[attr="class","juliaw"]

Julia didn't quite understand what Blackjack meant about not letting where he was from define him, but then she was reminded of what he had said about the kinds of people who joined Team Rocket. It wasn't just immoral opportunists and psychos; it was the downtrodden, the desperate, the people who felt like they had no other option. Julia still didn't believe that Rocket was the best choice for them, but that didn't stop them from joining. They weren't all irredeemable monsters, at least not at first, and Blackjack was proof of that. After all, he'd stopped the protest from swelling into violence for a second time rather than capitalizing on it to prove a point against the League or something.

[break][break]Josh didn't see that, though. He still saw Blackjack as a member of the group that had separated him from his family and a man who'd tried to kill him twice now. If it were anyone else, Julia would be firmly on her fellow Ranger's side, but Josh was blinded by his anger and stoking the fire that the two had been trying to put out mere moments ago. She hoped that Chester's interference would snap Josh out of it; after all, he'd essentially just attacked a friend, right? That had to knock some sense back into him!

[break][break]But it didn't. Instead, when Julia opened her mouth to protest that this feud did concern her because Josh was her friend, Josh shouted at her to stay out of this. Her opened mouth went slack with hurt shock. Was he really okay with letting Julia get hurt for trying to stop this madness?

[break][break]No. No, this couldn't be the Josh that Julia knew. She refused to believe it was. His rage and hatred had turned him into someone else, and she didn't like him.

[break][break]Below, the mob's momentum had shifted. A few members cracked jokes about Ranger-on-Ranger violence, but the rest formed a seawall to stop those waves from spreading. At Blackjack's suggestion, much calmer than Josh's, that Julia protect the protesters from the ensuing battle, the crowd parted a bit. Blackjack's Crobat rose higher in the air, but he didn't make any other moves. In that momentary pause, Julia looked between Josh and the Chester-sized dent in the crowd. The latter seemed far, far more welcoming at that moment.

[break][break]"Fine," Julia said, voice colder than perhaps either man had heard it before. She led Chester toward the crowd, gently stroking his back as he struggled with his paralysis. Luckily, she was pretty sure she had some Paralyze Heal on her, so once they were—

[break][break]"EMPEROR'S ROYAL ROAR!!!"

[break][break]Oh, that probably wasn't good. "Everyone, cover your ears!" Julia shouted before recalling Chester into his Poké Ball and covering her own. A moment later, the sonic discharge overloaded the loudspeakers. Even with her ears covered, the sound made Julia flinch. The speakers went dead in volleys of sparks, a weirdly relieving sound. When the noise had passed, Julia's eyes opened, fire flashing within her pupils. In a way, the Z-Move had had its intended effect of augmenting Julia's strength and morale. Even if she couldn't stop this battle, Julia would stop anyone else from getting hurt, no matter what.

[break][break]"Everyone, make room!" This time, Julia's shout was more collected and confident. She replaced Chester's Poké Ball on her belt and sent out her Hisuian Goodra. "Snaily, I need your help protecting everyone. If something happens, I need you to Shelter these people, all right?" Snaily let out an eager squeak, happy to help, and gave her trainer a gooey hug for good measure. Julia patted her Pokémon on the back, not wanting to get too much slime on her hands right now.

[break][break]There was one group of people still way too close to the battlefield, though: the cops. The protesters probably wouldn't be too happy with them being woken up, but Julia couldn't just leave them there, unable to defend themselves. She sought out the young officer who'd said they hadn't received an order earlier and hurried over to her.

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Julia had no idea how a person made themselves "presentable" to a Legendary Pokémon, but Josh apparently had his own ideas. "I think so, yeah."

[break][break]His pause after her question was unexpected. The answer was apparently complicated and had changed over time. She couldn't quite tell why he rolled his eyes, but instead of questioning that, she listened. When he mentioned the feeling she got when she was riding Chester, she nodded with a fond smile. It was a feeling she'd quickly fallen in love with; before, she'd preferred running on her own two legs, even after the accident. She still loved doing that, but the more she'd learned about and participated in Pokémon racing, the more she'd understood the physicality involved in riding, the feeling of the wind whipping through her hair, the weightlessness that came with going at high speeds, and the thrill of the race itself. It was no wonder that Josh was so passionate about it.

[break][break]He struggled to continue, and with the football game muted, only the sounds of hospital machinery were left to fill the silence, leaving plenty of room for Julia's thoughts. She'd seen the imagery of Raikou in Josh's Gym, but she hadn't realized that it had been what had inspired him to start racing. The gears in Julia's head started turning in a chain reaction as their teeth slotted neatly into place with each other. The feeling of riding on a Pokémon, Raikou being Josh's inspiration to start racing, the fact that his reasons for pursuing the Legendary weren't all selfless...

[break][break]"You wanna race with him." It wasn't a question; it was the conclusion she'd come to after putting all these facts together.

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The motorcycle incident had scared Julia and momentarily brought her back to a bad place, but it was far from the most traumatizing incident in her life. But how could Blackjack or Isaac have known that? It wasn't like she'd talked about the accident that had taken her leg with either side of him, nor had she gone into the fallout, the deep depression, the physical and mental therapy, the fear that she'd never have her life back, and the determination to take it back that had made her who she was now. She was proud of the person she'd become. That didn't mean she liked thinking about what she'd had to go through to get there.

[break][break]Blackjack admitted that it would have felt wrong to leave a scared, angry Julia there and thanked her for keeping his apology secret. He really was different, wasn't he? It reminded Julia a bit of the age-old lesson of not judging a book by its cover. She wasn't sure if it was supposed to apply to situations like these—after all, as far as she knew, Blackjack had willingly joined Team Rocket—but it still felt apt.

[break][break]So he'd been pulling disappearing acts since he was a teen? Julia had a lot of questions about the hows and whys, but she wouldn't get a chance to ask them even if she wanted to. She'd grown so comfortable with their banter that his scowl caught her off guard. Right, being compared to a member of the League probably wasn't a good thing for a Rocket. She worried for a moment that her words, well-intentioned as they were, would drive a wedge between them and compromise their truce, but then Blackjack averted his gaze and began to half-speak, half-grumble.

[break][break]Julia had been ready to write Blackjack off as an outlier who didn't represent Rocket as a whole. Some people were just different, after all. But between his actions and words on the field and his explanation about the kinds of people who joined Team Rocket, she was beginning to doubt her assumptions about those people and Rocket as a whole. There was no doubt that Rocket was a criminal group that had hurt countless people in countless ways, and it definitely housed its fair share of monsters who deserved to be locked up for the rest of their lives, but Blackjack was far less of an outlier than Julia had thought. There were others like him, and Rocket preyed on them to bolster its ranks and make more monsters.

[break][break]With time, would Blackjack turn out like that? Or would he hold on and continue to be a different face of Rocket, one who wanted better but felt like they couldn't turn anywhere else?

[break][break]"Is that really their only choice, though?" Julia asked. "I know there's all kinds of programs and shelters to help people in need; heck, I brought a bunch of medicine to one not too long ago. And the Rangers put together a whole initiative to help people after the Darkest Day." She didn't know Blackjack's story or his reason for joining Team Rocket, but she did know that the League was doing what it could to look after and protect its region and its people. Was it perfect? Of course not; even an optimist like Julia knew that. But surely it was a better option than turning to Rocket... right?

[break][break]If Blackjack was a member, then he clearly didn't think so.

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The final stretch of the race was pure chaos. Racers passed each other in a scramble for the finish line amongst the cries of Pokémon that were thrusting themselves into speed-boosting attacks. Julia felt a sense of deja vu as Josh Devlin grew closer on Saber's crackling strides, but there wasn't enough room for them to catch up, leaving Julia to cross the finish line in 8th place.

[break][break]Julia stood at Chester's side in front of the podium, where she accepted her vanity check with a proud beam. It wasn't about the money, of course, even if it was a nice payday; it was about being among the best racers in the region despite her lack of experience. Chester's middle head leaned down to nuzzle his trainer, and both basked in their pride.

[break][break]Of course, the real stars of the race were Isaac Merlo and Buffaloman, who'd taken a strong lead and kept it right to the end. He deserved his spot on that raised podium. It was just a shame that not everyone could be up here with how well they'd raced. That was just how competitions went, Julia supposed. She could have just as easily been on the other side, watching the victors receive their prizes and praise, especially given that she was at the back of the winners' pack.

[break][break]She joined Josh in tracking down Isaac—not like it was hard—passing congratulations and support to the other racers she ran into. Even Raziel Beckett would get one if she passed him, albeit less energetically.

[break][break]"Yeah, you did great out there!" Julia said to Isaac himself. "I was trying to finesse my way to the finish, but you guys just ran over everything in your way!"

[break][break]Support then turned to Josh, who had just barely missed out on a spot in the winners' circle. "Yeah, definitely! You were right on my heels at the end; I bet once you're all better, you'll be flying right by us."

[break][break]Even as she supported her friends in their victories, she was already thinking about how to do better in her next race. This course had proven that Chester, while very much a good endurance runner (and a good boy in general), had his shortcomings when it came to winding, technical courses like this. There was a reason that seasoned racers like Josh had several different Pokémon he raced with, and not just because of the fact that courses could be on land, in the water, or in the air. Each Pokémon had its own strengths, and playing up to those strengths was one of the keys to success. Julia wondered which of her other rideable Pokémon would help fill in the gaps that Chester couldn't cover...

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Julia was ready to give chase with Spot, but Talia beat her to the punch by trapping the men between two large rocks summoned by her Flygon's Earthquake. "Nice!" Julia exclaimed proudly.

[break][break]She turned to check on the family of snakes, but when she didn't see anything, she grew worried. Had one of the poachers' comrades snuck up behind them while they were distracted? But then something purple poked its head out of the sand, and Julia relaxed. The mother Arbok was the first to emerge to examine the scene, tongue flickering out to taste the air. One by one, her children joined her.

[break][break]"You're safe now," Julia said to them. "These horrible men won't bother you anymore."

[break][break]The wind just barely carried the Arbok's soft hiss to Julia's ears before the mother curled around her babies and guided them back into their nest. Julia wondered if that was her way of saying thank you.

[break][break]"They'll be okay now." All that was left was to wait for backup so these crooks could be locked up, and then their mission was complete!

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"You got it!" Julia said about taking point. She'd been relying on Shalin's adventuring experience, but now it was her turn to take the lead. Knowing what sorts of tricks this place had up its sleeves, though, she'd need to be cautious. It was a good thing she had four heads on her side!

[break][break]She let Shalin peek through the Lazuli Lens, but the adventurer didn't seem to see everything that Julia did. "You don't see those people sitting around the table?" Julia asked. "They kinda look like ghosts..." Yep, this was definitely getting spooky.

[break][break]Shalin didn't react to the words they said, either, so Julia repeated them for her: "Slay the four foxes with their own might. Only then can we proceed to the afterlife..." Put like that, the situation was less spooky and more sad. "I dunno what that means, but I'll figure it out. I promise." A few fox-like Pokémon and statues had already appeared in this place, so maybe it had something to do with them? She'd have to keep these "four foxes" in mind.

[break][break]As usual, the best thing to do was to keep moving instead of just standing around and thinking. The Lens revealed a tunnel entrance hidden by a false wall, which she guided Shalin toward. The walls, floor, and ceiling were transparent like glass, revealing a network of massive translucent pipes, many of which had magma flowing through them.

[break][break]"Whoa," Julia said in a stunned, awestruck voice. Shalin's invoking of Arceus's name showed just how shocked she was by this, too. "Like, what's it called, geothermal power? I wonder if it still works." The magma was flowing, but was it actually powering anything? And would it still work if taken out of this strange, mystical place?

[break][break]She tried to follow the flow of the magma with her eyes, but the tangle of pipes made it difficult to tell just where it was going. She at least had a general idea of which rooms would be dangerous to enter because of the magma, like that one Shalin had stumbled into early in their adventure.

[break][break]"I wonder if it's possible to turn this off. Maybe we could drain the magma from that one room."

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Julia burst into giggles at the sound of Blackjack's raucous laughter. Lazuli glanced back at her in a combination of concern and confusion. At least Julia's laughter meant she was okay, but the Lapras hadn't expected her to go there, either.

[break][break]"Hey, it turned out okay!" Julia said once she'd calmed her laughter a bit. "I didn't actually get hurt or anything. Besides... you actually made sure I was okay. That was really cool of you." She had to pause for a moment to make sure that had actually happened and hadn't been a dream. What a crazy night that had been.

[break][break]She wasn't sure what to make of Blackjack's next expression at first. It almost seemed to soften, but the skull mask kept a sharp edge to it that made it hard to judge. His apology came as only sort of a shock because of all that. It was Julia's turn to blink a few times as her brain buffered. The mischievous grin that crossed Blackjack's face afterward was a lot more familiar. She grinned back.

[break][break]"You got it." It may have been punctuated by a quip, but the apology itself didn't have any ifs, ands, or buts attached to it. "I won't tell a soul, promise. Not like anyone would believe me. Right, guys?" She looked back at the caged crooks, still grinning. Wisely, they kept their butts nice and hushed..

[break][break]Blackjack's plan for what came next seemed solid. "Think you can carry all of us for a little bit, Lazuli?" Julia asked. She got a gentle warble and nod in response, earning Lazuli another few strokes on the neck. "I've still got some rope if we need it, but a Power Whip coat sounds nice and comfy!" To the poachers, her beaming face looked more horrifying than it had any right to.

[break][break]"Jeez, now you make me wanna look back. Hope you can really disappear that fast."

[break][break]Her lighthearted, joking smile settled into something more contemplative. "You know, you're a lot different from what I imagined a Rocket to be like. If it wasn't for the mask and the crimes and stuff—" That was one way of putting it. "—I'd think you were just a regular person. Heck, maybe even a Ranger or an Officer."

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Julia's smile grew a bit melancholy. "Yeah, rejection's no fun. But you're right: you've gotta prepare for it 'cause sometimes, it just happens. Who really knows with Legendary Pokémon?" Especially the ones who threw their lots in with the likes of Team Rocket.

[break][break]"What would you do if you met Raikou? You said you wanted to stop the bad future you saw with his help, right?" Julia still didn't fully understand how he planned to do that, especially now that he was saying he could fulfill his dream as long as he just knew the person Raikou chose.

[break][break]The low sound of the football game in the background helped lighten the atmosphere. Blackthorn was behind, but it looked like they could turn it around at the last second, so it was really anyone's game. Julia wasn't particularly invested in either team; she was excited to see how it'd turn out either way. These kinds of close games were always the most fun to her.

[break][break]Her usual smile easily came back to her. "Thanks. I don't think it's sad, though. It means there aren't as many problems, right? Besides, it gives me more free time to just travel and explore and do whatever. Did they say how long your recovery might take?"

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Was it possible to adopt someone as your younger sibling? Because Julia kind of wanted to adopt Hideo Kino as her younger sibling right now. She peeked around Corporal Crab to get a look at this army of Wooper, only to duck back behind him with a "Whoa!" when a snowball came flying at her like a comet. Phew, that was close.

[break][break]"Thank you for your services, brave soldiers," Julia said to Hideo's Pokémon. "Sergeants Spot and Snuffles are defending the home base." Which meant they were working on the snowboy. Snuffles summoned an Icy Wind to fortify the one of the snowballs that Spot had rolled up. The Lucario turned to look toward where his trainer had taken shelter from the snow war. He huffed through his nostrils, but he smiled at the fun his trainer was having.

[break][break]It seemed the girl who had started this battle, Eris Halla, was gone. "Understood," Julia said with a salute. "I'll watch our left flank while preparing more ammunition." That, of course, meant more snowballs.

[break][break]

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"Is that what you call them? Dad and Other Dad?" The question was lighthearted; she didn't actually think Pluto called them that, but now she was curious.

[break][break]Oh, jeez, there was another Tyrantrum again. Was it the same one? Was it looking for something? Julia hoped it wasn't the Tyrunt that she now had safely tucked away in a Poké Ball... Luckily, it went on its way. Meanwhile, Chester had to chase off an Impidimp that was—surprise, surprise—trying to get into Julia's stuff. Next time, she was putting locks on her bags.

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Oh, stars, this was totally the guy who'd tried to kill Josh. "Wait, twice?!" Julia practically squeaked out.

[break][break]What Blackjack said next didn't line up with what Julia would have imagined an assassin to say. (Okay, to be fair, she didn't actually know what an assassin would say, but it definitely wasn't what Blackjack said.) He'd healed Josh's wounds? Left a pillow under his head? His accusation that the League was weak had the bite of a bona fide Rocket to it, but the rest... the rest sounded more like the Blackjack that Julia had worked with before.

[break][break]She saw the Rocket's subtle movement but didn't know what to make of it. Not like she had time to think on it, though, with his chilling words of how if Rocket wanted someone dead, they'd be dead. A test...? The more Julia listened, the more it all matched up with the Blackjack she—sort of—knew. But why? What were his motives? Julia didn't get to ask; Blackjack redirected attention back to the protesters, the real reason they were all here. She looked to Josh for his response.

[break][break]But all she saw was unbridled rage that made her eyes widen in shock.

[break][break]She barely registered him handing over the reins of the operation to her. He sent out Saber and commanded the Manectric to Thunder Wave Blackjack. Julia saw the pleading look he gave his trainer. Josh ignored it and shouted for his Pokémon to obey him. Saber was clearly reluctant, but he still began to build up the electricity needed for the Thunder Wave.

[break][break]Everything about this was all wrong. Blackjack had stopped to comfort her when she was scared and had helped her bring some poachers to justice, even when she'd been on Rocket waters. He was a criminal, yeah, and that wasn't something Julia could so easily separate from her thoughts on him, but she couldn't reconcile his surprisingly chill moments with the assassin Josh was claiming him to be. And more importantly, this wasn't the Josh she knew. He could be brash, sure, but he had a good heart. Seeing and hearing that fury directed at her and his own Pokémon was just too much.

[break][break]"Stop!"

[break][break]Only Chester's keen observation of his trainer kept her from running forward to halt the Thunder Wave herself. Instead, Chester ran between Saber and Blackjack, taking the jolt himself. He let out a warbling squawk as his legs twitched, paralyzed by the shock. His right head glared at Josh through the pain and stiffness. The left looked worriedly at Julia. The middle seemed to be looking apologetically at Saber.

[break][break]"Chester!" Julia cried. Too many emotions were stirring inside her like the world's worst cocktail: confusion over Blackjack's words, worry over Chester and the entire protest, disbelief over pretty much everything that she'd seen and heard since arriving... and even some anger of her own.

[break][break]"What are you doing?!" she snapped at Josh, all of those feelings bursting out at once. "Can't you see that Saber doesn't want to do this? And what about the protesters? What if another fight breaks out because of all this? I don't want anyone else to get hurt!" And that, she realized, included Blackjack.

[attr="class","juliaw"]

With Snuffles satisfied with her food offerings and Julia's hands and belly warmed by some hot chocolate, it was time to resist the urge to hibernate and instead join the snowball fight! Though when she returned to the battlefield, Julia found that it had become an all-out snowball war. She had no idea who was on which side, though.

[break][break]She ran behind some cover near Hideo Kino. (She probably shouldn't have been putting so much pressure on her stump, but she was sure it'd be fine. Besides, it was a snowball fight! How often did you get to have one of those in Hoenn?) "Status report, General Hideo?" she asked, her voice taking on a comically serious tone. As she waited for the report, she started gathering up snowballs to use as ammunition. Spot and Snuffles, meanwhile, gathered up more snow to use for the actual snowboy.

[break][break]