halfway up the mountain, they’d found a spot leveled off by stone. torterra hid much of the grey of rock, giving the illusion that it was instead covered with life. there in the fog, the great tortoise slumbered, leaves swaying gently.

near the torterra’s head, sagira sat on the ground, soles pressed together and pulled in to her center. she breathed deep, tasting the cool air in all her senses.

a few feet off, delta mimicked her, a tiny version with eyes softly shut.

solo wild – psychic / ghost

oh, yeah.

again, her eyes rose to him briefly before shifting away.

”right. forgot you were famous for a sec.”

she shook her head. silph.

”well. maybe he’ll come after you, then, and we can get him when he comes out of hiding.”

MATIAS SILPH

she wasn’t very interested in the item; more so on whichever group had hunted down and attacked for it. league scientists were discovering new kinds of pokémon benefits in rare stones all the time. a cool and powerful rock just seemed like something rocket would try to steal.

still, she had to ask, ”and where’s the stone? you don’t have it?”

then, her name was being called, echoing against the walls and down the mountainside. she sighed deeply, before stepping out from her hiding place, releasing her captive momentarily and pointing a finger. ”stay put. we’re not finished.”

she approached derek, almost too quickly, looking a bit irked as she pulled the cloth down from her mouth. like she might swing, even.

for one, this place was sacred. for two, seriously?

”why you are being so loud?” she hissed. but when she reached him, she was moving on with only a quick shake of her head.

”did you find out who attacked them?”

DEREK HOFFMAN

through the dark radiated a sternness that she’d more often served delta, but it softened at memories of their platoon.

”i may be sacrificing some things”—like security—”but if i lose anyone to him this time, at least they will have never been under my command.”

her gaze shifted away from him. ”does he know you’re alive?”

MATIAS SILPH

his closeness was both familiar and unfamiliar, comforting and uncomfortable. she stared back, eyes hard and full of will.

the juice box went ignored, save for something in the way she blinked at him.

”because. i don’t want king to hear me on my way to bring him down.”

MATIAS SILPH

sliding off the zarude’s back, her boots landed softly on the grass. the dark charcoal cloth around her neck was pulled up over her nose, and she peered through a hole in the wall. derek had appeared, grabbing their attention, and when one made a break for it…

sagira was quick, quiet on her feet, nimbly beating them to the end of the temple even while bent beneath the height of glassless windows.

at the intersection, she reached out to grab them, pressing a hand over their mouth and attempting to drag them back behind the wall.

”speak quietly. what’s going on?” her hand shifted.

DEREK HOFFMAN

she gave a small nod, but said nothing at first.

then, ”i don’t want that. i want to stay an officer.” because she could only have one or the other. being low in the ranks kept her less known—a benefit, when it came to new plans.

but she stayed vague. it wasn’t something she was willing to share with him.

MATIAS SILPH

she had been numb. there was an odd sense of vaguely uncomfortable weightlessness, and the empty shadow of a love unmet. the coldness of having been wrong, too many times over.

it was only hard work that could keep her out of the strange abyss that she slipped into between the walls here.

what life?

”fine.” still, she didn’t look at him. ”but it’ll be conditional.”

her hands held one another a little tighter.

”i want you let me know when you hear about things happening with team rocket. things the league might not tell me otherwise, in my position.” 

”help me make real use of myself.”

MATIAS SILPH

she was too well aware that she would not be under another officer’s supervision today.

clothed a little differently than usual, she’d accessorized with a black cloth, tied at the back like a bandana at the nape of her neck—but for now, she remained unmasked.

atop a zarude making long strides, she charged up the mountain, a still rather identifying ribbon of green whipping in their wake. they were nearly there, and she never looked back.

thieves were already present. when she'd reached the shrine at the top, they tore off to the dark side of its old exterior to wait, and watch.

DEREK HOFFMAN

there were a vast multitude of things sagira would have done differently, she told herself, in the deepest depths of her unspoken thoughts.

it was hardly something she was prepared to talk about.

she shook her head, glancing at her hands. they felt capable of more things than they had been before, and couldn't decide that was good or not.

”i don’t know. it doesn’t matter, anyways. all that matters is moving forward.”

MATIAS SILPH

there were many footprints, but following one set only led into more—and confusion. while she paid attention to them, it was quickly abandoned as a method for tracking.

from above, the metallic sheen of kano’s helmet caught the zarude’s eye. it gave a few grunted vowels, but swinging faster through the trees, skillfully quiet. sagira picked up the pace, following surefootedly.

soon, they reached the edge of the woods—but they remained there. the former lieutenant had the sense to keep behind the cover of a tree.

there was only one, but the dress was suspicious. why the mask?

then again, why did she have one on herself?

Kano Iyona

after realizing it hadn’t been KING WAYLAND at her door, she'd felt sleep call to her again—but a wave of sudden emotion at his body slouching against her had a similar effect to smelling salts.

it reminded her of her childhood. young young.

and then, the mention of kanto hit even harder.

she didn’t push him off, though she felt she should, for a number of reasons. composing herself silently, she eyed back down at the floor again. and eventually, she nodded.

”yeah.” the feeling in her voice was one of longing to go back in time. not to kanto now, but kanto then—two entirely different places.

their kanto was a place they could never hope to return to, because it no longer existed.

”a lot.”

MATIAS SILPH