The second she had left the alley, doubts started to well up within her. This was the first time she would be apart from either of them for any prolonged period, and it seemed her mind was determined to catalog every possible disastrous outcome they might cause.

There were a great number of them. Some of them were so absurd in nature that she wondered why the thought would even occur to her, and then she remembered who she was dealing with.

Many of their opponents had underestimated the destructiveness of Mawile, and Tanya was loath to count herself among their number.

Tanya paused in her advance down the street, taking a breath before continuing again.

Ralts was an empath; she should be able to determine when Mawile was about to do something stupid and take preventive action.

And if she couldn't?

Well, Tanya had a bit of experience in crisis management.

With that bit of reassurance, she continued on until Mimikyu went fully limp.

It prompted her to stop and take stock of where she was. They weren't too far from where they'd started, and she only now realized how much of a wild goose chase the ghost Pokemon had led her on.

She would withhold any further criticism until the day's end. After all, results mattered.

After stopping, her first matter of business was to assess if she was about to be mugged again. This area was not as deserted as the previous one, and while there were some people about, none of them screamed thug to her.

Her second act was to scan the glass displays of each storefront, looking for any sign of Gabite. She paused at one in particular across the street. It had a pickup truck idle on the curb outside, and what she spotted through the window was enough to warrant a closer look.

Tanya crossed the street with a quick stride and came to the other side. Peering through the glass at a different angle, she spotted her target.

She didn't waste another moment and entered the establishment.

For a split second, Tanya thought she might have been whisked away back to her first world.

Bobbleheads, figurines, plushies, and other paraphernalia occupied rows of low-level shelves. The merchandise was evenly spaced, and there was a sense of organization among them. The ends of each row had bins with rolled-up tubes, presumably selling some of the posters that hung from the ceiling. Against the walls stood more shelves, these ones taller and carrying magazines along with other media types.

This was without a doubt, an otaku shop. The only thing that told her she was still in Kalos was that all subjects were Pokemon related.

Well, that and the dragon standing in front of the counter. The man behind it did not look in any way upset at the grumbling Pokemon in front of him. Quite the opposite, in fact. His eyes seemed to shine behind his thick-rimmed glasses, and he held out a camera, taking picture after picture of Gabite.

"Awesome, show me more teeth." Gabite did so, but Tanya doubted it was in response to the man's request. "Yeah, just like that. Man, the group chat is going to be so jealous."

Tanya cleared her throat and the action had the desired effect of attracting the attention of both.

"Gabite, there you are," she spoke with a veneer of amicability. "You have no idea how worried I was." About her loot that was, which was thankfully in sight. "What have we said about wandering off?"

She morbidly wondered what would constitute bad behavior by the Pokemon.

"This your Pokemon little girl?" The man questioned while still taking pictures. "She's a real beauty. The scars really highlight the line's ferociousness. And that look in her eyes, man, if I didn't know any better, I think she'd want to tear my head off." His excitement only seemed to grow as he spoke, and he turned fully to Tanya. "Do you mind if I take a picture with her?"

She didn't. And as far as outcomes were concerned, an enthusiastic clerk was preferable.

"Bite, ga, bite," the Pokemon warned, arms held loosely by her side.

Tanya hid a frown. The reaction, while unwarranted, wasn't out of the realm of disbelief. Still, she would not allow Gabite to bite off the hand of any human that touched her.

"Gabite belongs to my aunt. Unfortunately, she's not the most personable of Pokemon."

In other words, Tanya was not responsible for any injuries that occurred should he ignore her.

"Damn…" The man muttered, rubbing his chin. "But that does make her more authentic." He snapped his fingers. "Okay, selfie compromise."

He turned around, holding the camera at arm's length and angling it in a manner to capture him and Gabite.

Tanya stepped back, ensuring she was out of the frame until she heard the flash.

"It looks even better than I expected." The clerk's eyes remained glued to the camera's display screen and she could see him flipping through some of the other pictures he'd taken. "So what can I do you two for?"

An excellent question. Why in the hell were they here?

She turned to Gabite, doing her best to convey both the question and her ire. Gabite met her stare, and rather than challenge it, she looked to the side almost sheepishly.

"Gab, ite, ite."

Tanya followed her line of sight.

Seriously?!?!?

A smack was heard, and just then Tanya did more damage to herself than the punks ever had any hope of doing.

Her hand dragged down her face, delaying the time she had to deal with this absurdity.

"Oh, interested in a Gabite plush? They're pretty hot sellers. You have great timing; the truck just dropped those off."

It was no coincidence. With the clerk's and Gabite's words, she put together the sequence of events.

Gabite was waiting outside when she saw the truck speed past with what she thought was a captive Gible. At some point, probably early on, Gabite realized it was just a stuffed doll. However, being a stubborn dragon, she decided to be 100% certain and followed it all the way to this shop.

Under her scrutiny, the Pokemon uttered a few more words in her defense.

"Gabit, ite."

While the medicine may have messed with her sense of smell, her eyes still function perfectly, did they not?

Tanya turned to the clerk.

"That won't be necessary. We have plenty of them already."

Mimikyu did not need another, and she wasn't about to buy Gabite one.

"Are you-." The man had finally met her eyes when addressing her, but his words only paused when they traveled to what she carried. "Oh, sweet! Is that vintage or your own work?"

Tanya used her arm to subtly conceal Mimikyu's form.

"A bit of both. I've had to make alterations and repairs."

He lifted the camera again, but this time he asked before doing anything further.

"Do you mind if I get a pic of that as well? The group loves the vintage stuff, and most of us maniacs have tried our hand at repairing or making our own at some point."

She took a wholly appropriate step back.

"Maniac?" Tanya questioned. Anyone who willingly called themselves one was probably off their rocker more than was standard in this world.

"PokeManiacs." He grinned, pointing a thumb to himself. "We call ourselves that because we're crazy about all things Pokemon. There's not a whole lot of us in Kalos but every now and then you'll find one of us suited up and ready for battle!"

A Pokemon groupie then. Strange, but not dangerous.

"Oh! I just had a great idea; wait here," he said before setting the camera down and heading through a backdoor.

There was a series of bangs and curses, but he returned swiftly, breathing heavily while carrying a cardboard box.

He set it on the table, opened it, and removed a piece of what was inside.

"What do you think? Pretty realistic, right? Think she'll be okay if I put it on? We can take a picture with the Gible plushie to have the full line. It will make a kickass wallpaper for my phone."

He placed the felt Garchomp head to the side and then took out other pieces of what looked to be a full-body costume.

Why would anyone ever need that?

Tanya didn't entertain the man any longer.

"Sorry, but I'm late for meeting up with someone." She approached Gabite, tugging on the Pokemon's fin. "Let's go; we don't want to be late."

The Pokemon shrugged her hand off and seemed oddly entranced with the costume.

"Wha? Come on. Please? It'll be so cool!"

She ignored the weird man and spoke to the unruly dragon.

"Gabite, do I have to remind you of your promise?"

That did the trick, and the Pokemon reluctantly marched after her, leaving the clerk's disappointed pleas behind.

Tanya checked the time during her departure. It hadn't taken as long as she thought.

"Mimikyu, can you track them?"

There was no movement, which meant he either couldn't or wouldn't

Belatedly, she realized she'd never gotten the punks' phone numbers, which meant she would have to wait for Ralts' and Mawile's call.

She signed, rubbing her temple. It seemed she had some free time. She decided she would grab some coffee and yell at the stupid dragon to pass it.

The extra energy and destressing might be needed rather shortly.

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

Lillian was having a shit day.

No, that was understating things.

She was having a really shit day.

Her stomach hurt to the point she might hurl any second, her leg felt like it might be fractured, her nose had a pulsing pain that didn't feel like it would go away anytime soon, and worst of all?

She was being robbed by a pair of pipsqueaks.

Not that she would say any of that out loud. Even saying it in the safety of her own head was risky.

'Eyes front.'

Fuckkk.

Lillian obeyed, doing her damndest not to steal a glance toward her right where she knew the Pokemon to be walking alongside her.

Stolen novel; please report.

She gently caressed her nose. The shape felt roughly right, which led her to question why a Pokemon knew how to realign a broken nose. She didn't hide her shudder at the memory, clutching her arms and rubbing them up and down.

Those freaky little pink eyes. They were far too calm, a mirror image of her trainers'.

"Hey Lil," her partner, Faust, spoke using her nickname. "For the record, this shit is on you."

Her head snapped in his direction, the sudden action making her dizzy for a moment. She was about to elbow the jerk when the voice appeared again.

'No fighting.'

Fuckkkk.

That wasn't getting any less creepy. She'd never interacted with a psychic Pokémon to this extent, and after today, she hoped to maintain that streak.

"How is this my fault?" She bit back angrily, her fist clenched by her side. "You're the one who said she'd be an easy mark."

Oh sure, rob the little blonde kid. All those bags had to have something good, right?

"Yeah, well, you're supposed to be the smart one."

She puffed up her cheeks, letting the air out in a single huff.

What he meant was that she had common fucking sense. Faust wasn't an idiot.

In fact, that head of his wasn't bad when it came to planning grifts and schemes. The problem was that he was a dreamer who had a tendency to overreach for things.

He thought he could do more than be a simple street thug. He was right, but not as much as he'd like to think, and Lillian knew better. It was her job to whack him on the side of the head whenever he got a particularly overly ambitious idea.

Robbing a little girl was not overly ambitious. Fuck, it was like the easiest score of all time.

The girl had been practically asking for it by wandering into the deserted alley.

It had been perfect.

She was kicking herself for not seeing the obvious setup, but who would rightfully expect to get thrown by a girl half their height?

It was like she was fighting one of those gym brats she'd seen on TV. She'd always thought seeing them throw down with adults and even Pokemon was bullshit.

Turns out, she was the asshole

No, fuck that.

She refused to normalize the situation. Lillian had a right to shake her fist and curse out the world.

"I'm taking your silence as agreement," Faust commented beside her, and in spite of not looking at him, she knew a smile to be on his face.

Had she been given the chance, she would be strangling him right about now.

It was just like him to say that. The second he was out of danger, he seemed to readily forget it existed.

Granted, she was guilty of doing that as well. It was just something you learned how to do out here. Those who didn't would never make it in the big city.

The difference between them right now was that he had seemingly forgotten that the first action that Mawile had upon being released was to casually attempt to break their legs.

As if that was a reasonable assumption to make.

And the only thing that had stopped it was the trainer, who wasn't here now.

Lillian was feeling very conflicted over that.

"Maw, wile, mawile." Mawile ran a little ahead, stopping at a small cart set up in the street.

She recognized the type; it was basically a corner shop on wheels. They tended to travel in the city, setting up shop wherever foot traffic would be highest for the day. It was fairly clear right now, but she knew once those school bells rang later in the day this place would be flooded. This street was popular for skating, with a slope at just the right angle to let brats feel like they were skating without actually being at any risk.

The Pokemon pointed at the man manning it. "Wile, mawile."

Her tiny hand waved up and down, the sleeve of that stylish coat bouncing up and down. All Lillian could do was think about how that color would hide blood well.

Mawile's head turned and she shook her head.

"Wile, mawil, ile," she clearly addressed their second warden.

Lillian got the feeling they were only hearing one side of the conversation. Not that they would be able to understand it either way.

"Need something?"

The vendor asked while giving Faust and her a skeptical look. It was one they were long since used to, and she knew it meant he was considering calling the cops then and there.

In a twist of fate, she found herself hoping he would.

"Wile, ma, wile."

The Ralts crossed her arms, a look of disapproval on her face.

"Psst," Faust did a poor job of keeping the volume down. "Think we should book it?"

If there was ever a time to do it, now would be it.

Her hand went to her disturbingly light choker. If she still had Krokorok, maybe she would. Technically, she had already tried without her Pokemon.

She didn't count it against herself. Anyone caught up in that situation would have run.

"Stay put," she muttered.

The two of them were far from out of shape, but she didn't think their chances of getting away were particularly high.

"Sure?" He whispered, the two Pokemon still having an argument. "Give them the regular ole slip."

That worked fine against fat security officers. There was no way it would fly here.

She minutely shook her head in denial.

It was not a moment too soon, as the argument seemed to be resolved.

'Purchase.'

The voice commanded, pointing to a giant lollipop. It was one of many sticking out of a box of assorted candies.

If it kept her from getting maimed by a two-foot-tall Pokemon, she'd gladly foot the bill.

Unfortunately, they'd been robbed.

"So?" The vendor asked, not so subtly tapping a sticker plastered to his cart.

Lillian visibly cringed.

That stupid laminated sticker told her it wouldn't be the cops he'd call. This dude paid his dues to the Scolipede Pod. They weren't the largest gang in the city, but they were nothing to turn your nose at.

Certainly far larger than their two-person operation.

"Eh, screw it," Faust said while doing his exaggerated walk to the cart. He made a show of looking things over before shoving the vendor back and grabbing the entire box of candy. "Run!"

Seriously?!

He took off down the street, pieces of candy falling in his wake.

Fuckkkkk.

Why did she stick around with him? Oh, right, they were fosters put in the same hole, and they were the only ones with brains enough to get while the getting was good.

"Why you little punks." The man reached for his waist, patting down the area a few times with perplexity. "Where did-shit!"

Three Pokeballs tumbled down the street, having been lifted from him at some point.

"Wile!" Mawile kicked the wedges holding the cart in place loose before pushing the cart after the man. "Maw!"

It took off after Faust, and Lillian followed in pursuit, trying and failing to ignore her protesting shin.

Her lips pressed thin as she ran, grimacing through the pain.

They knew the city well, and five minutes later she was collapsed in an alley between two buildings, taking deep mouthfuls of air.

No one told you how hard it was to run when your nose was congested like crazy. She spat at the ground and directed a tired glare at her partner.

"Faust, what, and I cannot stress this enough, the hell."

She would ask why he was intent on starting a gang war, but there wouldn't even be one. The Scolipede Pod would wipe them off the map.

They had agreed to keep hustling, gain a street or two, and slowly but surely expand.

To everyone else, they'd be your run-a-mill punks. By the time they realized otherwise, their little gang would have a nice, if small, cut of the city.

Nothing as big as Faust wanted, but enough so they could eat good food and have warm beds—the kinds you could roll over on. Maybe, as a stretch, they could go on that vacation they always talked about.

And Faust might have imploded the whole thing with a stupid shove.

"What?" He questioned with a tilt of his head. It made her wish he'd taken a bigger beating. He had to be hurting still, right? She sure as shit was! "They might break our legs in the future; this one will break ours now."

He pointed to Mawile, who held the box high. She brought her black jaw around and dumped most of the contents of the box into it.

A sickening crunch was heard as the jaw snapped shut, and Lillian shuddered.

Okay, good point.

Wait. Where did the other one go?

She glanced around, not seeing any sign of the Ralts.

Fuckkkkkk.

That girl was going to kill them.

'No stealing.'

Her muscles locked as she tried to avoid any sudden movements.

Mawile stuck a lollipop in its regular mouth and looked behind Lillian. She turned slowly, and her head craned up.

Sat on the fire escape above them was very angry-looking Ralts.

Fuckkkkkkk.

In a flash, it was gone. It took her a moment to realize that the Pokémon was now in front of Mawile, who was trying to stick a piece of candy into her hand.

It fell to the ground.

"Maw," Mawile picked up the piece of candy, walked to the other Pokemon, and threw an arm around her. She used her hand holding the piece of candy to point at herself and then Ralts. "Wile, maw, wil." The hand was moved, gesturing to the pair of Faust and her. "Wile, mawile, ile."

Ralts' head tilted, and the threads of green parted, revealing those same eerie eyes staring at her.

Pink eyes widened, and Lillian had a bad premonition.

Ralts took the candy, holding it up to the light. She looked at Mawile, nodding her head.

'No stealing.'

The small white hand was moved, and like a judge's gavel, it came down on them.

'Stealing.'

Huh?

Faust picked up on it quicker than her, and he reached into his pocket, taking a lollipop he'd hidden away during their escape.

"I get it. The kid said they couldn't steal." He plopped it in his mouth. "Said nothing about us not stealing."

Did this mean she could hit him?