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Gunner nodded, mentally noting the way Summer tried and failed to speak formally with him. "Very well."[break][break]

He flipped another page of his book, scanning the words with his eyes but not reading them. No warnings came through his earpiece, but that did not mean they had the luxury of time.[break][break]

"Then we need additional information from you. In particular, a list of people who you absolutely trust above all others who we may be able to incorporate into a plan; and also, a list of people who you absolutely do not trust."[break][break]

Briefly, Gunner raised his eyes from his book.[break][break]

"We don't need the list now, but if there are specific names that come to mind right away, you can tell me."[break][break]

The HBIC had several ways to help someone defect. For members of Team Rocket who were known terrorists, a fake death followed by a new identity was the best method. But Summer, whose ties with the crime syndicate were not known by many, had a few different options.[break][break]

"In the meantime, you need to start thinking of what you want to do with your wealth and assets," Gunner continued. "You can relinquish everything and start anew, but I have a feeling someone with your net worth would prefer to keep as much money as you have."

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Gunner scanned the library space behind Summer, seeking individuals who might have followed her. But one of the junior agents posted by the stairwell shook her head minutely. Seconds later, a voice in the earpiece Gunner wore confirmed the gesture.[break][break]

"Savannah arrived at the site alone. We remain on the lookout for other suspicious persons. Proceed with the contact."[break][break]

Savannah was the codename the HBIC had given Summer for this meeting, used only by their agents and unknown to Summer herself.[break][break]

Gunner lowered his gaze to the book in front of him. When he spoke, his voice was low, as if abiding by the rule of the library to speak softly. "Just so we're clear, I need to confirm you understand that seeking our help does come with a certain level of risk."[break][break]

He flipped the page of his novel.[break][break]

"We will do our utmost to protect you, but you inherently risk injury and even death by the actions you wish to take. Do you still want to do this?"

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Gunner felt the pull of gravity and braced for impact with the waves. But slender fingers wrapped around his forearm, halting his descent. Glancing up, he saw Yujin struggling to hold on — one hand gripping the railing of the ship, one hand around his arm.[break][break]

They were not going to last like that.[break][break]

Wasting no time, Gunner plucked another Pokéball from his belt and opened it. His Alakazam, Merlin, manifested in the air next to them. Quickly taking in the dire situation, he nodded at his trainer, who pressed the keystone embedded into his belt buckle.[break][break]

In a beam of light and burst of energy, Merlin mega evolved.[break][break]

[break]

Glowing with psychic energy, the Alakazam righted the passenger vessel, then lifted Yujin, Gunner, and other dangling civilians back onto it. Then he turned toward the enemy Pokémon in the water and smashed a SHADOW BALL into the lurking Sharpedo.[break][break]

"Thanks," Gunner said to Yujin, adrenaline pumping wildly through his veins. "Can you help the passengers in the water? I'll keep up the defense from here."[break][break]

He had another Pokéball in his hand, ready to release its resident.

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Gunner returned the look Mila gave him. "I'm not, but that sounds exactly like something you'd tease me about."[break][break]

Unaware of whatever annoyance she felt for him, however briefly, he flung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. He marveled at how their bodies fit so well together, like two reunited puzzle pieces.[break][break]

And she was so warm, too. It took all his willpower not to bend his head and kiss her, even though they had already wandered far enough from the crowds of festival-goers. Instead, he kept them walking down the pathway between the trees.[break][break]

"I don't even know how to describe it, but I'll try."[break][break]

Gunner took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.[break][break]

"Have you ever had such a vivid dream that when you wake up, you're surprised it wasn't real? But then, as the hours and days pass, some of it starts to fade away, leaving you with just impressions?"

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Gunner took the old journal in his hands and flipped through the pages with care. His eyes scanned the writing. It was surprisingly comprehensible considering the damage to the book and the author's species.[break][break]

"Has there been any new, significant activity in the Ultra Deep Sea since the battle in April?" he asked without looking up from his reading.[break][break]

He didn't mean the accounts of the realm being 'alive'. Plenty of reports from other sources indicated that the Ultra Deep Sea seemed to be the inside of some gargantuan Pokémon.[break][break]

What surprised Gunner more was that Ultra Beasts lived and thrived in that place — and that humans were able to survive it and its hazards.[break][break]

He looked up as Navy admitted to his day-to-day struggles as sheriff. "What do you need from the League? I can't promise anything, but I can compile a report for my supervisors. Miss Livy might be able to negotiate something."[break][break]

He closed the notebook and returned it to the top of Navy's desk.[break][break]

"And if it would help, I'm more than willing to visit the sites of these weird happenings."

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Gunner was familiar with the sentiment. He woke up on some mornings believing he was in a small house by a massive wall of ice, a wall he manned and watched. But the noise of Slateport City and the furnishings of his apartment brought him back to reality every time.[break][break]

But since Navy moved on to the reason for their meeting, Gunner did not mention it, either.[break][break]

"I did read it," he confirmed. "It's hard to believe, if I'm honest, but not beyond the realm of possibility." Especially when Ghost Pokémon and Nihilego toxin were involved.[break][break]

Nevertheless, he accepted the file Navy slid over and opened it. The photographs clipped to the report were eerie, otherworldly.[break][break]

"You think the common thread is the Ultra Deep Sea?" Gunner asked, recalling the other man's written conclusion.

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"Correct. Both of those apply," Gunner said.[break][break]

The transition was not an easy one, and not all new agents were quick to adapt to the change. In Gunner's case, he was already used to keeping his work confidential through his career in the Department of Defense.[break][break]

Shion's next questions earned her a shrug. "Sure, you can talk with your coworkers to some degree, but not everyone has clearance to know about every operation. I do think there's some level of… commiseration, though."[break][break]

Gunner was not the type to hang out with his coworkers and vent with them, though. He kept to himself, for better or worse.[break][break]

"And of course, there's therapy if you want or need it."[break][break]

He avoided those, too.

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In a quiet nook in the Ever Grande City public library, Gunner waited. He sat at a table with a book open in front of him, a detective novel. Dressed in casual clothing, he looked every inch the casual bookworm, enjoying some light reading on a hot summer afternoon.[break][break]

A short distance away, browsing the stacks or reading their own books, were several similarly dressed agents of the HBIC.[break][break]

And each one of them, Gunner included, was waiting for contact at the appointed time.[break][break]

Out of the corner of his eye, the blonde agent saw Summer Atreides approach. Her footsteps were light, their sound muted by the carpet of the grand library. He continued reading, pretending he hadn't noticed her.[break][break]

Only when she sat across from him at the table did he look up from his book and speak. "Thank you for being punctual, Miss Corleone."[break][break]

Their clandestine meeting was all business, and they had no time to spare; there was no need for pleasantries.

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Gunner nodded in agreement. "I'm heading home in a minute, too. Have a good night, Miss Belmonte."[break][break]

Once Rosanna was out of sight, he woke up his computer with a jiggle of the mouse and entered his password. On the screen was a Microsoft Word document with the write-up of a report for PENELOPE LIVY.[break][break]

After a quick review, Gunner pressed the 'print' button on the menu, closed everything that was open, and logged off. A short walk brought him to the printer where he gathered his report into a manila folder.[break][break]

Then another brought him to the door of Penelope's office. He left the folder on her desk and departed without a second glance.

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Gunner offered the deputy sheriff and the receptionist a polite smile. He ignored their comments, however, once he caught sight of Navy. His smile turned grateful as the sheriff walked him down the hall toward the privacy of an office.[break][break]

Navy's choice of icebreaker topic was not the easiest one. Though HBIC records referred to the incident as the Battle of the Ancient Tomb, few disagreed that the main conflict actually took place in Galar.[break][break]

Not the Galar of the present, but a hazy, distant Galar that was more dream than reality.[break][break]

"I'm holding up about as well as anybody else is, I suppose," Gunner said, keeping his answer vague.[break][break]

In truth, he was still trying to understand what exactly had happened to him. The silver ring he wore on his index finger was proof something had happened, but try as he might, he couldn't recall it.[break][break]

Eager to deflect the question back onto Navy, he asked, "How about you?"

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Gunner did not know Eva in the same way Freya did, but he smiled nonetheless at her glowing admiration. If there were any words he could believe to be true, it was that Eva was the best of them all.[break][break]

"I'm usually in Ever Grande City, at the HBIC headquarters," he said to Freya. His grin contained a hint of sheepishness as he added, "I'm a workaholic, so I'm there more than I am at home."[break][break]

With the inferno subdued and reduced to crackling embers, Gunner recalled his Wailord into a Pokéball. With the heel of his shoe, he urged Bruin to turn toward the open field beyond the forest.[break][break]

But before they departed, he cast a final glance over his shoulder at Freya.[break][break]

"Stay safe out there. I'll see you later."

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TAGS – SHEBA INOUE[break]
NOTES – social

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