Tanya sat on a strategically chosen bench, reading a surprisingly interesting piece of text. It was about the diets of Pokemon and how they varied across species and types. It wasn't completely new information. She'd known about how grass and certain ghost types were said to supplement their diet, but this not only provided more examples but translated energy gained to calories. It was useful data, and she'd keep it in the back of her mind, but she hadn't grabbed this book for its contents.

While Clemont had written books, this was not one of them. She felt that would be too on the nose and so chose something that referenced his work instead. The boy himself should be coming into sight soon. She had been tracking him mere moments ago, following along at a distance. Once she was certain where he would be going, she stealthily overtook him and set up here with her bait. She was mostly alone today, with just Gabite for company. The dragon had been left in an alley behind her with strict orders to remain put.

The street the bench was lined up against was dedicated to pedestrians for now, with signs indicating when regular traffic would be allowed through again. It was a little past midday and the lunch rush had just ended. Tanya could spot more than a couple of people scurrying about in a rush, clearly having lost track of time and having their lunch time run over. Which was ridiculous because most of them had a solid two hours for it. Back when she was a salaryman, she'd only take minutes for hers. The work ethic here had much to be desired.

A mop of blond hair appeared in the corner of her eye and she raised the book higher, making sure the title was visible. Her feet kicked back and forth, trying to mimic a casual attitude. Her eyes roamed the page, but she read no words, using her mental faculties to count out the steps it would take for him to pass by her. As she heard them slow, her eyes drifted up from the book. Clemont hadn't stopped, but he had slowed, and she noticed his gaze on the cover of her book. He was dressed in a loose fitting blue jumpsuit with yellow highlights. Big glasses sat on his head and he carried a backpack.

"Hmm?" She hummed with a tilt of her head. "Hello. Is there something you need?"

It was a more passive approach than she'd prefer, but she wasn't sure of his temperament and did not want to come off too strong.

"Sorry, it's just that…" he trailed off and looked to the side, scratching the back of his head. He continued in an almost bashful voice. "I think I know that book."

She made a show of looking at the book again and then back at him, squinting her eyes. Tanya pretended to have a moment of realization and flipped through the pages hastily, stopping at a certain entry.

"You're-" she paused as if unsure of herself. "Clemont? You invented the Clemont Shower!"

Tanya turned the book, showing the page depicting a picture of a large green booth. It was in the shape of a cylinder and made of solid metal. Capped with a green dome and yellow lightning bolt, the entire structure must have weighed over a ton.

"Ah, yeah, that was me," Clemont admitted with reddened cheeks. "It was part of my graduate project. I never meant for it to be a big thing."

She'd known all of that. Tanya had even read the accompanying paper. It was difficult to follow, including many technical terms, but she managed to get through it. The booth was one of several that would be connected to a central hub. They would draw power from that hub and provide electricity to any wandering electric-type Pokemon, ensuring they did not suffer from exhaustion. Evidently, it was a major problem for some species, causing them to live in very specific areas where they could rely on sources of it.

"It was really inspiring," Tanya said with a false smile. "I could never have dreamed of doing something like that."

Because the energy distributed came mainly from other electric Pokemon. It was essentially a welfare program for wild Pokemon. Unless it was to garner local support, there was no reason to waste resources like that. Thankfully, she'd gotten her fill of ranting on the subject back at base. Ralts had even taken notes, which she found endear–

Professional. She found that professional.

"Thank you," Clemont said with a mix of pride and embarrassment. "But there's still a long way to go. We've only set up pilot programs in small towns. I'm hoping we can get them installed in the city soon."

Would it be wrong to steal electricity from the city? Those devices would make it trivial to do so. Well, she'd take every advantage she could get to face Team Flare.

"Have you thought about doing it for Pokemon other than electric types?" Tanya asked innocently, blinking her eyes.

The question brought his attention back to her face, and he frowned for a moment, falling into silence.

"Is that a no?" Tanya followed up, trying to spur a response. In her experience, inventor types tended to get lost in their own heads.

"Ah," he said, rubbing his chin. "I specialize in electric types and never really thought of trying it for other types. I'd need to look more into it, but it could work for fire types."

He didn't sound disinterested, but she did detect a hint of hesitation.

"I was actually thinking of a more general solution," Tanya clarified. "Remove the typing aspect completely and directly infuse energy into a Pokemon. Like a healing type move, only it would restore stamina as well."

Clemont gained a strained look and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"That's a bit too far. Pokemon centers employ technology like that but it's expensive to maintain and operate. The Joy Clan has worked on it for generations, and it's as good as it can get."

Tanya could admit to being impressed there. Not everyone was able to look into the practicality of projects before wasting time and money exploring them. Now she just had to convince him otherwise.

"I don't know much about those machines, but Mama used to read me bedtime stories. They were about a Pokemon that used to be called Yveltal. Have you heard of it?"

This was the crux of her gambit. She was going to implant the idea that the legendary Pokemon would be an invaluable research subject. If Clemont shared any traits with inventors, he'd begin to obsess over it in short order. She knew Schugel would.

"That's one of the legendaries native to Kalos," Clemont said slowly.

There were more? She knew the legendary birds were known to migrate, but she'd not heard of any others. Tanya would be sure to steer far clear of them.

"Right," she confirmed. "The stories said it was able to drain energy from things. That's not exactly what I'm after but–"

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"We can study the process and might be able to figure out how to do the opposite." Clemont interrupted her, finishing her thought. "It might function on different principles than what we use now. It's not without precedent either. Other regions have studied the unique properties of their legendaries. The only thing is, legendaries can be dangerous to handle. It's best to leave them alone."

His initial enthusiasm dimmed as he faced reality. Fortunately, she had an avenue for this as well.

"Yes, but the stories say Yveltal takes long naps. That's probably the safest time to research it."

From what she gathered, the lifecycle of the Pokemon was one of draining the surrounding area and then hibernating until the next harvest. It seemed like a pointless cycle and she was not keen on having it wake up.

Clemont's eyes looked to glaze over. She let him have time to organize his thoughts.

"I hadn't thought of it that way, but you're right. If it's already sleeping, I can totally research it without disturbing it. Although," he paused, skepticism infecting his tone. "Wouldn't searching for Xerneas be better? If we're going off of stories, it was said to give eternal life."

Tanya thought about retracting her previous statement. If there was a Pokemon with such an ability, she'd be tempted to seize it for herself. Only tempted though, as she wasn't suicidal.

"Although it's fairy typing–" Clemont abruptly stopped, taking a half-step back. His eyes roamed her. "What did you say your name was?"

Having known who she would be meeting, she hadn't come in her usual get-up. With a fresh set of clothes and dyed brown hair, she should have looked like your everyday girl. Something had obviously changed, and she became aware that she might have been more on the leagues' radar than previously assumed.

"Erya," Tanya replied without missing a beat. The name Visha was attached to all sorts of things now, so she used her old subordinate's roommate's name instead.

Some tension seemed to leave Clemont's shoulders, but he did not look fully convinced. He stared at her closely before asking his next question.

"You wouldn't happen to be a fairy trainer, would you?"

"Absolutely not!" Her denial was instant, and she immediately realized her error, dialing it back a tone. "I'm not partial to any typing."

Truly, she wasn't. The composition of her current team was irrelevant.

An obnoxiously loud snort echoed from behind her. Clemont's eyes went above her, and she could imagine what he was seeing peeking out of the alley.

"Uhhhh," he stretched out the words, his hand falling into his pocket. "I'm going to release my Pokemon. When I do, I need you to get behind me."

Tanya sighed. Both in exasperation and relief. She was tempted to let him have at the wild Pokemon, but she knew that would be a poor decision for everyone involved.

"Gabite's with me." Try as she might, she could not keep the exhaustion out of her tone. She didn't bother to turn and called out to the Pokemon. "Come on out."

Heavy footfalls responded, and soon a shadow stretched over her. Looking up, she could see Gabite's head arch over her, fangs on display. Tanya elbowed her, rebuking her behavior.

"Be nice," she ordered. "Clemont here is a friend; we were just talking about legendaries. Isn't that right?"

The boy in question looked between the two of them, and in spite of the naked aggression from the Pokemon, put a smile on. The Pokeball that had found its way to his palm was put back in his pocket and he wiped his brow of sweat that had accumulated.

"Sorry about that. I think I mistook you for someone else."

If she wasn't with her present company, Tanya might have laughed at the irony of Gabite acting as camouflage. Useful or not, she really did need to find a way to make the Pokemon more subtle.

However, before that, it seemed she'd stumbled onto an opportunity.

"Oh? And who is that?"

Finding out what the league knew of her would be nice. Either way, their bags were already packed, and this was the last thing on her list before they went hunting for some firepower.

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

If he could have one wish, Clemont would wish that there were more of him. Between his research, time with his family, and the multitude of challengers, there were simply not enough hours in the day.

However, there were no impossible problems, and he was working on a partial solution. Clembot, when it was finished, would perfectly simulate his battle ability and be able to conduct gym challenges in his stead. He'd hit a small roadblock with it but was confident he'd get it to work eventually.

Sadly, it did nothing to help him right now, and he found himself with yet another project on his plate.

Tracking down legendaries may not have been his specialty, but he knew the theory. They tended to give off enormous energy levels that could be detected with the right sensors. The problem here was not only lacking a sample of what he was looking for, but that the Pokemon would be hibernating as well. In such a state, he'd have to be extremely close to it for any device to pick up traces of it.

That left him chasing stories that may have hints of where the approximate location may be. Needless to say, he did not have time for that and there were many competing priorities he had to deal with. However, the idea did have merit, and so it was worth sending out a holo call.

"Or it would have been if she ever picked up," Clemont said, clicking the device off and laying it to the side. He was sitting in the stands of his own arena. There was still time until his next match and it hadn't been opened to the public yet.

When it came to myths, there was one person on Kalos he knew to turn to. She wasn't what many would consider an expert on the matter, but Clemont got the sense she knew more than she let on. She was just difficult to deal with sometimes.

"Boo~"

He jumped at the voice, falling forward and down a few rows. With his feet facing the ceiling and his head on the ground, he looked up and was met with a giggle. Sat on the bench he had just been on was his fellow gym leader, Valerie.

"Hello Valerie," he greeted her from his upside down position before picking himself up. "I shouldn't be falling for that anymore." It was far from the first time it had happened, and he should have known to expect it. In fairness, she usually took longer to pop in. The reason for her speed was evident by the presence of the pink Pokemon sat in the row behind her. "Hello Slowking. Is Olympia here?"

This Slowking operated as her assistant, teleporting around the region as needed. They'd met and worked together before, so it had taken only a glance to recognize it.

'My lady will not be joining us.' The words slid into his mind. 'I am here for observation.'

Hmm. That meant Olympia would not be able to help him. He hadn't called her, knowing if she could contribute, she'd reach out.

Valerie's giggles died out, and he thought he could see the ghost of a frown on her.

"He means the oh so perfect Olympia is worried about little of me." She put another smile on her face, but it didn't reach her lips. Crossing her legs, she continued. "Didn't you know? Without someone watching over me, I'd be incapable of tying my own laces."

Clemont was not sure what was going on between those two. What he was sure of was that he was not going to be the one to get into the middle of it. Only Wulfric was capable of something like that.

"I'm sure she means the best," he offered before quickly changing the subject. "I called because I was wondering what you know about Yveltal and Xerneas."

With Valerie, it was important to be succinct. She was easily driven off track and you could never be sure how long you would have her attention.

Her dark eyes traced up, staring off into the distance. She tapped a finger on her chin in thought and he was worried he'd already lost her when she responded.

"Life and destruction." Her airy voice intoned. "One of us, and one of not. Two pieces of a puzzle. Or was it three? Who would know? The fool. The fool would know. Where, oh, where could he be? Ever away if we heed their calls, and should we not, all shall fall." She stopped, looking around as if only now remembering where she was. "Did that answer your question?"

Not in the least. Who was the 'they' that she spoke of? And why did they make it sound like finding the fool would bring upon a catastrophe?

Clemont looked back to Slowking, hoping for the Pokemon's wisdom. Slowking stood with his arms behind his back, his unblinking eyes staring at Valerie.

'Divinations lie with my lady. She has not forewarned of any disasters of the scale implied by Miss Valerie.'

Accompanied by that was a feeling of dismissiveness. That was understandable. Olympia was the world's greatest psychic and Clemont decided to put his trust in that.

"Maybe focus on the legendaries? Do you know where they might be?"

In complete contrast to the girl's proper appearance, she puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms.

"Boring," she declared in a manner similar to a child not wanting to finish their homework. "Unfun too. Why dig through the dirt when you can soar through the skies?"

That implied they were buried. Which made sense, but also complicated the matter of finding them.

"It's curiosity. I met someone today who gave me an idea and I wanted to follow up on it." Erya was nice. She seemed like an earnest girl. "Funny story, I actually mistook her for that girl we were looking for.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder, holding it firmly.

"Clemont~" In front of him, Valerie's eyes were squeezed shut by a broad smile on her face. "Tell me more."