Locke held the oddly-shaped crystal up against the morning sunlight. A couple people were giving him jealous looks from afar, but just what was this supposed to be? Well it at least seemed to have some value, so maybe he could pawn it off later.

Before that though, they hoped to find some actual money...

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

How was he supposed to dunk Eva Morales of all people?! Locke briefly considered running to the back of the line instead-but that somehow seemed more embarrassing than potentially soaking one of his heroes.

Though maybe less embarrassing than missing right in front of her.

People were getting impatient behind them, so with great hesitation and a deeply apologetic look, they lined up the shot.

---

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Locke sighed, tossing the Pokéball to La-La to play with while he and the other Pokémon went under again. She'd get more use out fo it than him these days.

They had a good feeling about this next dive though!

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W-Woah! Was it just him, or did they actually get it super close that time?!

Maybe they could pull this off!

"Let's try it like that again!"

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Please don't be another missing streak, Locke thought as he stepped up to pitch again.

Believe in the ball. Believe in the ball. Believe in the ball.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Even with his mind cleared of anxieties, it somehow still felt just as disjointed as it had before Mu-Mu's aid. Any other time he might've passed it off as another bought of disassociation-not unlike in the aftermath of the Star Soiree or his encounter in Granite Cave. But as he counted breaths and grounded himself in skyler dross' grasp on his shoulder he found himself perfectly within the confines of his own body.

Just maybe not quite all of him.

Being surrounded by people leagues and away smarter than him was a boon as he distractedly skimmed over the riddle. Peer pressure was enough to convince the courier to follow the group consensus and pick the regal-looking white dragon in the middle. The last time he'd seen one like it…

A light psychic nudge refocused them on the current world they were in as their hand pressed against the Reshiram on the screen. "Mu-Mu can sense there's still Porygon around somewhere a little ways off," they announced to the group, gently patting the Munna in question. "They might be waiting in whatever area opens up next."

Which meant they might want to prepare to support the more battle-ready members of their party. They fidgeted with the capsules on their belt again, wordlessly thanking Mu-Mu as they replaced her with-

"Eh?! Nim-Nim! What happened to your little-um-" The proper term for the little cowlick that all Castform had was escaping them as they fretted over why theirs only had half of one all of a sudden. The tiny cloud Pokémon seemed confused over his trainer's distress, however, as if the state of his appendage wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

A missing memory? Deleted, that girl had said-

That girl…

Their fingers brushed against their throat again.

"Not deleted-stolen," they corrected ominously. "Or absorbed? Downloaded!" The word came with a snap of their fingers. It was somehow an even scarier thought; not just being erased but to have something else live on your stead…

They stared down at the growing reflection at their feet.

Who was that on the other side?

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"No, no, no!"

Locke surged forward behind Eris Halla to reach the injured Lake Guardian. Nearby, their Indeedee shared a wordless nod and pressed their hands to the ground in tandem. Together, they released their Psychic energy into the surrounding Terrain to further aid their allies.

They pulled out a singular Pokéball and pressed it against Mesprit-praying the cheap capsule would be enough to protect what little hope they still had. "Please," they pleaded, begging it to understand. "It'll just be 'til it's safe again!"



He summoned his Abra, holding the small psychic type close with one hand as he pointed at the Red Chain with the other. "Try to keep it together! For as long as you can!" Dini-Dini obliged-sleepily raising both of his arms and attempting to reconnect a small portion of the supernatural bindings with his Telekinesis.

They both knew it was futile effort.

Without the Lake Guardians-



The tree! The first one took over the tree!

Did that mean this new one…?



Whether she was sensing Locke's train of thought, or simply following her brother's lead-Latias rushed forward to meet the emerging Necrozma alongside Latios. Her eyes glowed as Psychic energy surrounded the newest foe, trying to push the alien creature back where it came-or at least hold it back long enough for the portal to close it off for good.

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"Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen-huh? That's not right…"

Locke counted his flock again as another ice cream cone was passed around. He hadn't miscounted, there were nineteen Delibird chirping impatiently behind him-one more than he should have in the aftermath of Sootopolis' most recent disaster. Maybe somebody else's had snuck its way in…?

Possibly the one taking up an unusual amount of space in the middle of the flock.

Regardless, the extra penguin left him a cone short. That meant the courier would have to the brave the line again if he wanted one of his own; an idea he quickly abandoned now that dahlia goode's speech was finished and the crowd was free to swarm the little boardwalk stand.

Some speech. They tried to keep their resolve to forget about the politics and the apocalyptic warnings for a day, even as mutters of dissent spread around them. At least they weren't alone in their misgivings about the League's "plan."

A light tug on their coat broke Locke's thoughts before they could spiral too deep. They looked around for whatever Delibird needed their attention, but found the flock-now back to the appropriate eighteen-trying to clamber up the pole of a streetlamp to get a better view of Melody Miro's performance.

Another invisible tug was followed by a quiet chirp of concern, and a soft bump against their cheek.

Latias?

"I-Isn't it too crowded?" Locke whispered, keeping an eye out for anyone watching them talk to themselves. "Where's Angelo? And Latios?" They skimmed the top of the crowd for angelo vestri or a flash of blue.

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This time when they leap, Locke prepares for the inevitable rush of sea water around them-something he'll have to get used to for the rest of this competition it seems. They really should've practiced more…

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Another one of those weird shards. Locke tossed it into the pile with a groan, thinking of a small collection of them sitting at the bottom of their bag already. If only they could sell them…

Hopefully this next dive would bring him something more useful.

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He's out of the tank just as soon as he's in, but he'd managed to hit the target once! With still-dripping clothes and renewed confidence Locke stepped up to reclaim his throne from the stranger inside.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke listened with increasing concern. She'd acted out to save Melody Miro, and now without Chu-e Choi to protect her…

"You did what you thought was right-you should never feel bad for that, and I'm sure Miss Miro is very grateful for it," he started. That kind of bravery deserved praise, regardless of the circumstances. He wasn't even sure if he could stand up to Rocket like that, especially if he cared about them half as much as Eris did.

"It's good that Merlino's looking out for you like your Pa did." His intuition about Cillian Quinn's better qualities had been partially right at least, even as unexpected as it was. Every little thing he learned about the underboss just made him more and more of an enigma.

But would Merlino's protection alone really be enough?

"What I said at Mount Pyre still stands. You can call me for anything, even just to get away for a little bit." It was a bold promise for someone who could barely take care of themselves. There really wasn't much they could offer her, except-

"'Through rain, sleet, or wormhole'-I'll deliver one of these!"

Locke put two fingers against their cheeks, and lifted the corners of their mouth into wide, goofy-looking smile.

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Noi-Noi made what might've been either an agreeing noise or a warning growl-he could never be too sure. Wicke's Pokémon seemed to be a bit friendlier, but maybe that was just how its face looked?

"Is that actually a dragon-type?" Locke asked. "I think I've seen something like it before, but-oh! Martin!"

They jogged up to meet the other man halfway with a bright smile. "I'm making some extra money, of course! But what about you? I didn't know CEOs did their own security," they teased.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz