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Caleb was denying the truth, of course. Gunner had died on that broken shoreline in the Border the last time they'd met. Thankfully, his soul had been able to return to his body, his presence that day proof of the miraculous event.[break][break]

Gunner recognized Caleb as soon as they were close enough to see each other's faces. The light of recognition in the other man's eyes told Gunner that Caleb remembered him as well, though they'd only met a couple of times.[break][break]

He supposed it'd be difficult to forget the face of a man whose death and resurrection you'd witnessed.[break][break]

"Caleb," Gunner greeted the Ranger, his formal tone a reminder of the reason for their meeting. The smile he gave was professional, distant. "Seen anything come this way yet?"[break][break]

And by 'anything', he meant terrorists.

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"Nothing yet," Caleb answered, glancing past Gunner into the thick forest that surrounded Granite Cave. He wasn't sure if the lack of Rocket intruders was a good thing or a bad thing. Had they found some other way into the Ultra Deep Sea? Maybe they had figured out some kind of stealth tech the League didn't have access to and would not know how to detect. Maybe Rocket was planning some kind of intricate plan of attack, one that two men could hardly handle on their own - their ranks aside.[break][break]
Despite the undercurrent of anxiety all of those possibilities triggered within Caleb, it was the reserved way that Gunner had addressed him that weighed on Caleb the most. Arceus, does he hate me? Caleb wondered. Then again, Gunner had always struck him as a highly professional individual. Still, unresolved guilt had been eating away at him for weeks. It would do neither of them any good for Caleb to keep it bottled up.[break][break]
"Listen, Gunner," Caleb started, feeling awkward. Reluctantly, he met the other man's hard gaze. "About what happened in the Border...I'm really sorry." Might as well just say it.

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A lack of hostile activity in the area meant a respite for the time being. After all, the two of them couldn't worry about the whole island, the whole cavern, or the whole Ultra Deep Sea. No, they had to focus on that little patch of land under their watch.[break][break]

Still, Gunner knew better than to let his guard down. Opening a Pokéball, he released his Zoroark. "Mordred, set up a defensive illusion. An avalanche."[break][break]

The air around them flickered and warped. Standing within the illusion, they could clearly see beyond it. Anyone looking from outside, however, would see nothing but a tumble of enormous rocks.[break][break]

When Caleb spoke again, bringing up the events of several months ago, Gunner raised his eyebrow quizzically. "For what? You weren't the one who killed me," he said matter-of-factly.[break][break]

It was the simple truth, one that Gunner felt should reassure the other man.

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Gunner's statement did not, it turned out, reassure Caleb. He frowned, confused. "Well, no, but that's not..." Caleb sighed. Irritation gnawed at him: why couldn't Gunner just acknowledge Caleb's mistake? "Look, man, you put me in charge of that expedition because of some weird, secretive shit between you and your brother. I feel I owe you an apology for how things went under my leadership. You trusted me, but then -"[break][break]
All of a sudden, Nox reappeared directly in front of Caleb, clicking urgently. His speech interrupted, Caleb turned his attention to the little scout, thoroughly distracted.[break][break]
"Rockets?" He asked, demeanor seamlessly shifting from casual conversation mode to alert Ranger mode. Nox pointed to the left of the cave mouth. Indeed, Caleb could just make out movement amongst the trees there. His brow furrowed as he began weighing their various options for defending the cave.[break][break]
"Looks like we've got company," he murmured to Gunner.

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Perhaps Caleb had a point. Rangers were trained to act as leaders and authority figures in times of need, yet not one but two deaths had occurred during that expedition into the Border. Anyone in such a position would feel guilty.[break][break]

At the same time, Gunner was used to not having a boss on the field. None of his superiors at the HBIC — PENELOPE LIVY included — typically went on missions with him. If he made mistakes, they were his own fault.[break][break]

But before Gunner could say anything, Caleb's Pokémon returned from scouting the area. Gunner turned his attention to the direction the Lokix indicated, palming a second Pokéball in case their two Pokémon weren't enough.[break][break]

The Rockets stepped from the treeline, their own Pokémon at their side: a Froslass and an Electivire. They approached the cave entrance, gazes turned up, tricked by the illusion to think they had to climb to reach the other side of the rockslide.[break][break]

Unnoticed by the terrorists or their Pokémon, Gunner gestured with his hand to Mordred. The Zoroark nodded silently, then opened his mouth and unleashed a FLAMETHROWER at the Froslass. The Ice-type uttered a shrill scream, badly burned by the plume of fire.

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Thanks to the illusion, the two approaching Rockets had absolutely no idea what they were walking into. Caleb watched with satisfaction as Gunner's Zoroark took the enemy Froslass completely by surprise with a powerfully effective FLAMETHROWER. Caleb nodded at Nox, who immediately launched himself at the Electivire, a blur of black and gold. The Lokix unleashed a BRICK BREAK, punching into the electric Pokémon with a barrage of Fighting energy. It grunted in pain, falling to one knee.[break][break]
"League's already here!" The Rocket with the Froslass cursed, backing up, the eyes behind her mask a mix of panic and confusion. Her companion seemed to understand more quickly what was actually going on, reaching out his hand to actually touch the rocks "blocking" their path. His hand passed right through, grasping only air; with a growl, he rushed forward - only to be met by Caleb's swinging fist.[break][break]
The punch took the man in the side of the head, dropping him to the ground outside the illusion with a loud thump. He groaned in pain, expression dazed. His hurt Electivire attempted to limp in after him, intending to defend his master, but Nox followed up with a THROAT CHOP that finished the job of knocking it out.[break][break]

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While the Froslass screamed in agony as the fire consumed her, she gave Mordred an opportunity to knock her out with NIGHT DAZE. Her shrieks abruptly ceased as her body slumped to the ground.[break][break]

Seeing this, her owner recalled her into a Pokéball and dashed off, leaving her companion behind.[break][break]

Mordred dropped his illusion. The Zoroark sniffed at the unconscious body of the Rocket grunt, then raised his head to Gunner quizzically.[break][break]

The agent merely crossed his arms over his chest. "There'll be more. She'll bring reinforcements, most likely." He glanced with disdain at the man on the ground. "What are you going to do with him?"

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Caleb scrutinized the man on the ground, his fainted Pokémon laying crumpled nearby. Though Caleb could not see the entirety of his face, he thought he seemed young. Likely just some poor idiot who'd fallen into crime out of loyalty to friends or because he hadn't known what else to do with his life.[break][break]
Caleb had been there, once.[break][break]
"You can arrest him, can't you?" Caleb eyed Gunner. The contempt in the other man's eyes was somewhat disturbing. Caleb felt suddenly uncomfortable. It was imperative that he continue to avoid the subject of his own Rocket past with Gunner. "If they're going to come back with reinforcements, maybe we ought to get some of our own...in the meantime, we could tie him up and stash him in the cave?" He shrugged.[break][break]
Nox hovered by the edge of the illusion, as if anticipating another attack. Caleb, feeling antsy, crouched down to begin dragging the heavy dead weight of the Rocket's unconscious body further into the cave. Nox, understanding what Caleb was trying to do, hopped over to the fallen Electivire. With an effort, he began heaving it into the cave, as well.

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"Technically, yes," Gunner replied, not noticing the sudden discomfort that ran through Caleb. The agent was used to people being uncomfortable around him, usually a consequence of being so damn serious all the time.[break][break]

He and his Zoroark helped the Ranger and his Lokix haul the bodies deeper into the mouth of Granite Cave. Then Gunner used the Rocket operative's Pokéball to recall the Electivire before securing it and the rest of the terrorist's capsules. Finally, Gunner tied the man's arms together with one of the sturdy plastic zip ties he'd brought with him.[break][break]

"That should do it," Gunner said, standing up. "I'll radio for backup."[break][break]

Pressing a button in his uniform, he activated the microphone in his earpiece and relayed the request. After a moment, dispatch confirmed they were routing more resources to the cavern's entrance.[break][break]

Gunner turned to Caleb to pass on the news. "They're on their way now." Then he raised his mask over his face, removing his hardened expression from view.

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