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[attr="class","athread"]Lucha Libre narrowed his eyes at the trainer. “That depends on what your idea of funky is,” Annie giggled. “They all mean something special to me, so I try to give them names that match. Lucha’s going to be one of the most feared fighters in Hoenn one day, so he needs a name to match!” Moral support stopped the bird short of trying to argue; he settled for a cheer and making himself comfortable in her arms instead. Being there stopped him from chasing after every unclaimed Pokemon that showed its face, and for that Annie was grateful. It wasn’t often a drifter like her got a chance to talk with no strings attached.

‘Flattery will get you nowhere’, some said. Not Annie, not ever. The ego boost was always appreciated, but even she had the sense to try and be humble. “Oh, I know!” Try. “I’ve done a lot… But I’m not anywhere near done yet, so there’s no time to rest. You get it, right?” Of course she did. They were fellow hard workers, each chasing a dream few wanted them to reach. There was a certain kindship in th-

Annie’s face froze. Confusion took hold, then outright disapproval. She held her Hawlucha a little closer to herself. There was a lot about the woman’s words that she didn’t like. Extra-terrestrials, the missing man, but more than that… Rocket. Mention of the organisation would stir unease in most of Hoenn’s populace, but being a native from Kanto meant the name hit a little harder.

“Rocket doesn’t exist anymore.” There was an assertive edge to her voice. “Not here, and not for a while. We’re done with that.” A firm tone helped to mask the wave of unease that always followed memories of New Year’s Eve. “So there’s no way they’d have anything to do with all of that other stuff.”

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[attr="class","athread"]The girl’s expression barely changed, unconvinced by the woman’s words. “People did work for years. Across several regions, for years. They’re the reason why we don’t have problems in Hoenn.” She lifted Lucha a few inches up, drawing attention to the little fighter.

“This is my Hawlucha. He’s purple and yellow. …Just because I’ve said it doesn’t make it right, especially when you don’t have any proof.” The girl made no effort to hide that she was on the defensive, especially when the journalist questioned her confidence. Annie gave pause, squinted eyes trying to figure out if she was being tricked. No, she realised… There was no angle, only a disappointing string of questions.

Her face fell, and with it her voice lowered. “You made me think you were a really good journalist for a bit there.” The illusion of having found a kindred spirit cracked, and the betrayal showed on her face. “Of course I was there. It’s not a secret. I took interviews on it. It was front-page news. Shouldn’t somebody searching for the truth know that?”

Her little beast grimaced at the source of her displeasure, and Annie was quick to follow. Her words went from displeased to outright accusing, and with every word she grew a little louder. “You didn’t have to be there to know that people died. We almost died fighting those things off. We didn’t do it so some random that couldn’t even do research could jump in with her crackpot conspiracies!”

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[attr="class","athread"]She was an honest girl when she could help it, wearing her heart on her sleeve and saying what came to mind, often to a fault. It was no surprise, then, that the girl didn’t take kindly to being tricked. The girl knitted her brow as the journalist played her hand, only for the confusion to give way to offense. Then more betrayal. It was right at home with an already defensive child, stirring into a mix of emotions that meant nothing good for the woman’s efforts. Selena stepped inwards; Annie took a half-step back, catching herself short of shying away.

A pang of realisation came next, once she realised that the trap ran deeper. It wasn’t just a few questions meant to get the wrong words out of her. She’d known much more about the girl than most. A boost to her ego under any other circumstance, but much less so when she realised it was for selfish gain. The woman had played dumb from the start, putting on a false smile as she let the girl introduce herself. And for what? “What the fuck is your game?”

The Hawlucha knew the seething whisper-yell well; Annie had the sense to hug him tight to her chest, but he was squirming, itching to be let loose on his master’s troubles. She planted her foot back where it belonged, alongside its pair as she stared the lady down.

“Look up whatever you can about me-“ A difficult task, considering her lack of credentials. “Stalk me across the region-“ A show of the woman’s skill, when even her friends struggled to keep up with her. “And put on a dumb act. I don’t get it! It can’t have just been to feed some kid half-baked theories about a dead team, but what else? There’s no way you went to all that effort just to tell yourself I’d help you after you played me, right?”

Getting the girl to admit she’d fallen for anything was a rare feat, but not without cause. A fire burned in Annie’s eyes, but for once, the intensity wasn’t born out of determination. No, hers was a barely-concealed rage, waiting for the wrong words to let it be unleashed.

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