[attr="class","spiral"]"Shit."

Business always ruins relationships and Anya is no exception. The moment Fernando invests something tangible into their partnership is the same moment that he unfurls from the sculpted presentation he uses to win her affections. The gloss of wit and nuance is discarded, like a bad disguise, for a much easier bluntness he reserves for his inner circles. The need for tact is meaningless when need becomes one-sided. He holds all the power in this dynamic so he gets to be his true self.

"These monster are a pain but nothing too exciting."

He pulls out one of the many antidotes that he's pocketed from the Poison Patrols and holds it within her reach. "We've developed a cure that alleviates the symptoms and restores them to their natural state. No idea if it's a short term fix or something permanent but only time will tell."

Once the door shuts behind him, Fernando slips out of his jacket, hanging it on doorknob as a makeshift hook. "Capturing them outright proves difficult but I should be able to secure you a sample or two. How are things on your end?"

[attr="class","spiral"]“Ah.”

He pauses before setting the antidote down on the closest thing he can find to a counter.

“So you’re that type of scientist.”

Fernando huffs to himself while debating on how to tackle what he wants to say. His arms cross while he debates, breathing in her workspace and watching her reaction. His gaze stays a bit too long and it revitalizes his need to stray from work talk. Physical need surfaces but it stifles under her follow up.

“Impossible.” His eyes narrow and he strays further into the room. He gravitates toward the center, eyeing the caged Pokemon without a shred of sympathy. “The League has locked down the sites to prevent further incidents. They’re not particularly competent but not worth the risk.”

There’s no doubt in his mind that she’ll object to his decision but that’s why he saves the best for last. “Look into the antidote and figure out how it cures them. It’s already proven to neutralize Ultra Beast to a degree. We’ve yet to test them on anything of scale but—”

Fernando activates a specially painted Pokeball from his belt and reveals his newest acquisition.

“I’m pretty fucking good at what I do.”

Poipole, an actual Ultra Beast, materializes in front of her.

[attr="class","spiral"]“Indeed.”

For a menace, the Ultra Beast proves quite jovial. Whether it’s the creature innate nature or a derivative of the antidote’s placating effects, no one really knows, but Fernando errs on the side of caution. He maintains his distance, matching it’s illuminated smile, making sure not to show teeth in case the Pokemon takes it as a sign of aggression. Staring back at the Pokemon’s eyes and its lack of pupils is haunting but he bears through it.

“Just keep in mind that this one is special. I’ve given it preferential treatment.” His eyes avert to the cages, grimacing at the disposition of her test subjects. “I would appreciate it if you could do the same. I intend to explore its capabilities in the field.”

To no surprise, his reward is an invitation to indulge in their mutual discovery. And, as welcoming as that sounds, Fernando has to decline. None to eager to reject any form of physical consolation, he twists his wrist to expose the smart watch nestle underneath his palm. “Unfortunately, my time is short. I’m afraid it’ll have to be one or the other, unless you can multi-task.”

[attr="class","spiral"]“Good.”

His familiarity with her ‘cats’ is far from in-depth but from what he’s seen it proves sufficient. As long as the Ultra Beast doesn’t revert to its pre-war state, he’ll be content with however she manages it. He’s willing to make ‘certain’ sacrifices in the pursuit of science, just not all of them.

“Not quite. That’s my way of being polite — force of habit.”

His finger wraps around the handle of her tea cup in the manner she corrals him deeper into her den. He takes the seat offered and allows the tea cup to rest against the palm of his other hand, untouched for now.

“My increasing declinations have been more frequently taken as rejection. The war has been demanding, after all.”

Out of politeness, he eyes the coffee table, but true to himself, Fernando has no interest in snacks. Greed has no bounds and settling for anything sort of an entire meal proves wasteful. His interest starts at the ankles and end at her eyes. He can’t help but smile.

“I’ve been reserved with handling it so it’s been nothing short of content. I would describe it as ‘playful’ more than anything else but my time with it has been limited. Naturally, it ejects poison from the protrusions on its head. The toxin proves less potent than expected but we attribute it to the antidote’s effects. If prompted, it’ll expunge its own secretions for collection, so I would advise against a forceful sample until we further understand its temperament.”

And, as if understanding the subject of the conversation, the Poipole hovers over, unnerving Fernando as it rests on his shoulder. As the most cunning of the three, it slithers its tail around the curve of his ear, wide-eye and all smiles as it stares Anya in the eye.

[attr="class","spiral"]“A delightful offer,” and one that takes the entirety of his will to decline. “But disappearing at this stage of the game would put us all at jeopardy. Things will be frantic from here on out. Enjoy your freedom and the diversion while it lasts.”

His voice takes a lower tumble as he tries to refrain from moving too much. On all accounts, the Poipole should be fine, but it’s in Fernando’s nature to be as cautious as can be. The less his mouth moves the less his shoulders do by extension. With a lethal time bomb inches away from his face, he’s resigned to his fate as a lofty perch.

“Poipole and I,” his diction too changes in the presence of the Utlra Beast. “Have tackled several wild Pokemon. None of them were a match but Poipole has been gracious enough to render them unconscious and primed for capture. It can engage as a single unit or model a hive-like mentality.”

Its tail no longer swishes, content with cozying up to its rigid trainer.

“And more importantly, it’s not the only one of its kind.”

[attr="class","spiral"]“Oh.”

Disappointing.

Fernando cares little about embarrassment. This is neither the first nor last time he’ll assume he’s the main subject of someone’s conversation. He demands attention and the world revolves around his namesake. However, the fact that the offer was never on the table leaves him embittered. Even in having to refuse, there is validation in being desired.

“Not at all. This one is the most agreeable among the ones I have.”

His eyes close as he starts to pace his breathing. In one smooth exhale, he exhales a thin smog of MISTY TERRAIN, supplicating his own resistance to POISON should the Poipole lash out. It’ll hurt regardless but the potency of its toxins will be something he can manage with the other five Pokemon on his person.

“What say you,” he prompts again, moving his hand to pat his unproportionally large head.

Much to his surprise, it lets out a chirping squeal, squirming in place until it escapes from underneath his touch and into his lap. The giggle it echoes proves more imposing than it should. Knowing what these beasts are capable of offsets how innocent they look.