Palmer leaned against his chair, took a sip from the cup full of soup on his hand and thought of his wife.

It was hard not to lately. As much as he loved his work there was always a certain peace about returning home to her. Or returning to her in general. He considered Sarah to be more of a home to him than any building ever could.

Still, sometimes one had to make sacrifices. He looked around the dull room, finding the two new members of their group sitting as far away from him as possible. The boy with the Kalosian accent didn't seem to mind him much. The girl, however, stared at her cup of soup as if she wished to bring it to a boil with her gaze alone which, considering the animosity exuding from her, might actually be possible. She hadn't said a word ever since arriving at their little hideout.

Palmer sighed to himself. It seemed this, like many others, was a place where he wasn't welcome. Luckily, there was one thing he was better at than anyone else: Making friends out of potential enemies.

"Pretty dreadful meal, ain't it?" He shone them a bright smile. "Sorry about that. I picked up a lot of things from my wife, but her cooking skills ain't one of them."

The girl didn't even glance up. The boy froze, looking at her and then at him, probably wondering if answering back was okay or not.

"It's so bland that it's not even disgusting anymore," he finally said, though he didn't smile back. "Like drinking water, je suppose. But if this is what it takes to help then I won't complain."

"Heh. Rare to find trainers that are so responsible and diligent," said Palmer. "Guess that's why Cynthia saw you fit to join us. Though who knows what's going through that broad's head at… any point, really."

"Quite. As a Champion she is certainly… unique."

Palmer laughed. "That's one way to describe her. Then again, she's always had my back whenever we'd end up in missions like this. If there's anyone you can trust to make something happen, it's her."

The boy nodded. "I suppose I'll have to take your word for it."

And… that's as far as the conversation went. Damn. Either teenagers nowadays were a lot colder than he thought -which would explain Inyssa- or there was something specific that made those two dislike him so much. He didn't have bad breath, did he? Maybe it was his messy hair?

"By the way… I don't think I caught your names," he said, trying to sound as friendly as possible. "Mine's…"

"I know who you are."

The girl finally spoke. Her voice was a lot harsher than he had expected, and as she said those five words she let the cup fall with enough strength to spill some of its contents. Palmer felt a chill as her eyes met his.

"You're Palmer Paladino. The Tower Tycoon." He didn't fail to notice the way the muscles of her arms tensed up as she said that. Palmer had seen the gesture innumerable times before in Pokemon who were reading themselves to jump on their prey. "Fancy meeting you here."

The boy shot her a warning look, much like the ones Sarah liked to give him. "Reiko…"

"What? I'm just making conversation like he wanted." She shrugged, way too forcefully to be natural. "That's how it is in these parts, right? People like him don't care how much you wanna ignore them, they're gonna demand your attention no matter what."

Palmer was more than a little taken a back. He wasn't a stranger to criticism. In fact he'd say he was more accustomed to it than most people, but something about the sheer disdain in Reiko's voice, in the way she looked at him… that was more than just dislike. It was hatred, and no small amount of it. That was a little uncommon for him. He hadn't been on the receiving end of such glares ever since…

He froze, realization coming to him. Her features, her accent…

Palmer closed his eyes and sighed, the ever-bursting energy inside of him evaporating in a wisp. Of course it had to be that. As he opened them again and parted his lips to speak, he felt himself age a hundred years.

"I'm… sorry if it's rude to ask this. You don't have to answer, but…" He paused, taking a breath. "…are you, by any chance, from Kanto? Your accent sounds familiar, maybe Saffron or Cinnabar?"

He could tell she'd taken her by surprise. Reiko's eyes widened a bit and the anger behind them waned ever so slightly.

Maybe there's hope for me yet, he thought.

"You've got good ears," she said, voice toneless. "How nice of you to learn my people's accents and dialects before you decided to slaughter them."

Or… maybe not.

"Reiko!" The boy's voice erupted, bouncing around them with enough strength to momentarily stun her. "That's enough."

For a second she looked as though she would lash out at the boy, but after a few breaths she simply looked away, bitterness clear in her face.

"You're right," she said. "Wouldn't want people to start facing consequences for their actions. That'd be just crazy."

The two of them proceeded to avoid looking at each other or him. A gesture Palmer had seen hundreds of times in his long relationship with his wife. He should have found it charming. He didn't.

For the first time in god knows how long, he felt numb. All the energy and excitement from their mission had evaporated so quick it had left him completely frozen for a minute or so. His body felt heavy.

What did he expect? As much as he had tried to avoid his responsibilities, to keep himself occupied at all times, he knew that his past would catch up to him someday. Sarah had realized the same thing long ago. And, in keeping with her personality, decided to accept it and face it head on. But, as he knew well, and as Sarah had told him the first time they'd met… he was not like her. He was afraid. Selfish.

Though Sarah had it easier in a way. There was no one like Reiko to come and throw the sins of her past on her face out of nowhere. Everyone who could do so was already dead.

Earlier, he couldn't decide whether Reiko's accent was from Saffron or Cinnabar. Now, though, he had a feeling it was both. The thought made his chest ache. Poor girl. Not only their assault against Saffron but the taking of Silph Co. at the hands of Team Rocket, and then the eruption of Cinnabar's volcano… it was no wonder she seemed to hate Sinnoh so much.

Then why is she here? he couldn't help but think. What could bring someone like her to this region?

No, that didn't matter, not to him at least. The least he owed the poor girl was to let her keep her secrets, and the true reason for her anger. There was only one thing for him to do.

"I… think I know why you're…" He paused, as she looked up at him, furious. He needed to choose his words carefully. "…well, is there any way I could talk to you and apologize? If you let me…"

A beeping sound exploded through the room. Palmer frowned, then looked down at his wrist where his Poketch rested; a message had appeared on the screen.

Great timing, girls…

"It's Cynthia," he said. "Says she's arriving, and she's bringing our last member with her."

Reiko didn't flinch. She nodded decisively and stood up firm, the boy following her example soon after.

"Finally."

And with that they left the room. Palmer heard their steps echoing through the abandoned house, until they stopped and the sound of a door opening was heard. He didn't move for a few seconds. Then, as though picked up by the scruff of the neck, he rose to his feet as well and began walking toward the exit.

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

Night had already come by the time Palmer exited the house. It seemed to do so earlier and earlier as the days went by and winter began to settle. Mist rolled in from behind the trees all around them, covering the small clearing they were in and camouflaging their frozen breath.

Reiko and the boy stood a few feet ahead, closer to the trees, looking around and pretending like they knew what was gonna happen. Palmer couldn't help but smile.

"They'll be here any second," he said. "Don't worry."

"I wasn't worried," Reiko answered immediately.

"Will they arrive on a flying Pokemon? I doubt it'd be easy to find this place otherwise." The boy looked around with big, curious eyes. "Quite the appropriate location for a hidden base, I must say."

"I wouldn't want to spoil it, but if I know those two I'm sure their entrance is gonna be…"

Wind began to rush from behind the trees toward them, twisting the mist into slow, white cyclones which parted in a circle in front of them. A complex glyph of light formed on the ground, and the air shook. Palmer heard a sound like the crack of a whip, and a moment after the glowing glyph dissipated into wisps of light, leaving behind two people.

"…dazzling."

Cynthia stood up to her full height, the gold of her hair almost glowing under the light of the moon. She smiled, satisfied. For a moment is looked as though the mist itself were swirling around her feet.

"Greetings, everyone. I apologize for taking so long."

He heard Reiko scoff behind her, and then the boy spoke. "Not to be rude, but you could have probably arrived sooner if you hadn't wasted so much time on your entrance."

Palmer didn't even try to contain his laughter.

"He's not wrong."

"Now now, you're the last person who should say that, Palmer." Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "Nice to see you again; Reiko, Percy."

So that's his name, thought Palmer.

"Though I'm afraid this isn't the time for chatting, as much as I'd like it to be." Cynthia turned toward the woman at her side. "So allow me to introduce you to the last member of our little group."

The woman next to her –still with her back toward them, arms crossed– looked over her shoulder as a thin smile stretched across her lips. She was at least a head and a half shorter than Cynthia, and probably thirty years older. Her outfit was as extravagant as ever: red leather jacket and short pants, black boots and gloves and a pair of disc-shaped turquoise earrings hanging from her ears. Her short, purple hair framed the round and wrinkly face of someone a lot older than the fire in her eyes made her seem to be.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

The tip of her boot slid through the ground as she extended her leg and turned halfway toward them, raising the red-rimmed glasses from her eyes to her forehead.

"Such a portentous night. The mist reveals to me a child of flame, and a child of ash." Her voice was rich and fruity, with only a hint of brassiness. "I wonder… are they an omen of kindling to come?"

There was a beat of silence. Reiko and Percy exchanged a look.

"…What?" asked Reiko.

"I think she… insulted us? Maybe?" Percy frowned. "Who…?"

"So, the frail cinders ask my name." She raised her chin slightly, letting thick shadows fall over her face. "Good; this is a good night for namespeaking. I shall announce it loud and clear, then, so even the moon itself sears it into its memory."

The black of her glasses emitted a white glimmer, reflecting the moonlight above.

"I… am Argenta Dusk!" She hollered her own name with pride, the air itself shaking against the might of her voice. "The supreme ruler of the Battle Frontier; matron of the Battle Hall and the greatest breeder of all time! Let your votes be cast, young ones! Will you run with your tails tucked between your legs or will you step forward and reveal yourselves to me!?"

None of them answered. Argenta held her pose, though, and after a few seconds Palmer decided to intervene.

"She's asking your names."

Reiko blinked. "Yeah, I got that. It's the only part I understood."

"Well… are you gonna tell her?"

"I'd rather someone pinch me first. Make sure I'm not dreaming," said Reiko. "Then again I doubt I'd ever dream something as stupid as th–"

"It's a pleasure, Madame Argenta." Percy hurried to interrupt her and offered the woman a stilted bow, though the gesture didn't look natural. "I'm… Percy Morow, and this is Reiko Chabashira. We're foreign trainers, recruited by Cynthia to be part of this team."

Argenta spun on the ball of her feet and finally faced them with crossed arms, her posture solid as steel. Six black and gold Pokeballs hung from the sides of her belt, along with a strange, square metal device akin to an old-timey phone.

"Recruited, eh? Strange, very strange indeed, to hear a Caterpie claim that he's been recruited to be stuck on a Spinarak's web." Her eyes narrowed, smile widening. "And yet that is exactly the kind of foolishness that leads to greatness! Come forth then, Percy Morow and Reiko Chabashira! Place your hands over the fire and let the dice of fate fall upon them!"

"Dice? Fire? What the hell are you talking about?" Reiko looked at Cynthia. "Hey, is she okay? Or did she escape from the home she was being held at?"

"Reiko!" Percy shot her an embarrassed glare.

"Oh she is more than fine, don't worry." Cynthia waved the matter away with a smile. "She's been like this ever since I met her."

"Right. I see why you let us join, then," said Reiko. "Your standards are even lower than I thought."

"Reiko!"

Cynthia placed her palm against her lips and let out a giggle, though Argenta didn't seem to mind much.

"I would recommend not underestimating her," she said. "There's a reason Argenta is the matron of the Battle Frontier. Additionally, she is our very own spy. Without her, our plans would be doomed to fail."

"I thought… spies weren't meant to be very loud?" Percy tilted his head, clearly confused. "Moreover, wasn't this group supposed to be a secret? You'd think people would notice if the Champion and two members of the Battle Frontier were missing."

Sharp kid. Between his inquisitive nature and Reiko's attitude, Palmer was beginning to see why Cynthia had let them join their group. Now, whether she knew or not about the girl's bad disposition toward him, that was a mystery that, as usual when dealing with the Champion, he wouldn't get an answer to.

"You don't need to worry about that," he told Percy. "Think of the Battle Frontier less as a second League challenge and more as like an amusement park for strong trainers."

Cynthia nodded. "And, like most establishments of such nature, it tends to receive few if any customers during this time, due to the harshness of the Sinnohan winter. I doubt anyone will notice Palmer and Argenta's absence."

"Darach might be a spineless servant, but I trust the boy to keep things in order while we're away," said Argenta. "Our fortress will not fall and crumble without us, I assure you."

"I see…"

Reiko, who until then had been impatiently tapping her foot against the grass, butted in on their conversation.

"Yeah well, thanks for the detailed explanation. Probably would've been better if anyone gave a shit. So, we're gonna talk about this mission or what?"

"…fuck's sake, Reiko."

Argenta shone a smile toward the girl, a look of pride on her face.

"Indeed… it seems the time of judgment has come. Fine then! Let us shed away these transient guises and focus on the task ahead!" She looked to her right. "Cynthia, if you would?"

"Of course. Everyone, please gather around me."

Cynthia lifted her right hand in front of her chest and began to fiddle with the buttons of her Poketch. A map of Sinnoh was shown on the screen. Then, a moment after, a blinking red dot appeared over Jubilife City.

"Since our previous plan to locate Galactic HQ was… compromised…" Cynthia looked up at Reiko, who ignored her glare. "…our best option is to locate another vessel heading toward it, and follow it. Unfortunately, after what happened I doubt they'll use that same dock again. Cyrus will be much more careful from now on, which makes it more difficult for us to find him."

Palmer nodded. "Which is why we have Argenta."

"Precisely." Said woman smiled proudly. "Though it's hardly commendable to find clues, when one's eyes are everywhere."

"Thanks to Argenta's connection with Sinnoh's underground, we were able to find someone who could help us." Cynthia zoomed in on the map, focusing on the northern part of the city. "There's a small, though influential black market hidden within Jubilife. It's leader, Nox, has been rumored to be the main source of supplies for Team Galactic; filling their ships with food, Pokeballs and other such items in exchange for a steep sum of money."

"I see…" Percy frowned, stroking his chin. "If anyone knows where and when Team Galactic's ships will sail from, it would be him."

"Easy then," said Reiko. "We just bust into the black market and force him to tell us."

"Not quite."

Cynthia pulled away from the circle, the screen of her Poketch going off.

"I should remind you that neither me, Palmer nor Argenta can be seen by anyone, much less a criminal crew leader who works with Team Galactic." She grabbed the tip of the tuft of hair covering her eye, and began playing with it. "And, as talented as I'm sure you and Percy are, I can't see you taking on the entirety of Nox' group by yourselves."

Reiko scoffed. "You're underestimating us."

"Maybe. But I'd still like this to be resolved without having to resort to excessive violence," said Cynthia. "A bit of intimidation and diplomacy should do the trick. Which is why I'm excited to see how you'll handle this, Reiko."

Reiko seemed thrown off guard by her comment. She froze for a moment before replying.

"I'm… not very good with diplomacy."

"I'm well aware." Cynthia smiled. "Consider this… a test. How will you bud, I wonder?"

Good grief. Even Palmer couldn't help but shudder under the sudden weight of the woman's stormy eyes, and he'd managed to tame a Salamance all on his own. Though honestly, he'd rather do that ten times over before even thinking of making Cynthia angry.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked. "Not that I'm doubting these kids, but it seems a little…"

"We'll do it." Reiko's response came as soon as he spoke. The doubt on her face had disappeared completely. "Just tell us where it is."

Great. Me and my big mouth.

"Your bravery is… commendable. For a child, that is." Argenta smirked to herself. "As for you, Palmer, it seems you've gotten softer lately. Do my memories fail me? Weren't you the little rascal who couldn't go a day without getting into trouble when you were their age?"

Palmer parted his lips to say something, but couldn't find any argument against that. She had him there.

"All right, I'll give you the coordinates and the rest of us can get to work as well," said Cynthia. "I will go alone, Percy will go with Argenta and Reiko…"

"Wh-whoa, hold on!" Reiko's eyes went wide and she raised a hand to interrupt her. "I'm not going with… there's no fucking way…"

As unloved as he was feeling right now, Palmer was more irritated by Cynthia's sudden decision to pair them together. How had she known? Was this the equivalent of playing a prank of them?

"Why can't I go with Reiko?" asked Percy.

"Yeah! I'd be much better off with him helping me!"

Cynthia nodded. "I'm sure you would, but one of you needs to stay behind." She pointed at the Poketch on Percy's wrist. "While Reiko and Palmer head to Jubilife, you and Argenta will go searching for any Galactic grunt you can find, and capture them."

"What for!?" spat out Reiko. "You told us it we couldn't interrogate them since they lose their memories as soon as they agree to say something!"

"Which is why we're not targeting them, but their Poketch." Cynthia raised a finger, smiling. "You see, by having that strange Pokemon of yours infiltrate one of them, we could gain access to Team Galactic's communication hub without them being the wiser. That's why I need Percy for this mission." There was a small pause. "Unless… you were willing to part with said Pokemon and let me use it."

The look on their faces made it clear they had no rebuttal to Cynthia's argument, as tended to happen when one tried to argue with her about pretty much any topic. Palmer had made that mistake more than a few times before, and he wasn't planning on repeating it.

"So… it's either pairing up with this asshole or hand Hao over to you," summarized Reiko. "Great. Fucking wonderful."

"Should you choose the second option, I'll make sure to take good care of that Pokemon," said Cynthia. "I promise I won't try anything nefarious."

"Bullshit. I'd rather trust Hao to a blender than to someone like you," said Reiko "I still don't get why we need to pair up like this. Why can't you go with me? Or even better, why can't Palmer go with you?"

"I'm afraid I have a lot of better things to do than waste time taking on the leader of a black market." Cynthia placed a hand over her chest, looking genuinely sorry. "I chose Palmer to accompany you in case you get yourself in a… complicated situation. Ideally he should stay behind and observe your surroundings, but if push comes to shove he'll be able to help you out."

"I don't need his help."

"How about you wait until the mission is over to make such claims?" offered Cynthia. "I apologize if my decision isn't of your liking, but as the leader of this team I decided that this would be the best way to use our assets, by dividing into three teams all with a distinct, important goal."

Reiko placed a palm against her forehead, sighing. Palmer could almost see the fumes coming out of her ears and the tip of her red hair.

"Yeah, I get that, kind of like a Pinsir movement but still…"

"A what?" Cynthia frowned, a look of confusion on her face.

There was a pause; Reiko blinked a couple times.

"A Pinsir movement," she repeated.

"Ah… and, what would that be?

"W-what?" Reiko shook her head a bit, and was lost for words for a moment. "A Pinsir movement! The fucking… the thing that that refers to! How do you not know what that is!?"

Palmer chimed in. "I… don't know what that is either."

"It seems our dear Reiko has already started coming up with new and deadly strategies," said Argenta. "However, child, I recommend you share them with your team before referring to them by name."

"What the hell is wrong with you three!?" Reiko shouted, looking slightly more confused than annoyed. "It's the thing where you attack your opponent from three flanks all at once! A Pinsir movement!"

Hao's voice suddenly sprouted from Percy's Poketch. "You're making that up."

She pointed at him. "Don't you start!"

"Don't look at me, I have no idea what you're talking about either!" Percy raised both palms and took a step back. "Didn't you get that term confused with something like a trident formation?"

"Yes, or a Drapion maneuver," Cynthia offered. "I don't see how you could call a three-pronged attack a Pinsir movement. Pinsirs have only two horns."

"That's because the third part is in the middle!"

"Shouldn't that be where the enemy is?" asked Palmer.

"What!? No, that's not…"

"Hey, now that I think about it…" Cynthia grabbed her chin with one hand, frowning. "Why are those Pokemon called Pinsir? The things on their head aren't pincers; they're clearly horns."

"Huh… I never thought about that," whispered Palmer.

"I… you…" Reiko stumbled, unable to find the words. "No, you know what? Never mind. You're all morons." She rubbed her temples for a moment, sighing. "I don't even care that I have to go with this guy. Let's just start the mission already before I feed myself to a fucking Pinsir."

Following the odd exchange, Palmer and the rest were given their instructions by Cynthia as well as a small bag with a few things inside. An ear-bud with a microphone installed so they could talk to each other even when far away, a veritable sum of money and a small stone with complex carvings all over it, the size of a thumb. Reiko's eyes went wide as she saw that last one.

"Just in case you need to make a clean getaway. I'm sure you know how to use it," said Cynthia. "As for Nox… well, it's the weekend, so you'll probably find him at his favorite night club, Rosita Storm, which I marked on the map I sent to your Poketch."

Palmer frowned. "How will we know which one he is?"

Cynthia simply smiled. "Oh, you'll know. Trust me. All you need to do is approach him and… convince him that siding with us will earn him a much bigger reward than sticking up for Team Galactic. That's what the money in the bag is for, though I'm hoping you won't even need that."

"Makes sense." Reiko shrugged. "We'll get going then."

"I shall head out as well. Hopefully the skies will be clear tonight, making my job easier."

"Yeah and hopefully you'll crash into an airplane."

"I wish you good luck as well, Reiko."

Reiko didn't even look at Palmer; she simply turned around and headed to say goodbye to Percy while the rest dispersed. He let his shoulders drop. This was going to be a lot harder than he'd thought.

At least he'd get to fly with his partner again. That would put him in the mood for a crazy mission like this. He reached into his belt and opened one of the Pokeballs; an enormous explosion of light came out soon after, materializing before him in the shape of a dragon with a wingspan as big as the clearing they were in and eyes like burning coals.

"Hey there, partner. I'm gonna need your help tonight." He smiled as he patted the beast on the side of the leg. "Oh, by the way Reiko, if you don't have a flying Pokemon I could…"

He turned around only to be faced with another explosion of light, this one forming an avid creature covered in brown feathers and sporting a long beak that looked like a drill. The Fearow extended his wingspan and yelled into the night, as though offended by what he had implied.

"You better keep up," he heard Reiko say. "We're not gonna slow down for you and your fat dragon. Let's go, Knives."

And with that she jumped on the back of her Fearow and took off, raising a cloud of dust all around them as they vanished into the night.

Palmer sighed.

"This is gonna be a long night, partner," he said as he climbed on the Salamence's knee and onto his back. "Let's hope it's not a harsh one too."