Old memories rose out of the depths of her mind. They were from early in her first life, back when she didn't know how to properly act around people. Children were strange creatures, and she'd often said things that offended their fragile sensibilities. Thankfully, a quick chat with an authority figure was usually enough to have them understand she was at no fault. This should end the same way.

She'd been led down the hall into a side room that looked to be a cross between a storage room and office. Roughly the size of one of the taxis she saw above ground, it was a cramped space. The crates stacked along the walls did little to help. She was sitting on a small one herself. Across from her was Cody sitting on his own, and between them was a bigger bog with a tarp covering it, functioning as a desk.

Gabite was waiting in the hall, and a nervous Lillian was seated to her right. In between them sat Ralts on her own crate. It was a poor use of their limited space, and she would prefer the Pokemon to be on her lap. However, the psychic had been adamant about needing her own seat, and so, not wanting to cause another scene, Tanya gave into her demands.

"See," Cody opened up. He was still chewing that stalk of wheat. "I know it wasn't on that sign of ours, but normal folk know not to go pissing on their neighbor's Tauros."

It was a strange idiom, but she understood the meaning.

Tanya leveled a steady gaze on the man, the seconds drawing out as she thought of a response.

Being a small child had its advantages. It meant she could point at her apparent age and be forgiven for any manner of mistakes. However, given she was trying to procure a firearm, reinforcing her childish image would be counterintuitive. She was also dealing with criminals and should assume any apology at this juncture would be taken as a sign of weakness. Which was a shame, because she truly had not meant to break the vendor's table and scatter his belongings. She was simply trying to be heard.

'Mama strong,' Ralts supplied, offering unneeded commentary.

This was not a debate about physical strength. They weren't brutes that solved every problem with violence. Matters like these were best resolved by words alone.

Tanya was conscious of the building tension in the room but thought it a worthwhile tradeoff to have a carefully crafted response. Her human companion clearly did not feel the same way and began fidgeting in her spot. Not wanting to be undermined by her actions, Tanya finally broke the silence.

"I made an inquiry in good faith and was met with a lack of respect. Would you stand for the same in my place?"

She was playing to her audience. With his demeanor and occupation, there was little chance he would take the slight himself. Forcing him to think in those terms would make him unconsciously sympathetic to her situation.

'Assist?' The question echoed in her head. She didn't respond, knowing that a lack of affirmation would have Ralts infer denial. She was not opposed to having the Pokemon manipulate the emotions of criminals to her benefit, but that wasn't something to be tested now. They needed to practice under controlled settings. The problem was finding volunteers to have their minds tampered with.

"No, but around these parts, I'm the head honcho." Cody responded with a deep voice, the crate creaking under his weight as he shifted forward. He placed a meaty hand on the desk as his burly form loomed over it. "What are you?"

Tanya would never allow such a cheap tactic to cow her. The same could not be said about Lillian, but rather than look intimidated by it, she rubbed her shin and gave the man a look of pity. It might have been her imagination, but she thought the girl might have leaned away from Ralts as well.

'Educate?'

An image of herself slamming Cody's face through his desk appeared in her mind. She shoved it aside. His words were a deliberate challenge. He was probing for her reaction and would adjust if needed. It was just another negotiation tactic.

Tanya did not entertain the idea of a fight. Her team was powerful, but she was in enemy territory and surrounded. Any fight had the potential to bury them alive. Gabite would be of great use there, but the entire thing was far more trouble than it was worth. Evaluating the risk versus reward was paramount in business and life.

There was no need for violence; all she needed to do was firmly state her position and appeal to reason.

"A customer," she responded simply. Her tone was neutral, almost apathetic. It certainly didn't have the fear or cowardice he was fishing for. "A disappointed one at that. I was led to believe this was a venue where I could conduct transactions of equal value." Her words caused a narrowing of his eyes and she continued. "However, that's the risk when you let contractors in."

She gave him an out, letting him blame the whole thing on someone else. He didn't change his posture, but his eyes slowly glanced toward the door and then back to her. Oh, was he worried about Gabite? Personally, she thought the diminutive Pokemon next to her was the bigger threat, but she moved to put him at ease.

"To clarify." Tanya was not looking to cause any misunderstanding. "I would not concern myself with Gabite."

Poorly trained or not, the Pokemon should not start a fight with the members of his posse outside. Or she hoped that was the case. There was a limit she was willing to put up with and that would see the dragon reach it.

"Is that so?" He asked evenly, his eyes judging the veracity of her claims. They moved to Ralts' next, and she wasn't sure what he found, but the crate creaked again as he leaned back. "Then I'll have a man-to-man with Herb and make sure he knows not to run his mouth like that."

That was a reasonable response-

"And you're banned for a month."

The frank declaration rankled her. She'd just been introduced to this place and hadn't even begun exploring possibilities. Still, as inconvenient as it was, she could see the justification. Some action needed to be taken in order to maintain their reputation. She doubted he would deny her use of proxies. Lillian was with her at the time, so she might not work, but Faust had split early on. Tanya had thought about collecting him before this impromptu meeting, but Ralts had lobbied otherwise. His presence was unlikely to add any value and so she'd agreed swiftly.

"Acceptable," Tanya responded with a nod. "However, I would like to complete the previously agreed upon transaction."

Leaving empty-handed would put a sour taste in her mouth. At the very least, she wanted Ralts to have that spoon. Tanya's eyes shifted to the Pokemon, noticing her hand had twitched as if to reach out to her, but the action had been aborted.

Cody hummed, the bass of his voice filling their small space up. Looking back at him, she couldn't help noticing parts of the mural behind him. It had that same bird-like figure from outside.

"We can arrange item trade," Cody said after a moment. There was another pause and his next words came out almost cautious. "What use does a little missy like you have for old iron?"

There was not a second of hesitation in her reply.

"Self-defense."

'Self-defense.'

The thought overlapped with her words, and it took her a moment to realize Ralts had come to the same conclusion.

Of course, preemptive self-defense was a valid tactic. She didn't think they would be all that useful against Pokemon, but trainers were the weak point. If she were to be cornered by some of Team Flare's more competent members, then a rifle would be a great equalizer.

"Right," Cody drawled. It didn't seem like he believed her. "Well, lucky for you, my posse is a big believer in freedom of choice. That's why we set up this place. No reason to let some faraway people tell us what we can or can't sell."

The words struck a chord with her. Had she somehow stumbled upon a sane group of like-minded individuals in this strange world?

"But," he said the word she was hoping to not hear. "The league's not the only ones who will be after your hide; normal folk don't like them around either. It's just not good business touting them around unless you're already on everyone's wanted list. Like them poachers Herb mentioned."

Societal taboos and government restrictions. That tilted the scale slightly. Not enough to deter her, but she would take great care to conceal her possession of it.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Is that a refusal?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. He was tiptoeing around it, and she was eager to get a solid answer.

He studied her, much like he'd been doing this whole time. It was getting irritating. Other than her identity, she was not trying to hide anything.

"South of Route 7, a fellow by the name of Dolan might have what you need. I'll warn you, he won't be in the trading mood."

'Irrelevant.'

Agreed, they'd take it if needed. She recalled where Route 7 was. That was south west of here, past Route 5 and Camphrier Town. Route 5 was where her collection errand was, so perhaps she should make it a longer trip and push further. It was something to think about, but there was another problem.

"Route 7 is a large area to cover; is there anyway you can narrow it down?

She was prepared to pay should he request it. That was the level of importance she assigned to acquiring a means to properly defend herself.

"He sells Vivillon. I'd start by searching for them. They're not native to the route, that should help you out some."

It did. Especially when she was able to ask the denizens of the forest where she might find them. Yes, that could work. She wondered why he was open with the information now, but maybe he sought to reconcile their relationship.

"Thank you; I'll be sure to pay him a visit." Satisfied, she made to leave when her curiosity got the better of her. "Do you know what that painting behind you depicts?"

Tanya could have sworn she'd seen it before. She just could not place where at the moment.

"Hmm?" Cody turned, looking at the mural. "Ah, yeah, I reckoned that was a Galarian Moltres when I first saw it. A strange fellow came around a while back and set me straight. That there is Yveltal, and we're sitting in a small chapel dedicated to it. Apparently, the folks back then had this idea that when it woke up, it would signal the end of the world."

Legends of Kalos—that was the book she'd seen it from. The same book that was signed by Lysandre.

'Eliminate.'

Tanya hoped she was referring to the man and not the legendary.

----------------------------------------

Learning that the doomsday cult you were investigating might actually have a way to end the world was a startling realization. Tanya was not one to panic over it, but it did give her more to think about. Rationally, if a single Pokemon could end the world, it would have already occurred. Then, even if it did have the capability, who was Team Flare to control it? No, the most likely explanation is that the ancients embellished their accounts. That did not mean she was ready to dismiss the claims entirely. Folk tales tended to have grains of truth in them, and it was probably that this Yveltal would be a great power.

She could not let it fall into Team Flare's hands. Fortunately, if the map she found in Louis' hotel room was any indication, they weren't having any luck finding it. However, the mere risk was too much to just sit on the information.

The league had to be informed, compromised or not, she needed to at minimum plant the idea that the legendary might pose a threat. Which meant passing a message to a high ranking league member. Electronic correspondence was likely compromised, and a physical letter might be ignored. That left her with more direct methods of communication. She had the beginnings of a plan—the who, when, and how—but she was not about to rush its implementation. That was how mistakes occurred.

Those thoughts in mind, they'd returned to their new base for the night. With Mimikyu keeping guard, there had been no need to worry, but it was still nice to return to the place as they'd left it. Well, almost exactly as they left it. One of the tables had been knocked on its side, and there was a dent the size of a basketball in one of the lockers, but nothing had been missing.

Their cleaning had produced minor if noticeable results. The floors had been swept and mopped, although it looked like they had missed a stain or two. She couldn't begrudge them, as she hadn't noticed them earlier.

She had added storage containers to her mental shopping list; they'd better organize the gear left behind. She would also need to go through the collected tools and see if anything was salvageable. It would take some doing, but she might be able to use what was around to fashion more tools for herself. She would need them for any infiltration.

There were many things to do in the coming week, but for now, Tanya was resting in a corner on her sleeping pad. Though sleeping was not on the menu yet, despite her soft and even breaths making it seem like she might drift off any second.

Meditation was not a skill she could claim to possess. She was no stranger to pausing and evaluating her situation, but that was not the same as clearing your mind. It had always seemed a useless endeavor to her. Why waste your time doing nothing when you could be strategizing about the future? She didn't find any use for it when practicing magic, as the calculations she had to perform were mentally stimulating.

Aura was not magic. It functioned on a different, and in her opinion, inferior system. There was no use whining or griping about the change and it wasn't like her old formulas were completely useless. All she had to do was buckle down and do the work. That was an area she'd never shied away from.

And so she was left here meditating with a stone held between her palms. It wasn't the first time she had tried unlocking the secrets of the Keystone, and with how things were going, it wouldn't be the last time. Infusing her aura into it had been simple; it readily took to it, unlike her blade, which would only accept the move Cut being applied. From there, it seemed to broadcast her aura, amplifying it in some way. She was hoping the interaction could let her get a better grasp on both the stone and her aura. The idea wasn't without merit either, as her feeling over the energy was sharper than before.

A metallic scrape jarred her back into the present, and she opened her eyes. Toward the center of the room knelt Ralts. She was holding the spoon horizontally with both hands and moving its lip up and down a flat piece of stone she'd acquired from somewhere.

"Are you sure that won't damage its capabilities?" She asked for the third time. They wouldn't be getting a second Twisted Spoon. "Remember, it's not a-" She'd about to say toy, but considering Ralts was sharpening it into a knife, that felt inappropriate. "Just come over here and join me for now."

She was normally good at tuning out background noise, but this meditation business was tougher than she would have liked, and so she wanted to make the situation as optimal as possible. Ralts got up, padding over and going for their pack. She retrieved her Mega Stone and then wiggled her way into Tanya's lap.

Why now was an acceptable time to sit in her lap, and before wasn't, was a mystery to her.

Tanya was about to resume her practice when a bang was heard. Mawile, who had been standing on a table, was now lying spread eagle on the floor.

"What did I say about wearing those indoors?" She had tried the glasses herself, and while she was sure they would be fine in the daylight, she could barely see two feet in front of her at the time. "Take it outside if you want to wear them."

She would not have any more luck out there, but at least she'd not risk destroying stuff in here.

"Wile," Mawile conceded a bit too easily, pushing herself up. Her hands brushed off her coat, and then she bent down to pick up her new hat, blowing on it before gently placing it on her head.

Back when Tanya was raiding the hotel suite, it had been what she used to carry some of the chips. It was a black dandy hat with a red cloth stripe and matching feather. Gaudy or hideous were both apt terms to describe it. Tanya hadn't meant to gift it yet, but in sorting through the remainder of what they'd taken, Mawile had spotted it. She knew a losing battle when she saw one, and Tanya surrendered the monstrosity to the little wrecking ball.

Her spine had been nearly snapped in two by the resulting hug, and her face had become beet red during the verbal beat down she'd delivered to the Pokemon right after. With that gift delivered, she now had to rush to find presents for the rest of them. Anything else might foster dissension in the ranks.

"Ma?" Mawile asked a strange question. Her eyes were far too innocent, but she didn't see the harm in allowing it.

"Take Faust if you want, but bring him back in one piece." Had they bonded while she was gone? Weird as it was, she did not feel threatened by it. Something inside her told her Mawile would never leave her. At the thought, a headache started to form, and she waved a hand out. "Be responsible; don't get caught doing anything."

She had to lower the bar considering who was involved. Ralts could have been sent as a minder again, but it felt more appropriate to have her stay where she was. It would be wrong to overburden her after all.

Tanya settled back into her meditation. Feeding more aura into the stone, the process was the same until she felt a tug. It was the slightest thing, but she opened her eyes and saw a dim glow from the Mega Stone in Ralts' possession. Her horn was lit up as well, and Tanya made sure not to move a muscle while she watched the events play out.

Eventually, Ralts' good posture gave out, and she rested her back against Tanya.

'Mother,' the Pokemon sent over, somehow conveying it to her as a whisper. 'Bed.'

Ralts turned on her side, curling into her while cradling the stone. Mother was not any better than Mama, and with a sigh, she stroked the Pokemon's hair. Did she have to fall asleep right on top of her? Now she was stuck.

She carefully set the Keystone aside, not wanting to wake Ralts with it interfering with the Mega Stone again. Closing her eyes again, she managed to meditate for a few seconds before something cold impacted her left cheek. Her hand instinctively reached out, catching the stone before it hit the ground.

The pitch-black rock felt oddly at home in her hand. Knowing it was meant to evolve certain Pokemon, she had not experimented much with it. An errant thought had her reach out to it with her aura, the strange energy held within the stone brushing up against her. It was not aura; that much was clear. She tried to draw it out, linking it with her aura and nudging it out of the stone.

Tanya frowned at the lack of cooperation from the inanimate object. It seemed stubborn. Her eyes turned back to who had thrown it at her.

Mimikyu innocently sat against the wall, and she silently mouthed a question.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

It hadn't been thrown to her for no reason, and she had a feeling Mimikyu knew more than what he was letting on. An ear flopped down, pointing toward the door.

She raised an eyebrow in response and then glanced down. Sensing her predicament, his shadow stretched out and slowly wormed its way in between her and Ralts. Tanya carefully scooted back, letting him support the psychic Pokemon. Once free, she got up with the stone in hand and paced toward the door. Tanya pushed it open and instantly felt a surge from the stone.

It felt like she was almost being pulled somewhere, and her head tilted toward the source. The night was cloudy, but through them, she could just make out the crescent moon staring down at her.

Duh, it was called a moonstone. Why had she not thought of this before?

Pulling on the energy again, something felt different. It was more animated than before, and rather than act as separate entities, her aura started to merge with it. No, that wasn't quite right; it was more like it took on properties from the energy in the stone.

She drew it out and felt the contaminated aura begin to act on its own accord. To her alarm, it was expelled from her skin. All at once, her sun-tanned skin began to take on a whiter hue. She ran back inside, her breathing having kicked up a notch.

Holding her hand out, she noticed how it almost seemed to light up the surroundings. She stared at the stone angrily. She was sure there was some benefit to this, but for now, it looked like it had just made her a glow-in-the-dark sticker.