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The BITTER BLADE sliced into Guinevere's flesh, ripping an agonized roar from her throat. Blood sprayed from the wound. Snarling, she blasted the Ceruledge with SOLAR BEAM again, taking advantage of the sunlight overhead.[break][break]

Gunner's Zoroark, on the other hand, winced at the sting of the MEGA DRAIN but powered through, locking up the move with TORMENT.[break][break]

As for Gunner himself, he felt the other's boot smack into his torso — a solid kick. But instead of letting it push him back, he grabbed the man's leg and pivoted hard to throw him off balance.[break][break]

If it worked, Gunner would follow up with a kick to the groin. He was not above fighting dirty.

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Gunner could tell from the stiffness of Summer's movements that she wasn't pleased, though he could only guess at the true state of her emotions. It wasn't until her gaze finally snapped up to meet his, her two-toned eyes flashing with defensiveness, that he realized he'd said the wrong thing.[break][break]

"I'm sorry, that's not — I didn't —"[break][break]

He sighed and did the only thing he thought could fix it: he hugged her. Wrapping his arms around her, Gunner held Summer tightly against his chest, trying to convey his love and support.[break][break]

Pressing his nose into her hair, he breathed in deeply, trying to calm his own rattled nerves. A jumble of unprocessed emotions bounced around inside his chest, but he'd deal with them later.[break][break]

"Do you want to keep the baby?" he asked softly. That was the most important question.

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Gunner did not pinpoint exactly what seemed off about the cookie Chu-e was eating until he'd already finished it and was reaching out for another. Revelation struck Gunner as if a Tauros had charged him.[break][break]

"Wait!" he shouted, hand snapping out to grab Chu-e's wrist with enough force to hopefully make them release the second cookie.[break][break]

Then Gunner tugged on Chu-e's arm with his free hand, trying to drag them to the sink.[break][break]

"You need to throw that up right now," he said rapidly, the sharpness of his tone leaving little room for argument. Though the agent didn't like Chu-e, he was not going to let them die during his visit. It would look too suspicious.[break][break]

"It's poison. I don't know what kind but we can't waste any time guessing."

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At first, Gunner didn't know what Summer held in her hand. He looked down at the objects with obvious confusion, his brow furrowed. As soon as he recognized them for what they were, however, his eyes grew wide as saucers and his jaw went slack.[break][break]

In his twenties, Gunner had wanted to get married and start a family. While his brother GIDEON GRAVES seemed to view children with a certain level of disdain, Gunner had always wanted one. Maybe even two.[break][break]

But his dreams had shattered when the Kanto War changed his entire life around. And when he'd become a spy for the League government, he'd abandoned the possibility of ever regaining those dreams.[break][break]

"Summer, is this real?" he asked slowly, not sure how to respond. It was a stupid question, of course, but they'd been careful — or so he'd thought.[break][break]

A dozen questions raced through his head. Gunner looked into her eyes.[break][break]

"Is it mine?" Another seemingly stupid question, but they'd only been exclusive for a few weeks. That he could have gotten his new girlfriend pregnant seemed impossible, but he couldn't deny that the timing worked out.

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Gunner assumed the bag held some stomach medicine along with the electrolyte drink and water, so he had no reason to root around inside it. Despite being a spy — or perhaps because he was one — he understood people's need for privacy.[break][break]

So he handed the bag back to Summer as soon as they arrived in his apartment and nodded without question to her need to use the restroom again. If she was sick, it only made sense.[break][break]

While she was occupied, Gunner prepared a light lunch for himself in the kitchen: a toasted sandwich with ham, pepperoni, and salami, paired with thick slices of mozzarella cheese, lettuce, and sliced tomato. There were enough ingredients left over in case Summer felt well enough later to eat a meal, too.[break][break]

He was only a couple of bites into his sandwich when she returned from the bathroom. The deep flush of her face immediately told him something was wrong.[break][break]

"Summer? What is it?" Gunner asked, frowning. He put down his meal and rose from the kitchen table.

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Gunner did not have time to feel disappointed when the poison barb did not strike his intended target; the SUCKER PUNCH smashed into him, throwing him off balance. Pain bloomed all across his torso where he'd been hit, but he gritted his teeth behind his mask. There would be time to acknowledge the pain later.[break][break]

The agent stumbled back from the Rocket operative, grabbing for a Pokéball from his belt. His Zoroark appeared, launching himself at the Sinistea and retaliating with NIGHT DAZE.[break][break]

With the Rocket's second Pokémon occupied now, Gunner turned his attention back to his enemy. Moving quickly, he threw another punch, this time at the other man's solar plexus.[break][break]

Meanwhile, Guinevere the Typhlosion whirled around, seeking her opponent after he had disappeared. Using INFERNAL PARADE, she let loose a blast of fireballs in all directions, hoping one would hit her target.

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"Here, I'll carry that for you," Gunner offered, hand extended to take the bag from Summer. If she insisted on carrying it herself, however, he would not insist. She was only a little sick, after all.[break][break]

They made their way back to his apartment, taking the Corviknight taxi at the nearest stop to his neighborhood. The flight was not long at all, and Gunner was unlocking the door to his residence within ten minutes.[break][break]

His Zoroark, Mordred, looked up as soon as they entered. The Pokémon had been lounging on the sofa, enjoying a light nap. The sound of their early arrival had stirred him from dreams, and he padded over to Gunner and Summer to greet them.[break][break]

Patting Mordred on the head, Gunner gestured for Summer to take the couch. "Go get comfy. In the meantime, can I get you anything?" he asked. His first instinct was a snack, but she'd turned down lunch for a reason.

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The Rocket jumped to their feet too, but Gunner did not wait for them to attack back. He lunged, feinting a left jab at their head. As soon as they raised their arms to block, he stepped forward, right hand thrusting like a piston toward their solar plexus.[break][break]

As his fist connected, he transferred all of his weight into the strike. The Rocket gasped and staggered backward, doubling over.[break][break]

Gunner immediately followed up, grabbing his opponent's jacket and ramming his knee into their chest. A rib cracked. Then he shoved them back, hoping they'd hit the ground.[break][break]

Over by Gideon, Guinevere heard the Blaziken's swift approach. She reared back onto her hind legs, reaching her full height. The flames of her mane burning hotly, she unleashed Z-MOVE: NEVER-ENDING NIGHTMARE at the opposing Pokémon before it could reach the Slowbro.

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Guinevere met the Ceruledge head-on, taking the BITTER BLADE with barely a grunt. She struck back, but not with another Fire-type move. Instead, she took advantage of the brilliant sunlight above them and fired off a point-blank SOLAR BEAM.[break][break]

Meanwhile, Gunner ran at the Rocket operative. In moments, he was at the other man's side, throwing a left jab to distract from the movement of his right hand.[break][break]

The hand holding a poison barb.[break][break]

If the barb struck flesh, it would guarantee poisoning. But Gunner did not know how easily he could pull off the feat. A veteran of Littleroot Town's catastrophe probably knew how to defend himself. Gunner only hoped he could land the hit.

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So Summer was really that sick, huh? "Of course, darling."[break][break]

Gunner steered her toward the entrance of the Oceanic Museum. Thankfully, the building was designed with ease of navigating it in mind, so it didn't take long for them to step back out into the bright afternoon light.[break][break]

Her request to stop by a pharmacy made sense, too. Maybe she could get something over-the-counter that could ease her stomach. Gunner checked the map app on his phone and found a local pharmacy just a couple of blocks away. And luckily, it was on the way to his apartment.[break][break]

Still holding Summer's hand, he started off toward down the sidewalk. "You can rest up at my place until you're well enough to go home," he said. "We can watch a movie on the couch or something."[break][break]

He was going to make the most out of the day, one way or another.

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Now that Gunner was aware something was wrong — or at least had been wrong — he could see that Summer looked more pale than usual. He pressed his hand against her forehead, checking for fever, but her temperature was normal.[break][break]

"Will you be okay eating lunch?" he asked, still not certain what exactly plagued her but hesitant to continue their date. "Or would you rather go home? You won't ruin today either way, I promise."[break][break]

A part of Gunner was disappointed at having to leave so soon, but Summer's health was more important. Still, he wondered why she didn't say anything earlier. He would've been happy enough to reschedule the date for another weekend.

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The speed by which Summer departed both startled and confused Gunner. Was something wrong? "Summer?" he called out after her. Then, unwilling to simply wait, he followed after her, pausing only when he realized she'd run into the women's restroom.[break][break]

Of course, he couldn't enter. So he simply waited some distance away, hands in his pockets, attempting not to look like a creep to any of the other ladies heading into the bathroom.[break][break]

Finally, when Summer reemerged, Gunner gave her a look of concern. "Are you okay?" he asked. Usually, people didn't run off like that, even to use the toilet. Was she sick?

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Gunner graced Summer with the same smile. "Maybe this summer we could take another beach trip and let out our Water Pokémon so they can play together. I have a Wailord, but she doesn't often get a chance to play because of her size."[break][break]

And, truth be told, Gunner's job prevented him from frequent trips to the beach just so she could swim.[break][break]

He began to lead Summer down the hall at a relaxed pace, unaware of how uneasy she felt. They passed a few more tanks with other Water-types before arriving at a gift shop. The goods were often overpriced, but they were unique to the aquarium.[break][break]

"Hey, do you want to buy anything to commemorate your first visit?" he asked, gesturing with his other hand to the shop.

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