"Before we get started, how about you introduce us to your friend over there?"

Reiko didn't look up as she said that, eyes glued to the hilt of her blade, but it was clear to Cynthia who she'd meant. Slowly, all eyes turned toward the man in the back. The caution in everyone's expression made it clear he hadn't spoken much ever since arriving, because of course. Cynthia blew out air from her nose, barely stopping herself from shaking her head.

"Fine. If we must…" she muttered under her breath, then stood up to face the man. "Come on, Riley. One would think you'd at least heave the manners to introduce yourself."

The smile on his face didn't change one bit. Casually, he tilted his head up and met the gazes of everyone in the room, the sharp, unnatural blue of his eyes as flat and beautiful as a piece of lapis lazuli. Despite the fact that he hadn't taken a step forward, the simple act of looking up seemed to dispel some of the shadows that previously fell on him.

"Come on, there's no need for the venom," he said in his usual cheerful, carefree tone. "How could I not introduce myself to such an illustrious group of people? I was just… waiting for the right time, you see."

Instantly, most of the doubt and distrust directed at him felt as though it vanished from the air. Cynthia had expected that. His was the kind of voice that urged others to trust the person attached to it, even if said voice didn't belong to him in the first place. She, however, knew the truth, and was thus immune to its effects. But what surprised her was that Reiko, too, looked even more uncomfortable than before, although the confusion on her face showed that she wasn't sure why.

Interesting. She must realize, subconsciously at least.

"…But there is no better time than the present, as they say." With that, he made a little hop forward and did a little wave with two fingers, winking at the group. "Greetings, everyone. My name is Riley Ordine… or the Azure Knight, as some of you might know me by."

Percy and Lucas both were taken aback, and it took Reiko and Saturn a few seconds more to realize.

"Wait… aren't you…?"

"The number one on the board!" exclaimed Lucas, eyes wide. "You're the top ace trainer!"

Cynthia made a dismissive noise at that, though she was sure the rest were too taken aback by Riley to notice. Riley let out a little laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ah… it's kind of embarrassing to be known by that, but I guess it beats the alternative," he said. "That would be me, yes. Though being a trainer isn't exactly my specialty, as it were. I have no interest in becoming the Champion. I just thought I'd give the League challenge a try to kill some time while I got my affairs in order here in Sinnoh."

"K-kill some time?" muttered Percy.

"What, so you just accidentally became the strongest ace trainer in the region?" asked Reiko, incredulous. "If that's your side-gig then what the hell is your specialty?"

Riley gave her another one of his infuriating chuckles, though he didn't reply. Instead, he turned his head to look at Cynthia in the same way a child would do to their mother when asking for permission. It was a miracle she stopped herself from growling at him.

"It's alright. Even if I still were the Champion, I wouldn't oppose you divulging that particular piece of classified information," she said, then looked at everyone else in the room. "This man, Riley Ordine, is the captain of the Interpol's Intelligence Division, as well as one of its most prolific agents." She pronounced those last words with a subtle disdain she was sure Riley would pick up on. "Over the years, I've come to doubt the notion that there is a single secret in this world Riley is not intimately familiar with."

Riley lowered his head slightly, and the way everything but the blue of his eyes fell in shadows, coupled with that dispassionate smile of his, was enough to make even Cynthia shiver. There was a dark sense of gratitude in his expression, but of course there was. She'd technically told the truth about him, but it was only one of the many he wore upon him like different outfits. His true self, his true occupation…

Riley Ordine… the Azure Knight. The captain of the Interpol's Intelligence Division. The man with a hundred titles and a thousand faces. She pursed her lips, frowning. The Institute's Third Stigma… I really must have lost my mind to ask someone like him for help.

"That's… incredible." Lucas was the first to speak, wide-eyed and amazed like a little kid. "I never thought I'd meet someone from the Interpol in person."

Percy let out a scoff and folded his arms. "As well you shouldn't. All members, especially the high-ranking ones, are very capricious about their secrecy. Even during the few times Father has worked with them, they still refused to disclose their identity."

"Which means he doesn't see us as a threat," added Reiko, frowning. "Or, well…"

"I think it's more likely that he just doesn't care," said Saturn, a clear dislike in his voice. "For someone who's wrapped up in so many layers of secrecy, what's taking off just one? Even the bos–I mean, even Cyrus never wanted to come into contact with the Interpol. He said it would be too dangerous."

At that, Riley let out another one of his fake nervous laughs and raised both hands in front of him, as though overwhelmed.

"It's nothing nefarious, I assure you. I'm just a friendly guy. And my reasons for being here are entirely philanthropic, I assure you." He sounded so sincere as he said that. If Cynthia hadn't had her defenses up, she almost would've bought it. "Now, I'd love some introductions from your part, but unfortunately I already know who all of you are. And besides…"

"We don't have the time," Cynthia finished, impatience clear in her voice. "We can leave the niceties for after we come up with a plan to stop Cyrus."

As usual, the commanding strength in her voice filled the entirety of the room, forcing everyone's attention toward her, leaving a heavy silence behind. Lucas and Saturn exchanged a knowing glance. Percy tried to do the same, but Reiko's eyes were firmly set on Riley. She didn't take them off him even as she spoke.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Is that why you asked him to come? Is he going to help us?"

Riley gladly opened his mouth, but Cynthia hurried to shut him up.

"In a way," she said. "He will not be part of our planning, nor will he participate in whatever mission we come up with. I asked him to come because… I need him for something."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Something?"

"A… fail-safe plan of sorts. Just in case," she clarified. "However, that is between him and I. As I said, we have more pressing matters to worry about. So…" She cleared her throat. "Riley, if you'd be so kind to go back to your corner and wait…"

"Right, right," said Riley, giving her a wink. "Pretend I'm not here."

Gods, how I wish I could.

"Everyone, come around, please."

One by one, they all gathered around the small table. Saturn was the last, and even as he approached he stood a foot behind Lucas, as though wanting to hide. He seemed to be wavering between the shame and anxiety of being in the same place as the rest of them and his clear and intense disdain for Cynthia herself. She didn't mind. She didn't need him to like her to get through this.

Besides, I'm pretty sure that's a losing battle.

Leaning forward, she tapped her finger against the map of Sinnoh resting on the table.

"Alright. As you all know, our goal is to reach Cyrus' group and stop them before they can reach the summit of Mt. Coronet. If possible, also before they can install the scientific equipment necessary to create a second clone of Mew." She looked up at Saturn, who flinched at the gesture. "How much time do we have?"

Saturn gulped and exchanged a short glance with Lucas, who shot him an affirmative smile.

"It… depends," he said. "According to the map Charon made of the insides of Mt. Coronet, they should reach Spear Pillar eleven days from now. They'll want to get there a few hours before the moonless night."

"To set everything up, yes?"

Saturn nodded. "They'll need to install the final version of the Pokeball jammer they used in Celestic. If Jupiter's calculations were right, it should be powerful enough to lock every Pokeball in a fifty mile radius. It'll emit a constant signal, fueled by the energy we stole from the Valley Windworks."

"That shouldn't be much of a problem," said Percy, shrugging. "We've all replaced our Pokeballs with the versions Lucas created, yes?"

Lucas smiled and looked down, a subtle red tinting his cheeks.

"Yes, well… that's only one of the defensive measures they'll put up," explained Saturn. "Then there's the Mew clone. If they can reach the land surrounding the summit in time and put all of the devices in place, they should be able to create it in less than an hour."

"Wh-how is that possible?" Reiko shook her head, confused. "Didn't Mewtwo take months to grow into its final form?"

"Yes… but as usual, Cyrus thought of that," said Saturn bitterly. "That is why Jupiter and Charon were tasked with siphoning so much evolutionary energy from Pokemon. After examining Rowan's studies on the matter, Charon came to the conclusion that a high enough concentration of evolutionary energy injected directly into the developing clone would accelerate its growth by many hundreds of times." He sighed, shaking his head. "If they set everything up, it won't take them long to have another Mewtwo at their disposal, I'm afraid."

Judging by everyone's expressions, the gravity of such a possibility wasn't lost on any of them, especially Reiko. Lucas himself didn't look great either. As soon as Saturn had mentioned Rowan, his face had paled considerably.

"So we definitely can't wait until they emerge from the guts of Mt. Coronet," said Percy, clicking his tongue. "Any ideas?"

Cynthia made a circle with her finger around the surface of Mt. Coronet.

"Our biggest problem is the lava that continuously spews from the circumference of the mountain," she said. "By itself it blocks the passage from the base, and immense heat and toxic fumes that rise up block everything above. Certain Pokemon might be able to get through, but it's not a guarantee. And besides, no human would be able to follow anyway."

"How bothersome," muttered Percy, grabbing his chin with one hand. "You said this is all being caused by a Pokemon named Heatran, yes?"

Saturn gave a sorrowful nod. "It's… yes. I hadn't realized until now… hadn't even connected the dots, even though it was so obvious. If I had to guess, Heatran and Charon were the one responsible for the eruption that destroyed Cinnabar. This is just a different application of the same thing."

Reiko's reaction was subtle. Her expression didn't change in the slightest, but her muscles instantly tensed up and her fingers pressed even tighter against the scabbard of her blade. Cynthia could feel heat start to rise from her.

When she spoke, her voice struggled with trying to keep its composure.

"Is Charon with Heatran?" she asked. "Or did he leave it behind to join Cyrus and everyone else?"

Saturn gulped at the intensity of her glare. Looking away, he shook his head.

"It… would be too dangerous to leave it alone," he said. "Heatran is deep underground, constantly generating magma, but in order to control it and keep it in line, Charon can't be too far." He frowned, biting on one of his fingers. "If I had to guess… he probably built a safe haven for himself beforehand. A heat-repellant space near Heatran that would allow him to both control it and keep communications up with Cyrus. Not only would it keep him safe from the lava, but…"

"It'd keep him safe from everything else," nodded Lucas, a distraught look on his face. "You'd have to get through a river of lava to get to them! How are we going to stop him, then?"

It was very subtle. While everyone else lowered their heads, either to think or to reel from what they'd just heard, Reiko's breathing stopped for a moment. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, the skin around them like taut leather, suddenly making her look a lot older than she was. It was an expression Cynthia was very familiar with. A sudden realization which came with more fear than triumph.

"Maybe we coul–"

"I know how we can stop them."

Everyone but Cynthia startled a bit at the sudden, fearful strength behind Reiko's voice. Lucas and Saturn looked at each other, confused, and Percy simply glared at her. It took only a few moments for realization to dawn on him, and it did so like a punch to the face.

"No," he hurried to say, voice thinning. "Reiko, no. There's no way I'm letting you–"

"It's the only option we have," she said, sharply turning to look at him. "I can do it. I can get to Charon and Heatran and stop them both." He looked at everyone else and nodded, trying to appear confident. "Then you can all enter the mountain once the lava and the fumes stop flowing. It's perfect."

"That's…" Percy bit his lip, clearly still trying to process it. "Reiko, I don't think–"

"I can do it!" she repeated, more forcefully this time. "You have to trust me."

"Wh–wait, hold on!" Lucas raised a hand to both of them, shaking his head. "What are you even talking about?"

"What's your idea?" asked Cynthia, her tone oddly serious. "If you can really do that for us…"

She left the sentence hanging. Reiko gave a short nod, though it was clear the forced confidence she was showing was simply trying to mask the fear and anxiety within her.

"The only way to get to them is through a river of lava, right? Well, luckily for you…"

At that, Reiko took something small and metallic out of her pocket; a lighter. And before anyone could stop her, she placed it just under the palm of her hand and turned it on.

Lucas gasped. "W-wait, wha–!?"

"Stop! What are you…!?"

Both Lucas and Saturn moved to stop her, but froze in shock a moment after, eyes going wide and mouth hanging open. The flame of the lighter licked at Reiko's palm, but it didn't burn her. She put it even closer, and even spun it and passed every single finger through the fire, yet her skin remained as pristine as ever.

"…I'm the perfect person for the job." As she said that, a sudden, heated force burst from her voice, as though it were being intertwined with someone else's. Yet despite the way it boomed so confidently, Cynthia could still hear the fear behind it. "Moltres and I can get through the lava. We can stop Charon."