"Can anyone tell me what we learned?"

It had been a while since she'd run a post-mortem, she was taking a more simplistic approach given her audience.

Two hands rose and she decided to get the worst out of the way first.

"Yes, Mawile."

The questioning and disposal had to be expedited, there was no telling when someone would have stumbled upon the scene. She'd set up camp on the edge of Route 13, close enough to Coumarine to not have to deal with the sand further south.

Given the fire pit that had been dug and some other more subtle signs of human habitation, she wasn't the first to settle down here for a night. It was now the next morning and she'd ensured everyone was fed before starting this meeting.

They sat in a loose semi-circle, with her on one end. She kept an eye on the limp doll held in Ralts' grasp.

"Awil, Ma"

Tanya blinked, she'd not expected such an answer.

"Yes, hydrogen peroxide does work well to clean blood out of concrete. However, I was referring to ways the operation could have gone…better."

She resisted to urge to call it what it was, a shit show. As far as she was concerned, the lion's share of the blame fell to her. Yes, she wasn't the one to directly make the mistakes but she had taken her team into a situation they were unprepared for. If an admiral ordered their sailors to go ashore and commit to a ground campaign, then they couldn't rightly be upset when they bungle it. Gross incompetence or otherwise…

Mawile scratched her chin in thought before raising a finger.

"Wile."

Should she be happy the Pokemon was consistent?

"No, we should not have set the place ablaze." She resolved to never teach Mawile fire-type moves. "At least, not in this case. It is a valid strategy used to deny your opponent resources or to send a message however we are currently trying to be discrete." Emphasis on trying. "Staging it to appear like defection is better for our purposes. Not only does it conceal our presence, but it has the added benefit of having our enemy waste time and effort chasing down ghosts."

Granted, they had been low on the totem pole. Still, they had given her more threads to pull on. She would have liked to get more out of them but the interrogation had ended prematurely. It was hard to begrudge Ralts over it, the Pokemon had never attempted to forcibly extract information before. With consideration of that future skill, it was worth a few broken eggs along the way.

"Ralts, did you have something to add? Speak normally for the benefit of the group."

She moved onto the second hand that had been raised.

"Ra, ra, al."

Technically, it wasn't incorrect but she had her work cut out for her.

"Yes, killing the first one inside would have made cleaning simpler but, again, he should not have died in the first place. We could have retreated and tried again after having a better understanding of their schedule."

Pink eyes stared at her intently and the Pokemon gave a solemn nod.

"Carbink, would you like to add anything?"

She gave her biggest issue a chance to recognize his mistake before lambasting him.

"Bin, bink." That was right? A pleasant development. "Car, ink"

Mawile nodded sagely at his words.

A smack reverberated in the small clearing, her hand traveled up her face and scrunched her hair. Her breath was released sharply, corporeal punishment wouldn't work here. Carbink might see the harsh training as a reward.

"Rather than staying back to let Mawile deal with the Team Flare grunts alone, you shouldn't have revealed yourself to the enemy just because they asked you to." The Pokemon's mouth opened and she preempted the follow-up. "They were lying, they did not know where we were. Do not follow ANY orders from the enemy, in fact, the only ones you should be following should be from me. I am your commanding officer, do you understand."

"Bink!" Carbink enthusiastically chirped in confirmation.

She slipped into her old nomenclature there but as long as the message got across it didn't matter.

"And you," Tanya moved back to Mawile who had the gall to point at itself, acting confused as to why she was being signaled out. "I understand your need to prove yourself in battle." She didn't but she had been around this type of crowd long enough to fake it. "However," Her voice took a deeper tone and she paced up to the seated Pokemon, crossing her arms and staring down at her. "Are you so insecure that you need to pick fights with such obvious weaklings? They aren't worth your time."

Mawile's eyes widened and the Pokemon went still. Tanya waited and eventually, a grin formed on both Pokemon's mouths.

"Wi."

Mawile gave her affirmation. Hmm, that had gone better than expected. Tanya wasn't about to complain about the Pokemon suddenly being amenable to her reasonable request.

"Now," She began to broach the point that had irritated her the most. "When was one of you planning to tell me we had a stowaway?" She locked back onto the doll she'd been carrying around like a chump. "Do not lie, I know you all were aware." Given the lack of reaction they displayed on the reveal, it was a safe assumption.

She did not enjoy being left in the dark.

Hands, in Carbink's case ears, pointed in all directions.

"What did we talk about showing responsibility for your actions?" She leveled to the collective group.

'Store, Told' Ralts puffed out her cheeks indignantly.

A recent memory was dug to the surface and Tanya's face shifted in a slight frown. That was a bad showing on her part.

"You are right. I should have believed you, Ralts." She inclined her head slightly to the Pokemon, acknowledging she'd wrongfully accused her. "And what do you two have to say for yourselves?"

"Bin." "Ma."

'She told me to' and 'I thought it would be funny.'

Wonderful reasonings.

"For the safety and well-being of the group." Mainly her. "Knowledge like this can't be concealed from me."

Carbink assented quickly and she looked to Mawile who held out a hand and made a 'so, so' gesture.

"Do you want to rethink that?" She put some heat in her voice and the tiny hand transitioned to a thumbs-up. She wasn't sure how much she believed it. "Do you have other thoughts? Or do you just not see the danger of letting unknown Pokemon near us at all hours of the day."

A supervisor who was not open to hearing feedback from their subordinates was putting themself at a disadvantage. Though she did not expect whatever to be said to be particularly useful, setting the precedent that she was open to it was valuable in itself.

That officers who listened to the complaints of the rank and file were less likely to be fragged factored into her reasoning.

"Ma, ma, mawile"

Interesting and promising. She was under the impression it had been a simple freeloader but this did change the equation slightly.

"Is that so," Her eyes traced back to the doll who hadn't moved since they'd left the warehouse. "I suppose I owe you a word of gratitude then." Tanya bowed slightly to the strange Pokemon. "Thank you for your assistance."

She couldn't place where it had intervened during her encounter with Gardevoir but it didn't sound like Mawile was making it up.

The alleged Pokemon remained still.

"We haven't been formally introduced, my name is Tanya Degurechaff." She waited for a reaction; none came. "And yours is?"

Seconds ticked by and Ralts responded for it.

'Shy.'

Shy? She'd watched it dismember someone yesterday. Like hell she was buying that excuse. Tanya could feel the tension ramp up as she took a step towards it.

Ralts' hold tightened and she shifted her 'friend' further away. Somehow, Tanya suddenly felt like a bully.

That wouldn't dissuade her from having a proper conversation.

"If that's the case, leave us for now."

Ordering her meat shields away was a risk but if it hadn't slit her throat yet it was unlikely it would take the opportunity now.

Mawile gave her a long look before tugging Carbink away. Ralts head touched the doll's for a few seconds before she set the doll sitting upright against a fallen log. She patted it twice and waddled out of the clearing, giving Tanya a modicum of privacy.

"Are you willing to speak now?"

The sway of the leaves from an errant breeze was the only response to her question.

"You realize that I am aware of your existence? This play doesn't serve any purpose."

Her hope for solving this like reasonable adults began to whither as it stonewalled her questions.

Normally, such behavior would prompt her to cease any further attempts at recruitment. If it wasn't willing to communicate like a normal individual then it would never be a cohesive part of the team.

However, allowances could be made when the employee brought certain invaluable skills to the table. Much like Ralts, the doll fell under this category.

While she wasn't an expert on Pokemon, she had familiarized herself with the Kalos dex, and yet she could not place the species of what sat innocuously in front of her. It somewhat reminded her of Banette but those were uniform in appearance, looking nothing like a ratty Pikachu. The probability of it being an undiscovered species was low so she leaned towards it being from another region.

Regardless, it meant that many would see a doll and not a Pokemon able to slice a man to ribbons whenever it pleased. She was more astute than most and hadn't realized its true nature until it had done just that.

A sense of anticipation bubbled up within her. None would be the wiser to her hidden card. After all, what could be more innocent than a little girl and her doll?

She reigned herself in, it wouldn't do to get ahead of herself.

If it would not make the first move then she would.

Careful steps brought her close to the Pokemon. She slowly transitioned to a crouch, inspecting it closely. She met the large penciled-in circles masquerading as eyes before having her sight travel down. She stopped at two slits and for the briefest second, she thought there to be a glint behind them.

Her hand reached out, determined to finally see its true form. It would be a tad embarrassing if she was dealing with something like a Ghastly with an expanded vocabulary this entire time.

The knife left her holster and she intercepted the shadow that had lashed out at her. With gritted teeth, she prepared to strike it down. Only to find it had disappeared.

"Mimi, mimi."

Its laughter echoed from over her shoulder and she stabbed towards it, hitting air.

"Kyu!"

Her foot stomped down on the offending creature between her legs only for the image to fade. She needed distance and leaped back, scanning the surroundings. The doll sat in the same position as before, if she didn't know better she'd believe it hadn't moved.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

She could feel the eyes from beyond the clearing watching her, judging her actions. She couldn't be found wanting here. In a display of confidence, she holstered the knife again. She paced over and crouched again, meeting the creature's eyes.

"Tell me, what is your goal here?" The eyes blinked at her and she continued. "Carbink seeks to see the world, Mawile wishes the entertainment of battle, Ralts…is still deciding on her path." Truthfully, she still didn't know why the Pokemon had attached itself to her. "And you? Did you wish to escape the island or is there more you are after? It's in your best interest if you do not hide anything from me."

If it had only wanted a ride she could sympathize, any sane person would want off that island as soon as possible.

It shifted, the head of the doll flopping to the other side.

"Yu?"

A strange question, she'd already said as much.

"Yes."

The doll trembled, inch by inch it moved upwards. A cloud passed overhead, shielding them from the sun's rays. The rag was discarded and the Pokemon was left bare.

A swirling mass of shadows and pure darkness, her mind tried to make sense of the creature before her. It shifted endlessly and she found herself drawn to its violet eyes, the only part of it to remain grounded in reality. For some reason, she thought there was amusement in them.

"Care to introduce yourself now?"

There was something wrong about its form that she couldn't quite place, a nagging feeling in the back of her head that told her to reject it. Emotions had no place in this discussion and she ruthlessly tampered down on them.

"Mimikyu."

It uttered the word and it felt right.

"Mimikyu then, would you be willing to sign a contract?"

—

"Ahem." Tanya cleared her throat. She was standing at the counter, the chime from the door failing to wake the alleged storekeeper.

"Huh?" The man rustled, waking from his slumber. His lanky form sat straighter, the magazine covering his face sliding down. Groggy eyes blinked and took her in. He brought his two hands up to rub his face and blinked again. "S-stoutland!" The Pokemon reacted with a start and jumped to its feet. The man pointed a shaky finger in her direction. "I told you to get out."

She eyed the growling dog.

"Yes, I believe you did. Counterpoint," Tanya held Mimikyu in outstretched hands, the man flinching in response. "You know what this is? Correct?"

His reaction to Ralts at the time had bothered her. Everything she found on the Pokemon showed that it was a beloved line of Pokemon, with a Gardevoir even being on the current Champions team.

With the context of Mimikyu, well it made far more sense for him to be reacting to the Ghost type. It was a good feeling, to finally branch out from that dreaded Fairy designation.

"Do you?!" Truthfully? No, not really. A cursory search had revealed its existence in Galar but they weren't exactly the most open to information sharing. She wondered if every world had tensions between the Albish and Francois. "Don't make me use Stoutland."

She moved Mimikyu slowly in an arc, watching Stoutland shy away as the Pokemon passed in front of it.

"Mimikyu, don't be rude." It was hard to keep the mirth out of her voice. "Say hello."

A claw snaked out of the doll, giving a lazy wave.

Shy her ass. The Pokemon enjoyed getting rises out of people. It wasn't ideal but with a mutual agreement in place, it was manageable. She could appreciate that he, as confirmed by Ralts, was able to play the long game.

"Stoutland us-umph" The man staggered back, leaning up against the wall for support. Tanya couldn't tell if his arms were trembling out of fear or from the stress of having to hold up the Pokemon now cowering in his arms. "W-what are you doing? You're normal type! You'll be fine!"

The Pokemon gave a series of whimpers and whines conveying what it thought of that. It was the definition of all bark and no bite.

"Use Shadow Ball!" The Pokemon vigorously shook his head and the shifting of weight was enough to cause the man to lose his balance. She peered over the counter to see him buried in hair. "And I paid some much for that Technical Machine…"

Tanya never had any intentions of starting a brawl in the store, it was best for both of them to resolve this peacefully. Using Mimikyu was a pure intimidation tactic, designed to grant her a stronger negotiating platform.

"Your prices, they're absurdly low." City prices were highway robbery but Marie's binder had prices listed for other cities and he beat them all out. When it came down to it, running a business was about selling a good or service at a higher price than one incurred to produce it. Secondhand or not, she highly doubted he was running a profit with these rates. "I wonder, do you have an alternative revenue stream?"

Due to the counter's height, she walked around it to get a better look at the man. He was still on the ground and hadn't reached for any weapons yet. His eyes danced around, going anywhere but her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." It was such a poor attempt at deceit that she began to rethink whether or not he was in the business she suspected. "I'll call the local Jenny…"

She snorted at that.

"Please do, while she's here we can file the necessary paperwork to have someone audit your books." The man accomplished the impossible and became even paler. "Now that we're passed that. If someone were to come to you with a crate of," She paused to find the correct phrasing. "Newly requisitioned goods. Would you be able to move it?"

A look of understanding came on him and his ragged breath slowed.

"What are we talking about here?" He inquired with a hesitant voice.

Tanya retrieved the item ball and produced her spoils.

"Pokeballs, a couple hundred of them."

She gave an estimate, despite counting herself. It would be useful to see if he tried to short her. The man still seemed distracted so she took a step back, holding Mimikyu to her chest but angling him away.

The man crawled towards the box to confirm her statement while the Stoutland took the opportunity to inch away.

Problematic or not, having subordinates itching for a fight was better than ones wanting to flee once their bluster was spent.

"Standard stuff…" The man mumbled, pawing through the box. "I can do a lump sum now or a percentage of profit as they sell. I-I mean that's what I would suggest if this was something I have experience with."

That was in line with what she expected.

"While I appreciate the caution, you can cease beating around the bush. I know you are a smuggler."

She didn't but he was clearly involved in something illegal. The business wouldn't make sense otherwise.

"I'm not! Well, I mean who cares if some coast dwellers misplace some things?"

Criminals, always doing mental gymnastics to justify their existence. The only reason Tanya was engaging in such activities was for the betterment of the region as a whole.

"Cash is good but I'm open to bartering." She readjusted so Mimikyu's head would move, implying he should be as well. "Information or weapons. Firearms preferred."

That the grunts weren't armed with them was both a lucky break and a travesty.

"Guns? No, no, no. I don't touch anything like that." He held his arms in a placating gesture in front of him. "Look, I can take the Pokeballs off your hand but I don't know anything about anyone. I'm just a shopkeeper, it's not like I have a history of investigating things."

Stoutland in active, if sluggish, retreat perked up.

"Stout, land?"

The man whirled around and held a hand to his lips.

"Shshhhh."

She didn't even have to pretend not to have understood that and leveled a silent glare at him.

"Okay, I was serious about the guns but for information…I might be able to dig something up."

This region's stringent gun laws were a chore but not having bullets constantly shot at her was convenient. The conversation she was having now would have been more complex if he had a shotgun hidden somewhere.

"I want a dossier on everyone staying on the 13th floor of the Meurice."

One of the few pieces she'd gotten from the grunts was the admin they reported to and where they were staying. By asking for the entire floor instead of a specific name she hoped to obscure her target.

"That's a lot." She detected a hint of reluctance and held Mimikyu back out. "Never mind, no problem whatsoever."

That was more like it.

"You have a week, I trust that will be enough?" The shake of his head was changed to an enthusiastic nod by hoisting her new favorite subordinate up. "Good, on my next visit I expect you to gather a selection of whatever passes for weaponry here. And there's one more thing I need done" She set a trio of Pokeballs down. "I need medical care for these and transport to a new location."

Contrary to what she'd been expecting, the Pokemon did not fight to the death for their trainers. She wasn't one for wanton slaughter so she accepted their surrender. Considering their inability to give effective testimonials against her, she felt safe enough to let them be. For good measure, her little group had made it abundantly clear what would occur should they attempt any communication with their prior associates.

"I don't smuggle Pokemon." The man quickly said, his tone darkening.

"That's not the kind I'm referring to." Something strange rose within her and she quashed it swiftly. "Release them, find them homes. I don't care. Just don't sell them." The last words surprised her but she didn't let it show. "No one will come looking for them but I need them relocated far from the city, understood?"

"If it's that, I can work with it."

That was all she needed. Her task complete she proceeded to leave. Her hand was pulling the door when she heard it.

"What was that?"

The door shut again and she went back behind the counter, looming over the man still on the floor.

"Something about little and fairy? Care to elaborate?"

Letting the quip go would undermine his mental image of her, if that happened he was more likely to attempt to cross her.

"Nothin-" He thought better of it and corrected himself. "I was just saying how your Mimikyu is a creepy little fairy."

"Fairy?"

What was he talking about? Mimikyu was clearly a fearsome ghost.

"Yeah…they're a dual Ghost/Fairy type."

Looking at the doll in her hands, one of its purple eyes winked at her.

At that moment she knew, somewhere in the cosmos Being X was laughing at her.