯m guessing your actual question wasn¡¯t about the museum?¡±

    Cold water enveloped Hoshi¡¯s face as he splashed himself down ¨C and in his imagination, it tasted of brine. He braced himself again, dripping, the black lurking inside the purple of his eyes twisting like tentacool in the depths of Vermilion Bay. ¡°Are we fighting Kanto?¡± he asked, and then waited for the answer. The black tentacles danced, ephemeral and yet so, so real within the mirror¡¯s reversed reality.

    The Rocket Enforcer took his time answering, but eventually he¡¯d chewed his thoughts enough to spit them out. ¡°No,¡± he concluded. ¡°And not just because we¡¯d lose. The military isn¡¯t our target, or the population, or manufacturing power ¨C Rocket isn¡¯t a military, we aren¡¯t trying to conquer the country.¡± He rubbed his face with a towel ¨C pointlessly, since he¡¯d drip-dried over the minute of silence. ¡°We¡¯re attacking a specific, small group of people: the League higher-ups. The people who collaborated with Johto, who sold Rocket and Giovanni down the river because they were too tired to keep fighting.¡±

    He glanced at the senior grunt¡¯s reflection again, voice lowering. ¡°You too tired to keep fighting, soldier?¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s teeth clenched. ¡°Cliff, I wanna fucking kill someone.¡± His reflection glowed black and red and blue, tendrils like grasping hands of smoke rising off the illusory Hoshi Mutsu¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I can¡¯t even look you in the eyes, because I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll go off the deep end and your tyranitar will squish me flat after I try and cut your throat out. I¡¯m so fucking ready to fight.¡± The edges of his hands bled pitch where he¡¯d smashed them on the Gym Leader¡¯s desk, the scabbed-over wounds twisting and gaping like the mouths of a half-dozen malevolent ghosts as he clenched them around the razor in one hand, and nothing in the other. ¡°But I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t let loose ¨C not until I know whose fault this is.¡±

    Cliff opened his mouth, but Hoshi rode over him. ¡°My dad got paranoid, near the end. I remember one time, he took the walls apart looking for hidden microphones ¨C he was lucid when he did it, his hands were steady as he took the screws out, as he carefully checked the insulation and then put everything back together. He didn¡¯t seem crazy, not unless you were looking at it with context.¡± In the corner of his eyes Cliff¡¯s reflection stared, uneasy greens and a few black tendrils of his own obscuring its expression. ¡°So I need to know. I¡¯m asking you, as a soldier¡¯s son to a soldier¡­¡±

    He finally asked his real question. ¡°Did Jesse and James kill my uncle?¡± The on purpose wasn¡¯t necessary to say aloud; Hoshi could see that Cliff knew exactly what he was asking as another silence stretched on.

    The ex-military man¡¯s eyes closed as he took a long, deep breath, and eventually answered. ¡°I¡¯m going to be candid with you, Mutsu. I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Hoshi¡¯s reflection was completely, utterly still as Cliff continued, not even the hallucinatory colours daring to move. ¡°Do I think they could¡¯ve killed a Gym Leader, that they would if one got in their way? Sure. Do I think they care about the country the way you and I do, that they respect the office or the people who hold it? No, they¡¯re career criminals down to the bone.¡± Another drawn-out breath, the man¡¯s uniform ¨C Hoshi wasn¡¯t sure if it was real or a projection, but his reflection had been clad in the black and white of the Rocket Enforcer since he¡¯d walked in ¨C flexing around his chest. ¡°But they also don¡¯t think about killing people. They weren¡¯t trained for it, the way men like me and Surge were ¨C or your family, for that matter. The Dexus take me if I lie, I don¡¯t think they thought for a second about how many corpses rigging the academy to blow would make ¨C whether you want to take that as murder, that¡¯s your prerogative, but you¡¯ll have to make that decision on your own. That¡¯s the only answer I¡¯ve got.¡±

    Another long moment of silence ¨C and then, with a savage motion, Hoshi hurled the straight razor away, feeling more than seeing it embed itself in the wall. ¡°I¡¯m so fucking angry, Cliff. There¡¯s nowhere for it to go. Was this my fault? The instructors¡¯? Any-fucking-body¡¯s? I wanna blame Johto, but that¡¯s stupid, that¡¯s chasing ghosts, that¡¯s thinking there¡¯s people listening to me through the walls of my apartment. Right? There¡¯s nothing, nowhere for it to go.¡± Despite the violent motion his voice had remained steady, but as he continued it started to break. ¡°Everyone¡¯s dead, Cliff. I¡¯ve got- I¡¯ve got nothing that isn¡¯t tied to Rocket. Is that on purpose? Or am I just seeing things?¡±

    Silence, yet again, a stretch of nothing at all as Hoshi failed to wrestle himself into submission. This was dumb, he knew it was dumb, because why the fuck would Clifford Moon, a man he¡¯d known for a couple days and who worshipped Rocket like a golden idol tell him a single fucking thing? He wanted to hit something, he didn¡¯t care how hard it would hit back, but a mocking string of sentences circled the whirlpool in his head.

    There¡¯s nothing, no target, nothing to do. You¡¯re a bitter pill, and the world¡¯s spat you out ¨C even if you win, there won¡¯t be anything left.

    A large hand fell on his shoulder, and he very nearly bit on pure instinct. Cliff squeezed, but once again he was trapped under a film, icy black between his drowning spasms and the open air.

    ¡°Mutsu,¡± Cliff said, his deep but soft voice cutting the way the razor might¡¯ve if Hoshi had slipped just slightly. ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t have an answer for you. We aren¡¯t soldiers, not really, and I¡¯m not going to tell you to tough it out.¡± He didn¡¯t turn to look at the man, or his reflection; Hoshi only looked down, and let the words rend him to pieces. ¡°But if I can give you some advice?¡± The hand squeezed, far-away and warm. ¡°You won¡¯t make anything worse by putting a decision off. Come with us back to Vermilion, get some food in you, some proper rest, and¡­¡±

    The hand retreated as Cliff walked past. He turned, and Hoshi saw his face unobscured by glassy irreality. ¡°And if you decide to leave then, I¡¯ll support you. A soldier doesn¡¯t get to decide where he¡¯s deployed¡­ but Rocket isn¡¯t a military, as much as I¡¯d like us to be one once the Boss comes back. You¡¯ve sacrificed a lot for the black and red; as far as I¡¯m concerned, any debt for the balls on your belt has been paid with interest.¡±

    He left, and Hoshi felt the pointless, directionless anger go back to sleep ¨C not go away, but only curl up to hide inside the liquid black despair once again. Paid with interest..? Hah.

    His hand drifted down to the six Pok¨¦balls, to the belt, and considered the urge to tear them away, to discard the off-white leather that clashed so heavily with the Gym kimono and just¡­ stop. Just stop, and let the darkness cover him the way it wanted to, a horrible shield to numb the pain until it killed him.

    Then he discarded the urge, because that, too, was chasing a ghost. The pain won¡¯t actually go away. I¡¯m not actually numb, no matter what my stupid emotions try to say. His hand stung, despite the scentless black smoke drifting up to the ceiling to disappear into nowhere.

    Instead of tearing off the belt Hoshi tightened it, adjusted his stolen clothes, and followed the enforcer out of the bathroom ¨C then out of the medical area entirely, back out to a room with too many people making too much noise.

    ¡°Finally!¡± Jessie snapped as she noticed his return. ¡°Grunt, we understand, we really do¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­But we¡¯re on a ¨C hnn! ¨C timetable here!¡± James called from the other side of the room, straining as he tightened a length of rope around a giant pallet of¡­ something that was covered in plastic wrap. ¡°You can sleep in the truck!¡±

    The truck? Hoshi blinked, and noticed that the large main room was actually looking a lot less crowded than he¡¯d been expecting. ¡°Where is everyone?¡±

    ¡°In the truck!¡± James answered as if it were obvious ¨C and turning his head, Hoshi supposed that the giant freight hauler parked on the Gym¡¯s previously-immaculate garden of a lawn was, indeed, very obvious.

    ¡°Oh. We¡¯re leaving already?¡±

    ¡°We should¡¯ve been out of town an hour ago,¡± Jessie took over as she tied up a large black sack ¨C a different one from what Meowth had dragged in; there weren¡¯t any bloodstains. ¡°And yes, that¡¯s our fault as much as anyone¡¯s, but we still need to double-time it.¡±

    ¡°A few errands, then we''ll be off to Route 18,¡± James concluded.

    With effort, Hoshi shook off the underwater slowness of his thoughts. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready to go.¡± He walked towards the struggling redhead, and to her surprise hefted the heavy sack up. ¡°In the back of that giant trailer parked in front?¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± She wiped her forehead, the moment of surprise transforming into relief. ¡°Just stay in the back; we¡¯ll handle the last bit before leaving the city.¡±

    He grunted in assent and made for the door, the executive following after ¨C only for a chill to run down his spine. Hoshi nearly dropped the sack as he whirled, to see fading red light coming off a Pok¨¦mon he was unfamiliar with.

    But despite not knowing the name, he could tell the floating four-armed sarcophagus was a ghost type. ¡°Grunt?¡± Jessie said from far away. ¡°Mister Mutsu?¡±

    His shoes stuffed with twice the amount of lead as they¡¯d had a second ago, Hoshi turned away from James as the man directed the ghost to pick up the pallet. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, his own voice also distant. It¡¯s trained. It won¡¯t possess you. Fucking move. ¡°What were those errands you need to do, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± The question was entirely a distraction, but when he heard the answer Hoshi was glad he¡¯d asked.

    ¡°Oh, nothing major,¡± Jessie dismissed. ¡°Just have to grab some clothes ¨C you grunts can¡¯t be walking around Vermillion like that, you¡¯d draw attention.¡± Her voice lowered as she went. ¡°And some extra food, to go with the trail rations that were salvageable. And maybe some toiletries if we have time; the Gym didn¡¯t have a shower and things are getting a touch ripe¡­¡±

    Hoshi blinked as they exited the building, natural light hitting his sore eyes for the first time in what felt like days. ¡°The church,¡± he blurted, and Jessie turned with an inquisitive eyebrow.

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°The church,¡± he repeated as the seaside autumn bit at his exposed skin. ¡°Two blocks south, four east. I looked up landmarks after you ordered us out here ¨C since we¡¯d be near the city anyway.¡± My dad¡¯s hometown. A place I was looking forward to visiting. His stomach would¡¯ve curdled at the thought, if there were anything inside but dark brine.

    The executive¡¯s confusion deepened. ¡°What about this church?¡±

    ¡°Clothes. Food.¡± More than one word. ¡°Donations.¡± For fuck¡¯s sake. As they rounded the bulk of the vehicle his tongue untied. ¡°It¡¯s a traditional Three Heavenly Generals place. It would be feeding supplies to the city¡¯s military. It¡¯s ninja.¡±

    Understanding bloomed. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s devious. Go in dressed as Gym trainers ¨C and we even have a genuine Mutsu! That¡¯s much less of a hassle than dodging the Jennys on the way out; keep up ideas like that, and you might make Executive yet, Senior Grunt!¡±

    Hoshi watched the woman overtake him to hop up into the raised box-trailer of the truck. Did you murder my uncle? he silently asked. Did you kill the man I spent years needing to strain against turning into a second father? Or should I blame myself? Or Nerine, for ratting us out? Another incongruous spark of amusement drifted up, lights coming from the depths of the ocean, and he chuckled.

    ¡°Hah. Yeah, we¡¯ll all be on top of the fucking world, won¡¯t we?¡±