[attr="class","text"]

"Oh really?" Yumi asked, one eyebrow arched. Her lips quirked into an amused smile. "You know, for some reason, that doesn't surprise me. Not that you look like a man who seeks danger, but more like…"[break][break]

She paused, tilting her head as she considered Nikkari more thoughtfully.[break][break]

"Like a man who knows how to handle it when it happens."[break][break]

As the former heiress of a crime family, Yumi was familiar with the different kinds of people who found themselves in dangerous incidents. Her parents always taught her to value those who could end fights more than those who could start them.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Yumi regarded the game with plastic guns. She wasn't great at shooting, but a carnival game shouldn't require that much skill. Right?[break][break]

"That one works for me," she replied, walking beside Jayden as they approached the stall. She paid for a gun for herself, then stepped toward the counter from where they could shoot. Before they started, however, she turned to the admin.[break][break]

"I own a casino, so betting is my business. What's your wager?" Yumi asked.

[attr="class","ooc"]

[attr="class","text"]

Yumi followed Mei to the souvenir booth. While her friend deliberated between the various trinkets, she scanned the area, watching families play and groups of friends socialize. Nearby, a Tug-of-War game was underway, both parties equally matched.[break][break]

Mei declared her business finished and extended an invitation to drinks. Yumi grinned, more than happy to continue the night somewhere less chaotic.[break][break]

"Let's go," she agreed, once more linking their arms together.[break][break]

They exited the carnival, chattering like the best friends they were. At the nearest Corviknight taxi station, a bird-powered carriage whisked them away to a bar of Yumi's choosing.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

The sandstorm quickly overtook them. Yumi wrapped a scarf around her nose and mouth to protect herself from inhaling sand particles, but they stung her eyes and grazed her skin where it was exposed. Squinting, she fumbled for a Pokéball and released its resident.[break][break]

"Mamoru! Use WIDE GUARD!" she yelled at the Gallade that emerged. A moment later, a shimmering field surrounded her, Danny, and their Pokémon.[break][break]

But it was only a momentary relief. The howling gale of the sandstorm shattered the shield.[break][break]

At the same time, the ground gave way beneath Yumi's Rapidash. Frightened screams filled the air as they fell through loose earth. Thankfully, she landed atop her Pokémon, the hardy creature using HEAL PULSE on her own injuries.[break][break]

"Danny?" Yumi called out, wondering if he'd fallen in with her.[break][break]

An underground tunnel surrounded her. Though the walls were rough and rugged, they seemed purposefully hewn out of the rock. Above, the sandstorm howled but did not enter, giving her and her Pokémon relief.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

From that distance, the shape was indiscernible; Yumi could not tell if it was a manmade structure or a natural formation. But she was ready to race Danny if it meant getting out of the blistering sun's rays.[break][break]

But suddenly his Mudsdale stopped, prompting her to stop as well. When she followed his gaze, she finally noticed the tracks in the sand.[break][break]

"What are those?" she asked, unfamiliar with the type of Pokémon that could have made them. They led to the same far-off shape.[break][break]

"They're heading that way. Let's follow them and find out," she said, digging her heels into her Rapidash's sides. The Pokémon shot off. The woman shouted "Race you!" over her shoulder as she grinned.[break][break]

On the horizon, a sandstorm gathered, growing in size as it hurtled toward them.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Yumi had read the reports. She knew what to expect of the Ultra Desert. Her backpack was full of water, energizing snacks, sunscreen, and other items to help her survive the blazing heat. She'd even worn appropriate clothing.[break][break]

Still, she sweated an obscene amount, rivulets rolling down her brow and into her eyes. For what felt like the hundredth time, she wiped it away with a handkerchief that was already soaked through.[break][break]

At least she had thought to bring her Rapidash, the Pokémon outfitted with a saddle and bridle to make riding easier.[break][break]

"What are we looking for, again?" she asked her companion, her partner for the job.[break][break]

Yumi would not be there if it weren't for an assignment by Team Rocket, pairing her with DANNY HALL, a man she'd worked with once or twice before.[break][break]

"Some kind of outpost or ruin, right?"[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

The mention of Hitoshi prompted Yumi to raise a curious eyebrow at Mei.[break][break]

"Oh really?" Then she smiled. "By all means, bring him along with you. He needs more friends. I don't know if he really has any."[break][break]

Her bodyguard spent most of his time with her, after all. On the rare occasions he wasn't around, he was busy doing work for Team Rocket. And anyway, Yumi wasn't sure Hitoshi knew how to make friends the normal way.[break][break]

For a long time, she didn't know if she could make friends the normal way, either.[break][break]

The Ferris wheel ride eventually came to its end. When a carnie opened the carriage door, Yumi stepped out first. She turned to Mei with a smile.[break][break]

"Is there anything else you want to do while we're here?" she asked.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

The Ferris wheel turned, and their carriage came to rest at ground level again. A carnie opened the door, but before Yumi stepped out, she looked Hitoshi in the eye.[break][break]

"You better," she said, firm in the way a master is with a dog. "Or I will never forgive you."[break][break]

It wasn't a threat. It was simply fact, stated plainly in the way they always talked.[break][break]

Yumi exited the ride, her Pikachu plushie in tow. Near the queue, a little girl bawled while her parents tried to console her. On the ground, covered in mud and trampled by dirty shoes, was a small Bulbasaur plushie.[break][break]

Without a second thought, Yumi stepped toward the family and crouched in front of the girl. She held out her Pikachu until the girl quieted and stared back.[break][break]

"Go on, take it," Yumi said, her voice soft. "It wants to go home with you. I think it wants to be your friend."[break][break]

The child hiccupped, confused, but reached out and took the toy. As soon as she hugged it, she smiled, and so did her parents.[break][break]

Yumi smiled back in farewell before returning to Hitoshi's side. "I think I'm ready to go home. Unless there's something you want to do still?" she said to him.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Normally, Yumi had no reason to travel all the way to bumfuck nowhere Littleroot Town. However, the Magnificent Funtasia had traveled there, and several members of Team Rocket had mentioned going. One of them was Tempest Quinn, who she remembered from the time they explored Ultra Crater together.[break][break]

Yumi had already been there for a little while when she finally spotted the tall, brown-haired man. She quickly paid for the Fennekin-shaped balloon she'd picked out and approached him.[break][break]

"There you are! Good afternoon," she said with a smile, avoiding speaking his name. She wasn't sure if he went by an alias in public. "How have things been? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

[attr="class","ooc"]

[attr="class","text"]

"I wasn't sure if that'd be the kind of job you'd enjoy — that you'd find fulfilling — but I'm glad it's you in charge of security there," Yumi said, leaning back into her seat.[break][break]

Their carriage climbed higher as the Ferris wheel turned. As she stared at Mauville's cityscape outside the carriage window, she contemplated Hitoshi's question and his perspective.[break][break]

"I don't know if I'd want to have any other life. The one I have is all I've ever known, and it's strange to imagine having a different one."[break][break]

She sighed, growing serious.[break][break]

"Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a loving family, loving parents. Siblings. But I don't like to spend my time lamenting all that. They're just not the cards I was dealt."[break][break]

Finally looking back at Hitoshi, Yumi smiled. They had known each other for a decade and discussed many things; it seemed natural, right, for the red string of fate to connect them.[break][break]

"I wouldn't change what we have, though. And I think you're right. We'd still meet. That's just how our lives are."[break][break]

In the sky at the opposite end of the carnival, fireworks exploded in a dazzling display of light and color. The near-deafening sound drew Yumi's attention. Her eyes widened with delight, and her smile grew until it split her face.

[attr="class","ooc"][break]

[attr="class","text"]

Yumi laughed, a genuine burst of melodic delight, as she tossed her own balled-up napkins into the same bin. "No deal with the devil," she said. "It's just that I've done this many times before, so I know how to eat it quickly."[break][break]

"And I don't think you're a slob at all," she added as they picked their way to a suitable location on the beach. "Most people don't survive a cone of frozen custard without getting their hands dirty."[break][break]

By this time, the sky had darkened considerably, and other people meandered over in pairs or groups to watch the show. Yumi helped Nikkari spread out the blanket, smoothing out all the wrinkles before sitting down. She tucked her legs beneath her while Itazura curled up at her side.[break][break]

Glancing over at her companion, the woman asked, "So how are you liking Hoenn? Is it very different from your life in Galar?"

[attr="class","ooc"][break]