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Gunner did not take his eyes off Isaac as the security guard unlocked the handcuffs. That was how the agent noticed the mist coalescing around Isaac's hands. The knife of pure ice formed out of thin air. Unconsciously, Gunner tensed, waiting to see what Isaac would do.[break][break]

But instead of attacking his captors, he stepped into the hallway with them, determination flashing in his eyes. Gunner frowned but did not argue. He raced down the corridor alongside the others, releasing one of his Pokémon as he went.[break][break]

His Blaziken, Caelia, emerged in a flash of light just as they rounded the corner to run into two masked members of Team Rocket. Their own Pokémon were out, two each.[break][break]

Caelia immediately jumped into the fray, using FLAMETHROWER on a Golurk that took up most of the space in the wide hall.

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Gunner flashed back to the fire at POG Bank's headquarters in Slateport City. Some civilians had suffered burn wounds, but not enough damage had been sustained to categorize it as a catastrophe. And in the public's eyes, the incident had nothing to do with the Director of the HBIC.[break][break]

But that wasn't the reality. Penelope had caused the fire with Avatar powers not yet under her control. And Gunner knew—now better than then—that she could be plenty insecure about her own inadequacy.[break][break]

He met her gaze with a cool, even stare. He would not let her run away.[break][break]

"Well, first, because it would be a good break in between the stress of day-to-day work," he said. This his tone and eyes softened, just a fraction. "And second, because we need you, Penny."[break][break]

Appeal to logic first, then to emotion.[break][break]

"As our director and leader."[break][break]

Terastallization, MEGA EVOLUTION, rare Pokémon… None of them compared to the power of an Avatar and their patron.

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angelo vestri. Somehow, Gunner was not surprised. Such a man would take on a suicidal mission to rescue a missing Ranger. Already, Gunner was rewriting Isaac's story in his mind, replacing the younger man's effort with Angelo's.[break][break]

But with the alarm blaring, the agent had no time to reimagine the truth into fiction. He glared long and hard at Isaac's handcuffs, which kept him chained to the table. Surely Gunner and the prison's security staff could fight and arrest one or two members of Team Rocket.[break][break]

Screams of agony—both human and Pokémon—filled the air. The static-edged cry of "We need backup!" crackled over a walkie-talkie.[break][break]

Gunner ground his teeth. "Fine. But you're back in cuffs right afterward." He gestured for the guard, still standing in the doorway. "Release him."[break][break]

Despite his confusion and suspicion, the guard obeyed, removing a ring of keys from his belt and unlocking Isaac's shackles.

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Later that evening, Gunner met with his Kantonian friends who'd survived the war. They wore the tales of their suffering on their weary faces, lines like trenches etched into their features. He knew, though, that the worst and most lasting reminders of Team Rocket's regime were scored into their hearts.[break][break]

Despite his own suffering, he did not know the worst of it. He never could.[break][break]

But the smiles that pushed those facial lines aside contained genuine relief, too. They flashed bright in the dim light of the pub, drawing crescent moons over the rims of drinking cups. Hours passed as they drank beer, ate SLOWPOKE TAILS, laughed, and shared stories.[break][break]

Incredible, harrowing stories.[break][break]

At the end of the night, Gunner staggered back to his hotel, one friend accompanying him to make sure he got there safely. As they walked down the street toward the main entrance, his friend grasped his shoulder.[break][break]

"Hey, it was good to see you, Gunner. Never thought I would again."[break][break]

That sobered the blonde man, if only by a fraction. "I wasn't sure I'd see you again, either."[break][break]

They stopped before the front doors of the hotel. "Listen. Whatever you have, hold onto it tightly. Never take it for granted. You never know what you will lose, or what you'll miss when it's gone."[break][break]

Gunner nodded, his thoughts flashing to Sayori. To GIDEON GRAVES.[break][break]

To mila alexopoulos.[break][break]

"I know."

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TAGS – mila alexopoulos[break]
NOTES – mission | outfit

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Gunner made a note in Isaac's pile with his pen, jotting down Caleb Harcourt's name. He knew the Rangers had reported a missing person after the Battle at the Ancient Tomb, but with everything going on, he assumed they would launch their own rescue mission.[break][break]

Mentally, Gunner set a reminder for himself to check in with Caleb. "Where is the Ranger now?" he asked.[break][break]

A loud wail cut off the conversation—the prison's alarm system. Outside the room, lights flashed, illuminating the hallway in red. The agent heard a rush of footsteps from the adjacent room, then the door swung open.[break][break]

"Sir! Someone's broken in!" the security guard exclaimed. Behind him, a HITMONLEE rushed down the hall.[break][break]

Broken in? Gunner mused, frowning. That was rare. Usually, alarms in prisons went off when someone was trying to break out. Why would anyone want to break in? But then his blue gaze turned to Isaac, and understanding struck Gunner like a bullet.[break][break]

He abruptly stood, Pokéball in hand. "They're here for him," he said to the guard, who regarded Isaac with wide, incredulous eyes.

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Years ago, Gunner had stood in that same courtyard where the memorial was erected. A festival had taken place that night, and crowds gathered to watch the fireworks over Celadon City. He'd dressed in traditional Kantonian attire to appease his new girlfriend; they matched, the darker fabric of his hanfu complementing the lighter fabrics of hers.[break][break]

That same night, Sayori had confided her dreams and fears. The desire to travel, to paint all the capitals of the world in watercolor, to grow a garden of her own, to have a family. And not being able to accomplish any of it.[break][break]

And Gunner, in his lovesickness, promised her she'd do it all. With him.[break][break]

But the first cracks in their relationship had begun to show within a few weeks after his stupid declaration. Sayori was too good, too sweet. She liked gentleness, calm, and routine. The cage slowly closed around Gunner, yet he refused to see it.[break][break]

In the present day, he sighed. He'd raised his hand to touch the bronze curve of the statue's cheek, stopping shy of grazing his fingertips against it. No matter how much he wished to see Sayori again, he could not. She was dead; the statue could not SHAPESHIFT into her likeness. The memorial wasn't even her resting place.[break][break]

Still, as he turned away from the statues, Gunner felt lighter. Team Rocket had been defeated. Kanto was free.[break][break]

Now someone else could leave its borders to travel and paint the world in watercolor.

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Gunner laughed, the sound hollow, weary. He felt like a shadow of himself there, standing next to Penelope in her office. Though he couldn't remember what transpired between them during the long memory of Galar, his presence next to her felt right.[break][break]

He could imagine their DOPPELGANGERS standing together in the same way, overlooking a war-torn, poison-soaked landscape. But as quickly as that image entered his mind, it washed away like ink with water.[break][break]

"If only I did. But you know me."[break][break]

Gunner fell into a pensive silence, feeling no great need to elaborate. Because of course Penelope knew.[break][break]

Then he turned to her. "What about you? You can't bury yourself in work, either." A pause. "Maybe we could resume what we discussed before… before yesterday."[break][break]

He frowned. The weeks before the battle seemed like a lifetime ago.[break][break]

"About Chi-Yu, I mean."

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TAGS – mila alexopoulos[break]
NOTES – mission | outfit

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TAGS – Genevieve Cromwell[break]
NOTES – mission

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Isaac's agreement took Gunner aback, evidenced by the way the agent narrowed his eyes in suspicion. His mouth pressed into a thin line. To an observer, he looked ready to spit GASTRO ACID at the other man.[break][break]

But between Isaac's words and recent actions, he seemed genuine in his desire for repentance. Most defectors truly wished to leave their past lives behind. Gunner saw that time and time again in the form of many successes. None of them made their way back to Team Rocket's ranks.[break][break]

Surely that meant the League was winning. Yet why did it not feel like winning to Gunner?[break][break]

He did not give Isaac the satisfaction of being right. Instead, he took a deep breath, sat back down, and folded his hands on the table in front of him.[break][break]

"It does," Gunner said about the file without looking at it. "But it doesn't tell me why you want to defect. I have a good idea based on what you've already said, but give it to me straight. For the record."

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Relief swept through Gunner at Penelope's admission. Lacking memory of the events that happened seemed, to him, to be a blessing. If he could, he'd prefer not to have the same feelings of displacement that haunted him, like some kind of existential VAMPIRE.[break][break]

At the same time, he was grateful for what he could remember, even if the memories brought pain to his heart. His difficult relationship with Summer Atreides and the miscarriage…[break][break]

Knowing what to expect made it easier to say goodbye, in the end.[break][break]

Gunner looked away, through the window of Penelope's office. Ever Grande City spread out before them, still waking up to the new day.[break][break]

"I wish I could put how I feel into words," he admitted, strangely feeling no awkwardness from being so vulnerable around his boss. "But I've been here before, I think. Not physically, but I mean in this emotional state."[break][break]

When Sayori died.[break][break]

"Right now I'm thinking that the best thing to do is to keep moving forward, as much as I can."

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TAGS – Genevieve Cromwell[break]
NOTES – mission

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