Eyes move from the girl to the Luxray and quickly back to the girl.

"Then I suppose it's a good thing I'm not Santa." A short laugh follows as he takes a bedside seat cautious of the child's protector all the while.

"While I may not be Santa, I do have a gift for you, that is if you can answer a few questions." With that he'd reveal the pristine strawberry shortcake an eye watching to see how the girl reacts before offering the first of many questions.

"Now you, I, and Gavin shave in common. It's something very special outside of our affiliation. Do you know what that is? In fact this isn't the first time he'd seen the girl though it was the first time they spoke. There'd been times before his promotion he'd seen a young girl wander into labs and after having seen it a time or two he'd questioned her appearance, it wasn't long after the man got his answer as surprising as it may have been.

"Oh and bonus question! What were you working on in that notebook, that is only if you care to share."

The appearance of the Ariados startles the scientist. Not once had he seen or suspected the spider was there and that, on its own, was a testament to the preparedness and the skill of the beast in question. The fight ends as quickly as it starts leaving the two in darkness albeit with an Ariados in tow now - no Miles figures it'd always been there.

The Silver-haired rocket would fill the empty space with an answer to Miles' query, to which the scientist would listen silently using the infrared goggles to seek that supposed nearby stairwell, enjoying the flavor of his lollipop all the while.

"Then it's a good thing I'm a quick starter." He responds swiftly halting his search to meet the man's eyes. "While my studies in this have been preliminary, after reading your article in the papers my time in the rocket labs has been focused on studying just that. Though I must admit due to a lack of resources and prestige, my time hasn't quite been my own in the organization." Most of it was spent running errands or combat training, neither held much of interest though the later had proved useful. "I do believe this 'infinity energy' as its been dubbed can be the future, having lived through the attack on Slateport I've seen it first hand and it's potential at this moment is more than I've ever seen." The memories concerning Slateport are stains on his life and speaking on it is more than uncomfortable, but there was only truth in the statement. In thinking of the aftermath, only a fool wouldn't have seen the potential of said energy focused in other sectors.

"As it stands I've tested about 50 or so different materials with Underboss Chu-e Choi helping me in that endeavor. It's a primitive way of testing, but there are the makings of results." The mention of Flint also is as unnerving as it is interesting. She had many titles in the circles on the submarine, most of which Miles didn't care to repeat. Having seen the woman a time or two himself he could understand both the why and how of their creation even if he'd only witnessed her from afar. But the potential to work with or for her was something Miles couldn't pass up, after all for all the bad said if one thing remained consistent in all of the said circles it was that the woman was a savant.

He moves to a jammed door forcing it open with a shove or two revealing a dusty half-painted stairwell.

"I Believe I found your 'fuckin' stairs' sir."

"Her loss. Far be it from me to overlook an easy answer to an otherwise troublesome job."

In truth he has very few pokemon suited to a job like this, his team was centered around defense built to protect and stall. Infiltration was far from his strong suit thankfully Killian had devised a plan that was both simple and effective.

The researcher would reach into his shoulder pouch sliding a mask from its shallow depths. The last he'd had to wear it was in during his 'visit' to Fortree a month or two prior. A simple glance at the item brought forward memories uncomfortable to say the least, but a job was just that, a job. So regardless of how uncomfortable it felt in the moment, Miles refuses to give in to what he felt was weakness. attaching the seviper styled cloth onto his person, not to hide from the scientists, but to prevent himself from falling victim to the plan once it was underway.

"How long have you been with the organization. Most of the higher-ups seem war-torn, damaged." Even the few he liked. Chu-e Choi and @flint were sociable enough when it came to Miles but even they in their manner of speaking in their manner of being They'd been beaten by the world in a sense; Miles too had fallen in a capacity. He's sure Killian has as well, but there was something else in the man's tired eyes. Something Miles wished to appraise. "No disrespect to them, you seem to have, a little more life left. Even with those bags under your eyes." He half-jokes, eyes returning from Killian to the mission site.

The researcher prepares a pokeball of his own in the event anyone manages to withstand the sleep powder, the two scientists at the excavation point seemed particularly awake. Not to say he doubts Killian he simply has a contingency prepared in the event the plan shifted, as plans oft do.

"Ready on your cue."

Oh, how fate tempts him.

With each step, Miles feels himself losing control almost salivating at the chance now. The room is left empty excluding the two men and their pokemon. Still Bugs attempt to breach but the reflect holds strong still.

The man speaks and Miles can't help the grin forming just beneath his mask. He thinks on his instructor back at base, on what he's learned when confronting an opponent.

"How can you not?"

If possible make your first strike your only strike.

"After all."

He lunges, a swift punch to the throat as if a bullseye had been placed directly atop his adam's apple. The hostages were all but free, but the data could wait as Miles cannot.

"It's your fault. If you and yours hadn't stepped foot in this region, if that cursed blood died in Kanto with your godforsaken parents it wouldn't have come to this." The words are spat like the venom of his namesake.

"If it weren't for you monsters she'd still be alive."

There's silence on the comms for a second too long.

Alarms sound as the protective glass shatters. Immediately steel shutters slam on the showroom floor. Three sides contain him in a steel cage while the final is a massive window pane overlooking the city. With the parcel in hand, Rowan would find himself trapped. The pulsating, headache-inducing red emergency lights glow fiercely as the sounds of steps grew louder between the sirens. The shuffling of cops It'd become a situation.

---------

An elevator sounds and Miles finds peace in the cool night air. He watches over Lilycove for a moment, the fading sirens just beneath serve as a sign all has gone according to plan. From afar he spots flashing headlights - a quick response from the police. A pokeball falls and a shadow soars in front of the man it's red eyes waiting for a command.

"Focus on where the red lights originate. 3 floors below."

As the pokemon dives a finger moves to his ear; the comms device lighting as it'd done so many times before.

"Rowan, it's do or die. You have 25 seconds. Break the window pane and jump."

It was a lot to ask of the man, to leap from the 7th floor of one of the tallest buildings in the entirety of Lilycove. Still, for all the man spoke of power, and freedom those things were most often paid with resolve. It was time to see if the young elite could afford that which he sought.

Trust me.

for the first time since his initiation he feels trapped, it’d be the first of many during his stint with the organization.

He has no words, because in his heart he knows that, it was a gut feeling he’d dared not speak into existence.

Theo Beckett lacks a heart, morality, ethics - these were meaningless, in his eyes. Items that were ready made to weigh one down. To fight him on this would be insubordination, and he can’t risk that, not yet.

He’s sized the man up too many times since entering the path, he could strike now in this position he has a good chance, the worst case scenario the burning cavern would serve as a shared tomb. But does he have the resolve?

He plays the scenario out in seconds, what’s his plan in the aftermath assuming there is aftermath. A cursory glance moves to kabutops its sickles shining in the light of the path.

Are we done here Beckett.

The sun barely peeks into the stark white room when he stirs from his sleep. Eyes dart open remembering the conditions that led to unconsciousness. A panicked stare first falls on the IV drip carefully attached to his wrist, 'a blood transfusion' . It made sense concerning the nature of his wound, said arm was bandaged tight only a dull ache remained - pain killers he reckons. He attempts to move his other arm and that's when he sees her his heart in flux. fingers slid against his, head on the side of his mattress. Even now she radiated that warmth he'd so recently become acquainted with.

Her beauty captivates him in this moment. The sun only barely hits her cheek raven strands lay splayed across the side of the mattress. He spies the small cuts and scars the little imperfections that line her limbs from battles long since past, battles he hoped to one day learn about. Soft fingers with tips, calloused; a testament to how much of herself she gives.

He doesn't deserve her, it goes without saying. With every fiber in his being he knows Stormy is far is too good for him. It's clear from the moment he collapsed she hadn't left his side for a shadow of a second. He moves like a tailor, steady, stitching a dress, each motion almost painfully deliberate lifting her hand to the lower side of his face. He thinks back before the race, the fire of that moment and all those following, the words he hadn't then dared to say at the starting line.

Lips grace the backside of her palm, her knuckles so soft despite the stories her scars told.

Now they rested here at an unexpected finish. A curled finger moves a lock of hair behind her ear He studies the intricacies of her face the edges of her eyelashes, the curvature of her nose. The remnants of tears - a toll of his recklessness. All are committed to memory stored and buried in the deepest chambers of his heart.

"I love you." It fades off those stark walls into nothing.

He wouldn’t dream of it.

He hopes to pass through, to avoid her concern in favor of his own pride regardless of how misplaced it may have been. Her command is met and he stops still attempting to hide his wounds, but time has taken it’s toll and he can no longer move as well as he did prior. it felt as if he was wading through a swamp.

She, however, remains firm. A rock in face of his weakness. A hero through and through. And so now what is he to do?

The facade falls and a hospital is brought into question. He hasn’t been logged in any official systems for the better half of a year, something the analyst knows any major database would pick up.

“Hey, hey I’m not going anywhere firecracker. I promise.” An attempt to affirm he’d be okay, that he wouldn’t leave her. He takes a deep breath for what good it does. “I’m not a fan of hospitals, And the scrapes are worse than they look.” there’s clear apprehension there, but he’s become dizzy, he hadn’t the strength to delve deeper even if he wanted to.

Aerodactyl eyes the newcomer carefully in any other circumstance the rock type would have instigated a fight with the charizard, but its apparent to even Caelum that the stakes far exceeded the prehistoric Pokémon’s will to fight.

He can’t resist her, he can’t lose her. And so when she offers her hand the choice is all but an illusion. He takes it with what little strength he has left before what little left of his consciousness fades. “Hey I’m gonna lean on you for a few, okay?”

He falls in her arms knowing there were far worse places to fall. what she chose to do with him was exactly that, her choice.

How many slights would the researcher be forced to take as he scrubs the ball against his shirt the man's gaze never once leaving the younger grunts eyes. Still, Beckett decides to answer to the darker-skinned man's surprise.

"It's a means to an end. This is my home Beckett." In fact he'd been born on Miles away, a small hot spring town to the west cradled beneath the volcano. "The league over the course of the conflicts brought to their doorstep have proven themselves incapable of protecting its people."

Another pokemon appears a growlithe, ready to fight. He has no personal interest in the fire type, but there's someone special who may and for that reason he chooses combat. A pokeball flies revealing a kabutops who, in a fluid motion, dispatches the growlite with a liquidation. Another pokeball and the process repeats.

He's careful with his words now, Beckett's been with the organization predating its arrival in Hoenn, he was a different breed. "I care little for 'world domination' Beckett. As long as the slaughter of innocents, land, and homes end I don't care who claims to be the boss." The region over the last 4 years had begun to destabilize. Hoenn had become little less than a warzone, through those tragedies people like Miles were built, He aims to stop those who would end up like him. The fact that he exists in this capacity is inexcusable.

Catching Growlithe

"A plan I can more than abide by." With a sudden squeeze she's gone and despite the pain, he can't help but huff playfully before turning to watch her deal with the biggest rat attempting to scurry away. Caelum finally reverts to his standard form as tensions die down. The second rider has recalled her scorched scoliopede and also begins to flee. He nods for aerodactyl to stop her. And so it lands cornering her. The monster's glowing red eyes dare the rider to try anything.

"I'll be checking back with the diner owner periodically to make sure these 'collections' have ended. You'd hate for me to find out otherwise, wouldn't you?" His own glare is almost as intense as the prehistoric pokemon's the dripping blood only emphasizes the intensity the man and his pokemon shared. The secondary rider of course agrees to the terms through her own share of stammering and with a nod to the rock titan she's allowed to flee.

"Stay." An obvious urge to bully the fleeing trainer rested in his pokemon's eyes, and while humorous he thwarts the notion only now beginning to feel the full weight of his wounds. He moves toward Stormy, who judging by the wallet in hand had finished her fair share of intimidation.

"I can return the money tomorrow, I'll be passing through Slateport anyways. For now how about we head home, I believe you and I have business.." He stumbles a bit unable to finish the sentence. With the adrenaline having finally slowed his aching arm grew heavier the black sleeve now drips onto the concrete. He catches himself easily enough. He could treat himself at home he just needed to get there.

"I apologize, the festivities seem to have taken more out of me than I thought." The smile's weak, but he pushes onwards regardless too stubborn to tell the women about the severity of his wound.

There's panic in her voice and he curses himself. Before he can or before the need to console her arises she pulls herself back, there's work to be done on both sides. The woman hops off her steed and Miles turns making sure his bloodied arm stays out of sight or as much as it can at least. As long as she remained unharmed this was a win. In an unspoken tactic the two switch sides. She chooses to face off against the Scoliopede for obvious reasons leaving Miles to deal with the DK himself, he couldn't have asked for a better opponent. The rider hops off allowing the electric type to fight at its full potential though it certainly wouldn't be fighting long.

He can feel the woman warm at his back, but he's too focused on his own fight to turn. The researcher takes a breath Chu-e Choi appearing in his mind's eye. He'd do it as the underboss taught him. A bloodied hand would reach to his hair tie the hidden jewel beginning to glow. This was overkill certainly, but what better time to experiment on himself. Even amidst all this the researcher can't help but realize that the conditions were perfect. Tensions were high, Caelum was both motivated and energized, and more than both he had something on the line. Something to prove and more someone to protect.

"Don't disappoint." He speaks aloud more to himself than to the pokemon. Caelum would glow white unlocking his next form The pokemon becomes more jagged Stones grow from his wings and the battle lust grows exponentially. The Luxray attempts a thunderbolt, but it's simply too slow. As the light fades the Rock-type soars dodging the Lightning, not even seconds later an enclave of rocks far larger than the ones earlier would pile on the electric type from above. The Luxray manages to dodge one...two, but the rock slide is too fierce and quickly the pokemon is caught trapped in the stone avalanche rocks pummeling its body.

Finish it." The aerodactyl would twist itself in the air before spiraling downward dive-bombing the Luxray. Its head glows with a fierce silver light hardening further before slamming directly into Luxray knocking its body through the newly laid stones and into the DK himself.

For all their tricks the man was all talk." He turns to the woman only to see a faint glow fade from her hands, he chalks it up as a trick of the light. A glance determines her opponents are clearly incapacitated.

Can I make a quick note about how stunning you look right now, or would that be inappropriate?" Aerodactyl lands its body still brimming with infinity energy; content to enjoy this form a little longer. All the while, Miles would make his way toward the woman, "I know I end up saying it every date, but I'm sorry you got dragged into this, or rather, thank you Stormy, for having my back." He's reverted to her full name, not knowing if she liked what seemed like the obvious nickname.

His good arm wraps around her and she can see the dirt and cuts along his face. His outfit is ruined, but still, he's smiling. After all, he has her. Her body's warmer than usual, in fact, it's a bit too hot, but he refuses to let her go enticed by her heat. His arm is stronger forceful as he holds her against his chest.

He keeps his voice low while he speaks, "While I'd love nothing more than to take this show back to Lavaridge and show you exactly how much I appreciate you, any ideas on what we do with, 'that'." the hushed voice lightens as his finger finds itself pointed at the now fallen DK stuck beneath the body of his Luxray.

Certainly, there were people Miles' could call to clean this situation, but that would be a permanent end to a situation that hardly required it.

The blows eventually end with Merlino throwing in the towel first. A surprising outcome in the eyes of the spectator so much so he's thankful money hadn't been on the line. As the two chat, (apparently as one does after a bloody brawl) Miles departs from the room quietly satisfied with what he'd seen gears turning in his head opinions forming of both men. He's not gone for long, however, returning with something of a gift. He passes Merlino on the way out.

From across the room, he calls to the grunt beat halfway to hell. "Heads up." An ice pack would soar through the stagnant submarine air in the direction of Tempest Quinn. He doesn't stay for long following the pass calling back to the grunt. "Block more next time, your face is your sole redeeming quality." With a debt repaid Miles makes his way down the hallways left to think about the sport he'd just witnessed, and how best to utilize both men's physical talents.