Over her multiple lives, Tanya had two chief occupations. That of a salaryman working in human resources, and then as a mage in the Imperial army. Neither of those positions necessitated any skills in spycraft.

That was to say, everything up to this point related to espionage had been done with a combination of common sense and knowledge from popular media. Personally, the genre had never resonated with her. However, keeping abreast of the latest trends was important for the type of banal water cooler talk required to ascend the corporate ladder, and so she had a passing familiarity with some of the classics. As a result, things like keeping her prints off things taken to future crime scenes or canvassing locations for cameras were known to her.

Tailing people was also not a foreign concept; however, reality was very different from the movies, and given the high-profile nature of her target, she was suitably hesitant. Her initial idea was to make a repeat of last time and take advantage of the local avian community to track her target. Unfortunately, her luck had run out and her attempts to make inroads here showed they lacked the organization needed for such an endeavor.

It left her in a tough but not impossible spot. Because while Tanya did not know how to tail someone properly, someone on her team clearly did. Sadly, they were not being agreeable at the moment.

"I've lost count of the number of times I've clarified this," she said, trying her best to keep the irritation out of her voice. "But no kidnappings."

Tanya was at Vert Plaza, sitting on the stone basin of a water feature. It was a rather nice fountain and had a small number of Ducklett floating lazily in the water. Mimikyu was on the edge of her lap, facing her. Like usual, he gave nothing away.

"I don't care if it amuses you," Tanya argued. He hadn't said anything and, for all she knew, she was arguing with herself. She continued due to a small voice in her head telling her what he meant. It wasn't anything psychic; she knew Ralts' power well enough to determine that. Instead, it was some sort of intuition. "Do you have any idea of the level of heat that we'd draw by kidnapping a gym leader?"

It had been a few days since getting banned from the market and she was still preparing to go complete the herbalist's request and secure her gun. She could technically depart now, however, before that she wanted to make contact with Clemont. He was the gym leader of the largest city in Kalos and her target. He had been chosen for two main reasons. The first was that, as a gym leader, he had a larger amount of influence over league affairs than your standard official. The second, and perhaps the more important, was that he was young. He was the youngest gym leader in Kalos' history. She would have written it off as another case of nepotism, but his father was a simple electronics store owner.

Children were foolish and easy to manipulate. With the right approach, she should be able to put him on the right trail. The other side of the coin was that her enemies would be able to lead him astray. However, Tanya had done her research and believed she had found a way to attract his interest.

That was the who and the how sorted; it was the when she was struggling with. She had originally thought of doing it at the Prism Tower. It housed the city's gym and, with his challenged schedule being a matter of record, she could guarantee his attendance. After further consideration, she decided the venue was too public. She would rather orchestrate a meeting somewhere in the city.

Which left her debating a doll.

"Kidnapping his family is even worse." She had an inkling that he was deliberately messing with her, but she couldn't take the chance that he was being serious. "Be reasonable."

It was a tad ironic that while Mimikyu had taken to acting out, Mawile had been oddly well-behaved. Tanya attributed it to learning how to properly manage the Pokemon. As much as she'd like to keep the problem on a tight leash, Mawile was not one to be contained. She needed her space. Tanya had provided some outside of Courmarine, but she supposed the city was more stimulating than a forest. Tanya wasn't sure what she was up to specifically, but she periodically searched the words Mawile and Lumiose City online and so far, nothing had shown up.

Whatever it was must have been rather cathartic. The first night she went out alone, the Pokemon had come back glowing. Figuratively, not literally, as Tanya had managed. Moonlight, despite its unfortunate typing, was a useful tool to have. It would provide her a way to speed up her personal recovery should she become injured again.

Tanya looked up, seeing the sun shine high in the sky. The move wasn't as reliable as she would have liked. Its potency depended on both the time of day and phase of the moon. If she were to try it now, its effects would be negligible. Not that she would, as it also made her extremely conspicuous. No, she'd save that training for the relative safety of her base. The same base she had been kicked out of this morning.

That sounded harsh. In reality, she had been gently asked by Ralts to vacate the premises while they discussed further cleaning efforts. Tanya thought it was overkill, as the shop had been so thoroughly scrubbed down that you could eat off the floors, but she admired the commitment. Ralts had even somehow managed to conscript Mawile to help, proving she was a good influence on the Pokemon.

A sudden breeze swept through the plaza, and Mimikyu's ear flopped to the side. Tanya narrowed her eyes at the Pokemon.

"Causing a citywide blackout is also not a viable solution."

Learning the city's power grid was largely dependent on a child had been unsettling, but it did further to prove the claims of his genius. Practically speaking, unpowering the city was possible. The power plants were located from where she'd just come from, the badlands. It would be easy to go out and disrupt some lines, prompting an investigation. However, there was no guarantee the boy himself would investigate and, despite being labeled as such, she was no terrorist.

"Lett?" One of the Duckletts tilted his head, overhearing part of their conversion. It turned to its companions, pointing a wing at her. "Duck? Lett?"

Oh sure, now they decided to be observant.

Tanya glared at the useless things and they flew off, splashing water during their escape. Pokemon remained strange creatures in her mind.

"Bin!" Carbink noticed the disturbance, coming back from the tree he had been investigating. "Ink?"

He was healed now. It was a relief; she hadn't realized how much it had bothered her until he was back to normal. Carbink might have had his faults, but he was a good worker. He just needed more direction than the others.

"They had somewhere else to be," she lied, seeing his ears sag down at the knowledge his new friends had left without warning. "Come over here." He floated over and she rubbed his collar, scratching at what she had learned was the spot. "Did you make any progress?"

Her eyes went back to the tree, and she spotted some movement in the branches.

"Bink, bin," he explained while shaking his head.

"That's alright, thank you for trying."

Failure was the expectation. Without a structure, having wild Pokemon attempt to single out a small blond child in a city this size was futile. Their intelligence also varied quite a bit. Some of them had enthusiastically pointed at her and then asked for a reward.

She could feel the smugness radiating from her lap. All roads led to Mimikyu. She had already tried leveraging their contract, yet printed words had little power over him. There were technically other options. She didn't have to tail the gym leader; she could wait somewhere she knew he'd stopped by, like his father's store. However, if not now, she would eventually need to learn how to properly track someone. Clemont today, but who knew what Flare grunt or admin she might face tomorrow.

That left her with one move. It wouldn't be the first time she would be using it, but it was a rare occurrence.

"Mimikyu," she started with the utmost seriousness. "Do you want to be a member of this–" she paused for a brief moment. "Family or not? If you do, that means helping out even if it's not always in the way you want."

It was just a word. She could have used the term team, unit, group, or any other descriptor. They all had the same effect on her, which was to say none at all. The only reason she used it was to play on the sensibilities of others.

Tanya waited for a reply, ignoring the way Carbink was rubbing into her side.

"Mi." A muffled voice sounded. "Mi, mi, mi."

This…

Tanya looked around, trying to find the nearest trash can. Laughter had not been the response she was going for, and all she wanted to do right now was toss the stupid doll away.

While she did find one, she also knew hers was an empty threat. He was too valuable to throw away like that. There was one other option left to her, and that was good old-fashioned practice.

Her eyes scanned the others in the plaza, specifically those using it as a shortcut from one part of the city to another. She chose her mark and got up; Mimikyu clutched to her side.

"Carbink, go find Gabite. We're taking a walk."

—

"I'm sorry, ma'am!" Tanya squealed, widening her eyes to the limit. She tilted her head and held her hands behind her back. Her shoulders rocked in an agitated manner. "I saw a movie with my mommy and daddy and the spy was so cool and smart and I wanted to try to be just like him!"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Her excited ramblings had the intended effect, and the middle-aged woman's tight expression softened. She rolled her eyes, and the grip on her purse loosened.

"That's quite alright, dear. I mistook you for some other riff-raff. Now go run along and play somewhere else." Tanya was more than happy to part ways after another failed attempt, but before that, the woman had one more thing to say. "Dear! Maybe try doing it without the…dragon? It gives people quite the fright and is not the subtlest of Pokemon."

A strained smile came to Tanya's face, and she turned to look at Gabite. As far as moods went, she didn't look to be in that poor of one. Her default expression was simply intense.

"I'll try, but she's watching over me for now."

With that piece said she swiftly turned and left, dragon in tow.

Fifth. That was her fifth failed attempt, due in no small part to Gabite. Leaving her at the base wasn't feasible. Setting aside the Pokemon was not one to sit around all day; Mawile and her in an enclosed space was a fight waiting to happen. A one-sided one at that, but she didn't want to drag Gabite's broken body back to Garchomp. Tanya had tried to get the dragon to tail her instead, but a dragon looking like she was hunting a little girl in the middle of the city ended up attracting even more attention. Some quick thinking had her convince the various concerned citizens that it was just a game, but it had been a close thing with some calling out their Pokemon preemptively. It was safer for everyone involved if Gabite stuck close. On the bright side, the increased difficulty did have her come up with more elaborate methods than simply shadowing someone. Blending into existing groups, passing by her intended target, or using her superior senses to track them from over a block away made it so that she was confident in her success if she were to remove the handicap.

She was walking down the street and headed in the direction back to base when a whisper caught her attention.

"Psst."The speaker was a tan girl with long, unkempt black hair. She was wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt that had been poorly patched up. Her legs were covered by torn black leggings, with an orange skirt over top. Tanya pegged her as in her teens. "Come over here for a sec."

Was she about to be mugged a second time? How dangerous was this city? Tanya looked back, seeing Gabite standing behind her. If someone was bold enough to try robbing her now, they were either monumentally dull or had something suitably intimidating.

Whatever advantage the strange girl might have, it wouldn't be enough. Tanya had Mimikyu, a terror in his own right, but she now also had another powerful card up her sleeve.

Herself.

Saying it like that was arrogant and not entirely accurate. What she really had was a Carbink with Guard Split. They'd tested it as soon as he was well, and the results were extremely gratifying. The feeling of invincibility it granted gave her some pause, as it reminded her of that blessing Being X had saddled her with. The difference was that rather than some self-proclaimed god, the feelings came from Carbink himself. Still unwelcome, but also not threatening.

The psychic move did much to further her understanding of the Pokemon. He was truly fortunate to have found her. His boundless optimism was ripe for exploitation and if anyone was going to take advantage of him, it should be her.

All that said, Tanya was not one to look for trouble, and so she kept walking.

"H-hey!" The girl ran out of the hallway, waving Tanya down as if she hadn't heard her. "I was talking to you!"

Unless she broke out into a run, Tanya's short legs could not outpace that of the older girl's, and she resolved herself to deal with whatever this was.

"Slow down," the girl said, jogging backward in front of her. She stopped with her feet planted wide and put out a palm held flat. "Stop, you can't go any further!"

Oh, it was one of those then.

"I'm not interested in battling you," Tanya said in a bored voice. How many times did she have to tell these people to back off? "Please let me be on my way."

The girl blinked before shaking her head, the black hair swinging behind her.

"Pokemon battle? Nothing like that. I don't even own one."

The frank admission threw her for a loop. With Faust and Lillian, she'd gotten a better example of how Pokemon ownership in Kalos worked. Most people got licenses while young, and while they did expire, that did not bar them from ownership. In fact, ownership was an unalienable right. The restrictions came in other forms. Pokemon Center access was the big one. Checkups and healings were provided free of charge; however, every visit was logged and if enough evidence was shown that you were acting as a de facto trainer, the authorities would get involved.

At least, that was what was supposed to happen. Certain nurses were known to be more blase about the rules. Her situation barred her from that, but it worked fine for most others, resulting in a high rate of Pokemon ownership for anyone in or past their teens.

"Is that so?" Tanya questioned in an unconvinced manner. "Why are you trying to stop me then?"

"Introductions first." The girl unilaterally decided, putting her hand down but still standing in her way. "I'm Emma. What's your name?"

People in this world were way too nosey. She much preferred when everyone kept to their own business.

"Visha," Tanya replied, resigned to having to sit through another inane conversation.

"Nice to meetcha, Visha," Emma said, nodding as if pleased to herself. "I've been watching you for a while." That instantly made her eyes narrow, and she raised the level of threat assigned to the girl. "I saw you tailing a few folks, and believe me, I know what that's like. But crime is no way to go. If you're hungry, leave it to me! I know all the cheap spots."

Tanya was not a criminal; she just happened to do criminal-like things. Even so, it was a bit too late for this type of chat. This girl had also gotten the wrong idea about her financial situation.

After the exchange in the underground market, Tanya was not in any way poor. She wasn't rolling in it, but for someone of her apparent age, she had the start of a decent nest egg. That didn't even account for most of her wealth being held in real assets. Those genuine Dragon Scales cost a pretty penny to the right trainer.

"I think you've misread things-"

She didn't get a chance to finish being rudely cut off by the girl's overeager voice.

"Let me guess. You ran away, but things are a lot tougher than you thought and you ran out of money way faster than planned. So you figured, why not pick a couple of pockets? They don't need it as much as me. Do I have that right?"

What was it with people assuming she was a runaway? Yes, it worked for her purposes, but she was starting to find it offensive.

Tanya looked down; she wasn't even wearing Lillian's clothes this time. This was some of the second-hand stuff she bought from the pawnshop. Sure, they weren't brand new, but they didn't scream homeless, did they?

"Ite," Gabite offered, turning her nose away.

Tanya shot the Pokemon a look. She did not smell. They didn't have a proper shower, but a sink was more than enough to keep herself clean.

"Sure," Tanya said, the girl's mind clearly made up. "Why not."

She didn't much care for whatever assumptions a random girl came to.

"I knew it. You know how?" No, and she didn't care either. "Cause I'm the same way! There's actually a lot of us out here. Some of us do bad things for money, but I'm telling you there's another way. I know loads of side jobs you can do. They don't pay a lot, but it's honest work."

"I'll take that under advisement," Tanya lied and then gestured behind her. "But as you can see, if I have a need for cash, I'm not without options."

Illegal battles were a thing, and if she wanted to throw Gabite in a cage match, she could make decent money.

"Oh! Hmmm," Emma rubbed her chin, her face scrunched up. "I guess you're lucky to have such a strong Pokemon. I left without one, but I found Mimi along the way. So it was all worth it. Oh, Mimi is an Espurr; she comes and goes but she's my best friend."

For a moment there, Tanya thought Mimikyu might have been juggling two jobs. Thankfully, it was a false alarm. Espurr was a psychic type. They were notorious for having poor control over their powers. She wondered how Ralts would fare against it, but that was the extent of her consideration.

"Was that all?" She needed to get going if she was going to get dinner on the table. Finding affordable produce hadn't been too difficult. A city this size tended to have options.

"No, I also came to warn you," Emma's face fell, her upbeat demeanor dimming. "If you keep going that way, you're going to run into some bad people. I'm not sure what's going on, but things are heating up and it's not safe to be out alone. With the rumors I heard, even Gabite might not be able to keep you safe."

Tanya glanced in the direction she was pointing to. It was the exact location where her base was located. That was alarming, but she hadn't seen anything amiss.

"Thank you. I'll make sure to ask my team if they've noticed any danger recently."

She'd have to make a play at Clemont sooner rather than later. If the city was getting dangerous, getting her team out of harm's way would be the priority.