"Guh!" Howard turned to face the posh accent of Galarian high society. It was an accent he was familiar with, having interviewed spent time interviewing nobles in an attempt to sift through Galar's history and what became of its political structures and policies following the Darkest Day. He and Shirley looked at each other, and then Howard gave the woman a once over.

An accent was like a hat for somebody's voice. You could tell a lot about someone from it. With its current inflection, this woman was essentially wearing a large and elaborate crown complete with extra sparkles.

"Royal presence?" Howard inclined his head. His guess had been accurate. "You're Galarian? Unova's dynasty has been dead for years and years, plus your accent... Hm..." Howard walked around her in a circle with Shirley, inspecting Elise from several angles. He nodded. "And you carry yourself like one too. You're not pranking me, are you, princess?"

Plus, there was one small problem with this whole scenario. Miss Princess had entered the Gym from the racing grounds, which was to be expected. However... why would Galarian royalty be working at Mauville Gym? This sounded like a bad joke? Was Josh watching from the security cameras, laughing his ass off? Probably. Was Howard going to brain him with a mallet for this joke? Absolutely?

"So, what? I can't say fuuuu..." Self-preservation kicked in. "Fudge. Of course I can't say that! Listen, Miss Princess, to prove your identity, what's the name of the archaeologist royal within the Galarian Royal Family?" That was a question so fringe only a true archaeologist—or relative—would know.

---

Elise Calcifet

"I'm sorry, Miss Princess. But that's..." Howard turned away and made a shrugging gesture. "...correct...?"

Eh? Howard stopped. With a shaking, almost jittery motion, he slowly turned to face Elise. His one visible eye stared blankly towards her, and his mouth was partially agape. Wait, this wasn't a joke? There was no Josh cackling from his cameras? Well, if he wasn't laughing, he would be now. Howard looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Your cousin is Remiel? The same Remiel who works for the National Museum of Natural History? The same one speaks several languages? The same same one that speaks almost as many as me? The one whose resume is as long—maybe longer—as mine?" Howard's shaking voice shook even more as he realized he was in the presence of Galarian royalty, even if said royalty was partially from Johto.

So naturally, Howard did the only logical thing:

He bowed. He bowed hard. Any Galarian aristocrat would give Howard's bow a 10/10 on the bowing scale. He observed proper procedure, placed his head a certain amount of inches from the ground. He even gave the proper honorific. In a surprisingly deep and mature voice, he spoke. "Princess."

Then, the illusion broke.

"I'msosorrypleasedon'texecutemeIdidn'tknowI'mjustahumbleexplorerIdon'tknowwhatI'mdoingpleaseforgivemeI'mverystupidI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry." He said it all within a single breath. It was almost impressive, in a way.

Finally, he took a breath. He looked up.

"If there's anything I can do to forgive such a transgression, tell me! A bad word to your brother could ruin my career as a paleontologist and archaeologist for decades. Centuries. Eons. Epochs. Entire geological eras!" Howard stood up nervously. "Pretty please?

---

Elise Calcifet

"Oh?" Howard stopped groveling for a moment, before standing up. "This is sudden. Frankly, I didn't expect this at all. I was just going to gloat to your boss about how Rustboro had beaten Mauville in last night's baseball game. You're a Gym Trainer, right? Or however Josh sets up his Arceusforsaken gym."

He looked over Elise with a professional gaze. Like before, he walked around her in a circle, inspecting her. This wouldn't be news to the princess. Someone like Elise was likely used to being stared at, for a slew of different reasons. This wasn't some guy sneaking a glance as she walked down the street, though.

Instead, it was more of an appraisal.

"You want to learn in order to keep up with Remiel, or at least understand what he's studying? Sky Pillar is one site out of thousands." Howard's shoes clinked against the gym's floor as he continued circling her. "I could teach you about it. About the mural there, and even about how it was constructed out of stone hewn from Sootopolis. With enough time, you might even be able to read the language written there."

Howard stopped in front of Elise and put his hand on his hip. "It's a rough field, Miss Princess. It isn't just sitting in an office reading dusty books and making inferences." Was he a mind reader? Did he know about the books piled up in her office? Was he some sort of wizard? "You'll have to work the ground. Carefully extract artifacts without damaging them. You'll be working with things that are older than your entire royal bloodline. I can teach you, but it won't be easy. You might even hate me by the end of it all, and each time I walk through these doors to brag to Josh about how my team won—and how his team lost—you'll burst into tears."

Was this the same guy? He carried himself with a lot more pride and dignity than before. His gaze was sharp, analytical, and alert. At least, one eye was. The other was covered in a faded bandage. Again, was this really the same guy?

"Eh, alright. Could be fun to teach royalty." Howard grinned and nodded. "You're in, Miss Princess. I'll have you talking to Remiel about Draconid trade policy like a pro. I'm Howard Slayte. Don't call me Doctor Slayte, it reminds me of grad school."

Howard paled, seemingly having flashbacks to those dark, dark days. Yup, it was still the same guy.

His gaze quickly returned. "And you're a Calcifet, if Remiel is your cousin. What's your first name, Miss Princess?"

---

Elise Calcifet

"You honor me." Howard waved his hand as if awkwardly brushing away a spiderweb. Getting complimented by actual royalty made him feel strange. He was used to digging up the relics of royalty, not actually talking to them. "Your words are kind, but I'm average in my field. People like your cousin are truly spectacular.

Howard had read Remiel Calcifet 's article: "Uncovering the Secrets of the Galarian Royalty" back when it had been published. It was a rough around the edges, but it broadcasted Remiel's talents, especially given his position of authority on the subject. It must be nice, being able to cite yourself. With enough training, perhaps Elise could publish a similar paper. That was far, far ahead. One did not simply wake up as a professional archaeologist.

The main reason was simply because Elise wouldn't get a good night's sleep while she studied the subject. There wouldn't be 'waking up' as much as there would be a 'caffeine deficiency'. Learning ancient runes would be hard work, and that was only one section out of thousands. "Rustboro? Splendid, I'm situated there as well. The proximity to Meteor Falls and Rusturf Tunnel make it desirable. Love it there. With all due respect, Mauville is too boxed in for my taste."

With their contract sealed, Howard opened his wallet and, with a straight face, produced a receipt from the time he had bought slushies from the Pokemart with Shred Zeppelin . The receipt was relatively long, given the amount of slushies Howard had bought when they were fifty percent off.

"That's my info. Call me next time you're in Rustboro, and I'll teach you what I know. Additionally, I'll draft you up a curriculum in the meantime, and some assigned reading. Make sure you'll actually read it, or I'll cry..." Howard wiped away a non-existent tear from his bandaged eye.

---

Elise Calcifet