Her arms pumped back and forth as she sprinted down the long corridors. They were painted some variation of light grey and struck her as oddly monotone given the rest of the group's proclivities.

She heard the telltale sound of steps and light conversation up ahead. Quickening her pace, she turned the corner and narrowed her gait. Her legs crossed and she tumbled.

A yelp was produced as she collided with her target. She fell to the floor, cradling her side. It was the expected outcome when a frail-looking twelve-year-old girl ran into an adult.

"Tch." The adult in question, adorned in a red suit, made her displeasure known. "Damn street rat. Watch where you're going!"

Tanya curled in on herself further. Her hair draped over her face, hiding it from view. Her ears picked up soft whispers.

"No, I'm sick of this piece of gutter trash polluting our space. Her kind isn't welcome-"

There was some shuffling and she peeked through the strands of the blonde canopy to see the other put a firm hand on the shoulder of the woman she hit and mutter something with a firm expression.

"Fine, you're right. It's not worth it." The women shrugged the hand off and paced closer. Tanya tucked her head in and wrinkled her nose as the woman squatted in front of her. Objectively, she knew it smelt better than the Rhine but she found herself preferring the smell of blood and gunpowder versus whatever chemical cocktail this was. "Just wait until Xerosic gets tired of his new toy. Then you're going back where you belong."

She stayed still as the threat was delivered. Any movement would provoke further escalation. Eventually, the woman gave a sound of dissatisfaction and rose. Tanya waited for the echoes of their footfalls to fade before springing up.

She retrieved a scrunchie from her wrist and with one hand tied up her hair, revealing the mocking smile on her face.

It grew as she walked down the hall. She tossed her latest acquisition up and down a few times before storing it away in her pocket. Getting caught with that now would ruin her well-thought-out plan.

She was on a timer now, any second that grunt could realize what she'd stolen and then she'd be suspect number one. Fortunately, her target was not chosen at random. She'd thoroughly charted the schedules of her possible victims and then developed criteria to rank them by most desirable mark. Number three was not the ideal candidate but they would still provide her with an adequate buffer.

Her smile faded as she neared her destination. Standing in front of the nondescript door, she gave a sigh of defeat before walking through.

At the far end of the room, a series of obstacles had been erected. Closer to the entrance, there were a handful of computers and an examination table. Between both areas was an open space, large enough for combat exercises.

A woman stood in front of one of the computers.

"You're early." Aliana greeted her, not looking up from her tablet. "Good, the sooner we begin the sooner I can get to my work."

Tanya thought the girl embodied the ridiculousness of Team Flare well. Her bright orange hair was cut short and her face was covered with some metal device. She was dressed in a red dress with a poofed-out skirt, yellow leggings led to a pair of, quite frankly, useless boots. They were raised, with a thick heel. She could sympathize with the desire to gain more height. Statistically, height was correlated with success, however, the loss of balance would be a detriment in any combat scenario. Then again, safety tucked away in the team's underground headquarters, what need did a researcher have for combat?

It was an enviable position. Much more so than the one she found herself in.

"Here's the latest iteration." Aliana handed her a sealed case. "Don it and-" Her words halted and a gloved hand grabbed Tanya's shoulder.

She fought her instinctive reaction and instead froze under the examination. Not for the first time she wished an explanation had been provided for what capabilities that metal visor provided. She could only hope it hadn't discovered her acquisition.

"You're covered in dirt and dust." Was she? Upon further inspection, there were trace amounts. The janitorial staff must have been allowed too much leeway if the hallway was in such a state. "It was the grunts again." There was no questioning tone and so Tanya remained silent. "Useless things. They're envious of your future and are lashing out while they can. You're lucky Xerosic dug you out of whatever hole he found you in. It would have been a pity if such beauty was lost."

It was less that he dug her out and more that she foolishly offered herself up on a silver platter.

"I'm very grateful for Mr. Xerosic's and Miss Aliana's generosity." She gave a deep bow. Part of it was a false show of respect and the other half was to hide the grimace she tried to suppress.

Like hell she was grateful.

"You're a good kid Tanya and that's a fact." A hand ruffled her head. "Now put on the expansion suit. We have data to collect."

"Right away Ma'am!" Her spine straightened and she puffed out her chest. "Anything to further Team Flare's righteous cause!"

When trapped within a cult the safest course of action was to act as the dutiful follower. If they detected any doubt you were liable to be pruned or reducated. Neither were enticing propositions.

It was difficult to play such a part when the goals of the said organization were dubious at best. Whenever she asked the same lines were fed to her, to create a beautiful and better world.

That was not a goal.

Goals needed to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. What they had was a vague statement.

She supposed it fit a cult. After all, fundamentally these structures were designed to feed money and power to their highest-ranked members. It was in those members' best interest to keep the structure a going concern, ergo the goal must never be fulfilled.

Aliana turned around, giving her the illusion of privacy. Tanya had no doubt the room was covered with concealed cameras.

She changed into the expansion suit without complaint, properly hiding her acquisition in the folds of her hoodie. The sleek black suit contracted to fit her small stature. It was galling, how comfortable it was. She hesitated with the helmet. Once secured, her actions may no longer be her own.

Being X was laughing at her.

She found the overused joke considerably less amusing. The helmet twisted on and she braced herself for the possible blackout.

The analogy to the Type-95 was there but not exact. Both devices were created to grant her increased power and relieve her of her mental faculties. However, the expansion suit was considerably less sinister in that she needn't offer prayers for its activation.

"Are you ready?" Aliana asked and Tanya responded with a nod. That was a good indication that no blackout would be remotely induced today. That meant the probability of her plan's success rose considerably. "Then get to the starting position. We'll do a course run to see the delta in the suit's performance."

"Yes, Ma'am" She dutifully responded and jogged to the start. Getting into position, she waited until the buzzer sounded.

Her form pushed off from the ground and she began to go through the motions. The course was juvenile. She'd be able to complete it with her eyes closed. In fact, she'd be able to complete it without the suit entirely and in record time.

Waking up in this world, the first thing she noticed was the change in herself. Physically, her body was identical to when she'd perished on the front. Even her scars had made the trip. It seemed her magic had missed the boarding call and so her greatest tool, aside from her mind, was lost to her. It wasn't all bad, she'd been given some sort of replacement.

She'd dubbed it Ki, in order to differentiate it from magic. It wasn't formula-based, in that she was able to perform feats based on feeling alone. Her old formulas were dysfunctional but not useless. She could feel them do something but in the end, they fizzled out. There was a piece of the puzzle she was missing, she would need to dedicate time to finding it.

The greatest benefit to Ki was the ease of use, she was able to achieve a similar level of physical enhancement without the aid of a computational orb or formula. Truly, being self-reliant was a gift.

Strangely, she hadn't seen evidence of the ability of others to use this force. It was with that knowledge, that she'd gone to great lengths to hide this talent.

"That's a .2% increase in reaction time. Strength levels and speed remain with previous parameters." Aliana spoke to herself as she jotted down notes. "We'll do a battle next."

Another case was produced. It was clear and through the glass, she could see six Pokeballs.

What she wouldn't have given for one of these in her past life. Pokeballs were a logistician's dream. Able to transport large amounts of materials in a form smaller than her palm, with no weight to boot? The brass would have been drooling over the implications.

She grabbed her desired choice and Aliana frowned.

"Xerosic already has enough data of you and Mawile. However, he didn't leave me specific instructions barring you from choosing any one Pokemon. I'm doing him a favor by supervising this session but chances are he will demand another of you after reviewing the results."

The warning was unneeded.

"I understand Ma'am and I will be happy to participate in anything Mr. Xersosic deems necessary."

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"As long as you know. Proceed"

Tanya gave a firm nod and walked to the challenger's square. Aliana mirrored her actions, standing twenty meters away in her own square.

She held out the ball and spoke.

"Mawile, come"

A beam of red responded, coalescing into a creature.

"Ma. Wile." It greeted her in a lackadaisical manner. The pair of large black jaws attached to the back of its head gave an exaggerated yawn, displaying its metallic teeth.

"Greetings" She gave a shallow nod in acknowledgment. "we'll be working together again today."

Pokemon were strange things. When first encountering them, she thought them useful and potentially dangerous animals. After being exposed to them for a month, she'd discovered how wrong she was. Their intelligence went beyond simple tricks like sit and roll over. These were thoughtful beings who could understand and fulfill complex commands. Coupled with their power, it was a surprise that humans remained the dominant species. She could not reason as to why such creatures would willingly follow humanity but that was not something she was in a position to question.

"My turn then, Druddigon I choose-" Aliana's hand stopped and stuck out her tongue. "just kidding! Pyroar time to play!"

The lion-styled creature announced itself with a cry and the temperature of the room rose. It pawed on the ground, its focus on the short form of Mawile.

Tanya's face hardened. Pyroar was not one of the Pokemon in Aliana's usual line up and she did not have a good solution to it.

Her access to literature was frustratingly limited. One area it wasn't, was regarding the various types of Pokemon and their move set. Knowledge was power and she'd familiarized herself with the entire known PokeDex.

This Mawile had varying levels of proficiency in Sweet Scent, Taunt, Fairy Wind, Crunch, Stockpile, Spit Up, Swallow, Iron Head, and Play Rough.

In other words, nothing particularly effective for this match-up.

"Close in" Aliana commanded and Pyroar kicked off the ground, dashing towards Mawile. "Flamethrower!"

Pyroar's target disappeared just as the flames reached out to touch her.

"I surrender" Tanya called. Had she still been trying to impress her superiors she would have fought to the end. It wasn't as if she would be the one getting roasted. However, she needed Mawile in top condition.

"I'm not sure you're allowed to do that." Aliana pondered with a hand on her chin. "But Xerosic would throw a fit if I interrupted him to ask so this is on him. I do wonder, is this the start of your rebellious phase little Tanya?"

"No Ma'am!" She vigorously shook her head. The pacing lion was very much in her mind. "I had no appropriate countermeasures to deal with a Pokemon of that type and strength. I simply believe it is a waste of resources to commit to a losing battle when there are no stated penalties for failure. Had the scenario dictated a stipulation such as a loss would result in Team Flare's goal being set back, I would fight to my last breath. However, I believe the purpose of this assignment is to teach me how not all battles must be fought. Truly I am unworthy of Mr. Xerosic's mentorship."

There were a tense few moments as the woman stared her down.

"I see." She dragged out the word before recalling the antsy lion. "Works for me. Can't say how your boss will react but I'm sure you'll be fine."

It appeared her ruse had been seen through. Once again, she saw the value in careful preparation. All of the other researchers saw covering for Xerosic's absence as a chore but only Aliana was confident enough to disregard the man himself.

They both walked back to the examination portion and Aliana put her back to Tanya.

"Return the ball and pack the suit back up. Looks like we're getting out of here in record time."

Tanya swallowed and approached the table first. Her hands grabbed the bundle of clothes and walked to the case. When her hand emerged from the bottom of the pile, she placed a ball in the case's empty slot.

She then proceeded to change in the same manner as before.

"Thank you for everything, Miss Aliana." She spoke after getting fully changed.

The woman accepted her customary thanks and retrieved both items without much thought, her attention monopolized by her tablet.

Tanya waited a few seconds after her departure to follow her out.

The true clock had started. The second they used the transfer device to send the Xerosic's Pokemon back to him, they would discover the presence of whatever Pokemon she'd stolen from that grunt. Her deception would be revealed and the hunt would be on.

She ran through the hallways, in the opposite direction from Aliana. Grunts gave her looks of contempt but no further comments were made. She'd applied a battle-tested theory. By desensitizing the enemy to a particular activity, they cease to question its presence and are blinded when a training drill on the border translates to an invasion.

Thus, her childish antics of running through the halls were overlooked; unless she hit someone that is.

She ducked into a supply closet. A cramped thing, she'd chosen it after putting clear tape over the door and seeing it unbroken for a week.

Her go-bag sat where she left it. Procuring the bag itself was easy, it had fallen out of style and so was discarded in a waste bin. It was stuffed with what essentials she'd been able to gather. The largest amount of space was taken by her rations. They had been painstakingly gathered from visit after visit to the mess hall. She had been careful never to take too much in a single trip.

She reached in and retrieved her knife. It was a simple steak knife but she found comfort in its presence.

A breath was released and she prepared for the most precarious part of her plan. Conscious of the seconds being wasted, she held the ball out.

"Ma. Ma. Wile?" It questioned, no doubt confused as to their current location.

"Greetings again Mawile. I would like to propose-"

"Mawile." It cut off her carefully prepared pitch.

"Are you certain? I've not-"

"Mawile." It agreed with a nod.

She'd been expecting more pushback and had prepared a cost-benefit analysis to present the creature. Admittedly, she could offer little and was relying on the unspoken rapport they'd built.

Normally, a prospective employee having no prepared questions during an interview would be quickly shown the door. Especially when they easily agreed to abandon their long-time employer. This was not a normal situation and she could not afford to be selective in her hiring practices.

"Very well. I will call on your aid when it is needed. I look forward to a productive relationship."

It gave her a grin and she recalled the odd creature.

Pack secured, she stalked out. Navigating the halls, she mentally kept track of the time. At best, she had nine minutes. She was not one to rely on blind luck and so worked under the assumption she had five minutes and forty seconds left to leave the facility.

With two minutes to spare, she made it to the highest floor. It was a wide open floor plan with row after row of staff working. The wall to her right was covered with a large tarp, signs of construction present. She didn't focus on it, to do so would attract attention.

Wide-sure steps took her to the center of the room and then a sharp left lined her up with the sole exit of the facility, an industrial-grade elevator. She was certain there were other methods of coming and going however she was not privy to them.

Her face was expressionless and she kept her gaze forward. To anyone watching, she was no lost child but one acting with purpose.

Pressing the button, it arrived quickly and she boarded. It appears her luck had run out and a grunt joined. She didn't react to her presence and focused on the opposite wall as they ascended.

With her peripheral vision, she could see him inspect her.

"Are you supposed to be on here?"

"I am acting on orders of Mr. Xerosic." She replied promptly and the man frowned, falling silent.

There was a minute and a half left.

"Why is he sending you out?" The grunt appeared to have regained his confidence.

"It is not my place to question his wishes." The words 'and neither does a grunt' went unsaid.

The man grumbled again but backed down.

Metal doors slid open and the light hit her, making her squint. It had been some time since she'd seen natural sunlight.

She took a step out, the smell and feeling of freedom hitting her. The entrance was in a small clearing. There was a rough path that she knew led to Geosenge Town.

"Wait, this doesn't sit right with me. Let me call my admin first."

She made it out a few meters when the grunt's voice sounded behind her. She turned to find him dialing in a holo caster.

That was unacceptable.

Power flooded her and in an instant, she was on the man. Her legs swept his and he tumbled down. A palm met his jaw and his head snapped back, the man collapsed in a heap. She hurriedly pulled him to the treeline, setting him behind one and searching for anything of value.

All she found worth taking was a wallet. She did not want to deal with the Pokeballs containing unknown Pokemon or with the inevitable tracking device in the holo caster so she left those aside.

She considered silencing him for good but that would leave a black mark on her record and complicate future employment. Ensuring nothing had fallen from her pack, she set out through the forest on a path parallel to the road.

It was time to head to town and report Team Flare to the relevant authorities.