Dragons.

Why did it have to be dragons? Types, and even species, did not determine temperament. The intelligence of Pokemon was such that individuals could have wildly different personalities.

That being said, there was a quiet consensus that dragons were assholes. Even she, whose knowledge of Pokemon mainly revolved around typings and move sets, knew that much.

Which meant the presence of the pack opposite to her was unwelcome, to say the least.

Ten dragons. It couldn't have been three or five, no it had to be ten damn overgrown lizards. Three of them were fully evolved Garchomps, the biggest of them was in the center while the other two held the flanks. Interspersed between them were Gabites, most of those were pawing at the ground and giving muted growls in her direction.

The one exception was a Gabite who looked positively pleased with itself to be clutching Carbink like he was the greatest prize in the world. Tanya noticed several of the Gabites stealing glances in his direction.

Her first assumption was that this was a hostage situation. It lasted until she noticed the carefree smile on Carbink's face. Well, it lasted slightly longer than that as she considered whether or not Carbink was smart enough to identify if he was in danger. She gave him the benefit of the doubt, which she felt was rather generous of her.

Aside from Carbink's greeting, no other words had been exchanged and they were in a tense standoff. She was confident of Mimikyu and Mawile's ability, but that was a lot of dragon to contend with.

"Carbink, care to explain what's going on." Her voice carried over the clearing, breaking the silence and earning renewed growls. Yellow eyes roamed her form, some outright hostile others dismissive. The ones that worried her the most had an appraising quality.

"Bin! Ink, car."

Carbink answered with no actionable information. This group of Pokemon did not in any way shape or form look like they needed help. Or wanted it for that matter.

"Gar…Chomp." The Garchomp on her left flank stuck its head low and released a guttural sound. It shifted its position to the side slightly before looking at its mirror on the other end of the line. "Chomp?"

"Omp, gar." The other one snorted and shook her head before straightening out its back and losing interest. "Arch."

Her hand reflexively went to her belt. Better judgment stopped her from retaliation, but Mawile's snickers on the side were not helpful.

"Talking about someone like they're not there is rude. If you must know, I had trouble sourcing nutrition during critical early development phases."

The knife hovering in the air vibrated for a moment, Ralts bristling at the comments calling Tanya a runt. She placed a hand on her head to ease the Pokemon, avoiding a fight was the better play. Pink eyes blinked up at her and the knife gradually lowered but remained ready.

"Ga, ga, bite!" The Gabite closest to the center Garchomp found her childhood experiences amusing and let out a mean-spirited laugh. It didn't last long as the Pokemon was knocked into the dirt by the Garchomp's fin.

Her words had caused a shift in all Garchomps present which soon filtered down to the Gabites, aside from the one spitting out grass of course.

Suddenly, she was being treated as a threat.

Perhaps criticizing two of the fully evolved Pokemon in the pack wasn't the smartest move.

"Archomp," the center one spoke to her. From the way the others reacted to its words, she marked it as the leader.

"Yes," Tanya confirmed, keeping it to a single word despite being tempted to say more. Hadn't she made it obvious she could understand them? That ability would still be kept under wraps around humans but this was clearly a wild bunch.

The dragon seemed to hum in response and the others waited for its determination. It nodded its head towards the one who'd first spoken.

"Gar, gar, omp."

Tanya listened carefully as she finally found out why she was being accosted in the night. Her eyes traced to Carbink.

Carbink hadn't joined her just for a sightseeing tour, he was also looking for some friend of his. She'd learned that back on the island, it was the reason he'd left suddenly. So when he came across this group looking for their missing member, she could see why he'd agreed to help.

That he volunteered her help without her consent was more than a tad annoying. She desperately needed to figure out how to properly discipline him.

"I see," She kept her true thoughts to herself and looked at the silver lining, they weren't looking to pick a fight. "And where is this friend of yours?"

"Chomp." The Pokemon pointed a fin toward the city.

How wonderfully imprecise.

"Do you have any more details to work with?"

"Abite, ab, ab," one of the Gabites piped up.

So they expected her to go into the city, somehow find a Gible that had been captured by a trainer, who they didn't have a proper description of, and then retrieve said Gible to reunite him with the pack?

That was an absurd request. She didn't have proper census figures but that city had thousands upon thousands of people. Not to mention, it was a travel destination. There were decent odds that whoever captured the Gible was long gone.

Logically, with what she had to work with, the task was nearly impossible.

There was not a chance in hell she'd try to explain any of that to a pack of dragons.

"Understood, I plan to visit the city tomorrow. I would be happy to locate Gible."

Tanya lied through her teeth. It was an easy choice, she'd pay lip service to the lizards and then move her camp.

"Ab! Bite!" The one who'd laughed at her protested with gnashed teeth. It pointed at her indignantly while continuing its tirade. "Gab, gab, ite!"

Tanya brought her arm to her nose and took a whiff. Nothing was off to her but that didn't say much when people became nose blind to themselves so quickly.

While the dragon's nose may be more sensitive than hers, Tanya leaned towards the side that it was just trying to find fault with her and she didn't actually smell bad. It wasn't like she didn't keep to hygiene standards, outdoor living or not.

"If that's all, I don't want to keep you. I'm sure it's a long way back to your den."

Tanya attempted to close the conversation. The Gabite who taunted her had the same idea but for a different reason.

It took a provocative step forward and Mawile matched it. The tension in the air ratcheted up as the pair of Garchomps on the flanks followed soon after.

This was dicey. Carbink wasn't much use offensively and was currently in the clutches of a Gabite. Mawile could take one, maybe two of the Garchomps. Mimikyu could probably take one as well. That left seven other Gabites to contend with for Ralts and her, those weren't odds she wanted to gamble on.

Fleeing, or a tactical retreat, was an option. She'd need to get in range to return Carbink but once she got a move on she could probably evade well enough with Double Team to get back to the safety of civilization. The problem was that she doubted her camp would still be here when she got back and that wasn't a loss she was willing to take.

"Bink! Bin. Bink!"

Carbink tried to intercede on her behalf. While she appreciated the attempt, there was no way he'd be able to convince them to back off.

As if to spite her, save for the one instigator, the rest of them grew mollified.

Granted, that one began stomping its feet in a fit of tantrum. Tanya waited for it to be disciplined by the leader and grew worried when she saw what might have been a contemplative look on it. Deciphering its facial expressions wasn't a straightforward process.

"Gar," it said simply and nudged the Gabite forward.

"Wile." Mawile raised a brow and looked unimpressed. "Maw."

"Bite." The Gabite shook its head and pointed at Tanya.

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"Maw." Mawile crossed her arms and remained between the two of them, signaling that she wasn't content to step aside.

For a moment, Tanya was able to fool herself into thinking the Pokemon was looking out for her well-being. With a tired sigh, she asked a question she might have been better off not knowing.

"You're hoping the others jump in and this turns into an all-out brawl, aren't you?"

"Maw!" Mawile turned to her with a smile and gave her a thumbs up, not bothering in the least to mask her intentions now. She followed by smacking her knuckles together.

Tanya grabbed her by the base of her elongated jaw and lifted her up. If there was any benefit to having a team of small Pokemon, being able to manhandle them was one. Mawile's feet kicked in the air and she puffed out her cheeks, looking at Tanya with irritation.

"I told you to stop that." She deposited the Pokemon behind her. "I can handle this."

Idly, she wondered what the point of having a team was if she was going to keep being forced to fight herself.

At least this was a somewhat controlled environment. If she was reading it right, it was also less of a true fight and more of proving she was up to the task. Screening contractors for potential work was reasonable, she just wished she wasn't said contractor.

If it was just a single Gabite, that was doable. Still, a little bit of insurance would go amiss. She crouched down by Ralts who held Mimikyu by her side.

"Can I see Mimi for a moment?" The Pokemon nodded and Tanya took possession of the doll. She angled it so her left hand held it upright and the other was positioned underneath it, her arm was covered by a long-sleeved jacket. "We might need to temporarily find a new home," she spoke facing Ralts and suppressed a shiver at the following sensation. "Take care of her."

Tanya finished and returned the doll. In the darkness of the night, she hoped her pudgyness would not look out of place.

She approached the Gabite with measured steps, stopping near it.

Its red scales stood out and it scraped its feet against the ground impatiently. She took note of the numerous scars on its body, it seemed she wasn't the only one who had gotten on its bad side.

"Chomp!" The leader slammed both fins on the ground and her head snapped in its direction. The dragons began to move forming a circle around them. She thought them surrounding her for a moment but the actions didn't scream aggression to her. Once evenly spaced, they began to stamp their feet in unison and sweep their fins against the ground. There was a rhythm to it and it came off as tribalistic. "Gar!"

She didn't need to understand Pokemon to know that meant start. She called on her aura and waited.

Gabite moved, stretching out its neck and snapping its jaws towards her. She let it get close before tilting her body out of the way. Her knife glowed with normal energy suffusing it.

Had this been life and death, she would have stabbed at the exposed jugular. Since it wasn't, she carved a line across its right arm. It reacted instinctively and swung widely with the same arm. Tanya didn't relent and ducked under the arm, cutting at its back heel to limit its mobility.

The injured foot rose and slammed down, causing a quake. She stumbled for a moment before having to leap away as the ground erupted and tried to harm her.

Bulldoze, she surmised.

Out of harm's way, she watched the Pokemon glare at her. Tanya's attacks had done depressingly little, only barely drawing blood.

It breathed in and a blue beam of energy was launched her way. She sidestepped, only to find the Dragon Breath was tracking her, and had to commit to a full roll in order to avoid the attack.

Getting back to her feet, Tanya was met with the charge of a furious dragon. It stopped short, sweeping its fin across the ground and sending a wave of sand in her direction.

Tanya played it safe, shielding her face and leaving a Double Team image in her position while she stepped back.

The Sand Attack buffet her harmlessly and she recovered in time to see the image of her torn apart. She rewarded the dragon with several more cuts before she had to jump out of the way of another Bulldoze.

It didn't give her long to breathe before rushing her again with both claws glowing green. She ran towards it and jumped. The Dual Chop found only air and she landed on its extended arm. She put all her strength into her other leg and kicked out, snapping its head back.

She didn't stay on her precarious purchase for long as the Pokemon struck wildly in her direction with fangs and claws.

Tanya would have killed for a gun, even if she was meant to be non-lethal at the moment. Another Dragon Breath was sent her way and she left a double in her place while repositioning.

She did have a way to damage the Pokemon, but she needed to make an opportunity to use it.

Her eyes inspected the clearing, the dragons were still conducting their ritual and the amount of sand floating in the air was growing by the second.

That could work.

Tanya stepped into the cloud, allowing the sand to embrace her. While it limited her visibility, the same could be said for her opponent. She vaguely remembered something about them not relying on sight to navigate in the dark but considering her plan, it shouldn't make a difference.

She just needed plausible deniability.

'3 O'clock'

Teaching Ralts how to read a clock, and more importantly, call out enemy positions paid dividends in the moment as she narrowly avoided the jaws seeking her. She maneuvered deftly into its blind spot.

"Mimic: Cut," she uttered in a low voice while lashing out at the back of its knee with her knife. The action was mirrored by a shadow that snaked out of her left sleeve.

The Pokemon opposed to her gave a sharp cry as the attacks landed, the damage inflicted couldn't be compared to what had been done previously and it fell to its knees.

She pressed a knee against its back, adjacent to its protruding fin. Her hand wrapped around its snout and held it tight, roughly pulling it upward while her arm squeezed its neck. Whether or not choke holds worked against dragons was not on the list of things she thought she'd learn today.

"Yield."

Baleful eyes drilled into her and she held the dragon's stare. Mimikyu took the time to slip back into her jacket, wrapping itself around her midsection. If needed, he was fast enough to react to anything Gabite tried.

She felt the dragon shift and while her grip was tenuous, it held. Slowly it dropped its arms and looked to the side, releasing a bout of hot air from its nostrils.

Tanya released her hold and shoved the Pokemon forward while getting some distance. The drumming of the dragons stopped and the air gradually cleared, revealing her defeated opponent.

Her grip on the knife didn't relax and she raked her eyes along the group. There was a mixed bag of expressions.

"Well, anyone else?"

There were no takers, discounting Mawile's raised hand, naturally.

—

She'd never been so glad to have solid pavement under her. It was a sign she was back in the city and away from a tumultuous pack of wild Pokemon.

One would think that besting a member of their group would earn her some wariness, instead they somewhat warmed up to her. Somewhat, because at the end of the day, they were still dragons.

The naked hostility was gone and had been replaced with cautious curiosity. The most frightening thing was one of the Garchomps looking like they might reconsider taking her up on the match. Thankfully, its mate had bonked it on the head for that.

She'd learned a little of dynamics in the pack. What she had encountered was a hunting party led by the matriarch of the family. She was supported by her son and his mate, the Garchomps who were on the flanks, along with the more able Gabites. The patriarch had been left at the nest with the Gible and remaining Gabites.

From the story they told her, she deduced they must have been the reason Marco had rushed off. Apparently, they'd been attacking trainers left and right. She wasn't sure how they expected that to work and had tried to do her civic duty by convincing them not to. Whether they took her advice or not, wasn't her problem. Neither was finding the Gible, despite what she'd said.

Any agreement under duress wasn't valid.

"Your curfew's being cut," Tanya spoke to the cause of last night's events.

"Bin…" Carbink's ears sagged; it had no effect on Tanya.

It had taken a good deal of effort to pry him from the Gabite's clutches. She wasn't sure why they all seemed so attracted to him.

"I know you were trying to help but jumping into something without getting all the details is foolhardy. Our plate is also full at the moment so taking any more work isn't realistic."

It was lamentable but there wasn't much she could do. When she had a moment, she'd looked it up and Gible were not protected in this area. That meant the capture was most likely legal. Her plan was to drop off an anonymous note at the local Ranger branch and let them sort it out.

Somehow she doubted this was an uncommon occurrence.

However, that wasn't her first stop of the day.

Her feet stopped when she turned the corner and saw the gaudy edifice that was her destination. At thirteen stories, the Meurice was not the tallest of buildings in this part of the city. It was, however, far more exclusive than the others. That complicated any scouting attempts.

Tanya approached it casually, Carbink floating dutifully by her side. She'd combed her hair and was wearing a summer dress, which went to show how serious she was taking this. Loath as she was to wear it, she needed to present a certain appearance lest she be kicked out the second she entered.

That was also the reason she'd chosen Carbink to accompany her. The comment Marco had made at dinner had piqued her interest and she had discovered Carbink's species was slightly rare. He was also somewhat popular with the upper class due to the gems embedded in him.

"Remember, neither of you do or say anything without my go-ahead." She reminded both Carbink and Mimikyu before approaching.

Coaxing Mimikyu into a doll other than his old Pikachu one, was more challenging than it ought to have been. Without Ralts' encouragement, she wasn't sure they would have accomplished it. Thanks to their efforts, his form was now tucked away in a Mareep.

If the pattern continued, she might need to look into teaching him electric moves.

Tanya took note of the buildings adjacent to the hotel. They were further than she would have liked, she didn't think jumping from one to the other was feasible.

The floor shifted to a polished red marble and soon she was at the front door itself. There was a doorman and she did not pay him a single glance before boldly walking forward. To her relief, he made no move to stop her and she walked through the revolving door without incident.

The interior was made of a slightly lighter marble with satin couches dotting the area. They were clustered allowing denizens of the hotel to gather. She saw what looked like a restaurant area to the left along with a bar. The reception was to her right and straight ahead was a hallway leading deeper into the building with staircases on either side of it.

The lack of apparent cameras stuck out to her, as well as the sheer amount of staff in the building.

All her observations were made without movement of her head and she took no time to pause or give any indication she was not already intimately familiar with the hotel. The problem this presented, was that she had no idea where she was going and was essentially winging it when it came to mapping out the premises.

In her defense, there wasn't any info online and failure would simply mean a curious child being kicked out. As long as she acted appropriately, that wasn't exactly front-page news.

Her feet carried her through the center passageway and she was once more, outside. It was a pool area and far more active than the interior with guests sunbathing and milling about. The ones in the pool were joined by Swanna who gave the evil eye to overflying Wingull. From the way they carried themselves, she suspected their purpose was to keep wild Pokemon from harassing guests.

Why they needed a pool when the ocean was right there was anyone's guess.

She noticed some attention drift her way but none of it lingered and she took a seat at one of the many poolside lounge chairs. It would look strange if she turned back inside so quickly so she would pretend to check her phone for a few minutes and then venture back inside. The staircases would be her next destination. Knowing the ground floor was a good start but she really wanted to know how to access the higher floors.

"Excuse me," A voice came out from behind her and disappointment welled up within her. She'd have to be satisfied with what she'd gotten. She turned and was ready to apologize and say she'd gotten lost when she saw who it was. "I thought that was you. You still owe me a rematch."

The teen from the park, without his Furfou this time, stood in swim trunks and an unbuttoned shirt.

Since coming to the city she'd only interacted with a handful of people. All she could do was curse her luck at running into one of them.