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Mei regarded THEO BECKETT with a curious gaze. Here was the man who had likely approved her transfer so many years ago, when she had left Kanto for Hoenn. She doubted he remembered every grunt he'd had some hand in recruiting, but somehow they had ended up here on this mission - had he requested her specifically or had fate brought them together once more?[break][break]
One thing was for certain: he was not to be underestimated.[break][break]
"What do you make of this place?" She asked smoothly, running manicured fingertips over a particularly bright Tera Crystal growing out of the wall. "Do you think there's something down here worth excavating? Besides all these shiny rocks and the monsters that are drawn to them..."[break][break]
To them or from them? She supposed that's what the scientists were trying to discern.[break][break]

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Mei leveled her gaze at him, and this time, the visible emotion wasn't mockery or anger. It was sympathy.[break][break]
She knew better than to pity him.[break][break]
"I know you're not," she agreed evenly. "It's why I make myself available for Delta, whenever I can."[break][break]
It didn't have to be here, though. It could be anywhere else. They were more similar than either was willing to admit, drawn into freya morningstar's orbit like two stubborn moons.[break][break]
"When she catches you down here, she's going to be livid."[break][break]
Mei idly stroked the top of Deimos's head, running her fingertips through the Glaceon's short-cropped fur. He was always a little bit cold to the touch: a comfort.[break][break]
"But something tells me you'd welcome that fight."[break][break]

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Mei took her hand, admiring, up close, the way Melody's sygna suit matched her hair, makeup, and nails. Appearances mattered, Mei knew. People were quick to judge the beautiful for being vapid, but good fashion sense could pierce the heart as efficiently as any sword. Melody had deliberately curated her look to match the sort of person she wished to be: capable and captivating.[break][break]
"Mei," she answered, dipping her head slightly in respect. They used to do that in the Kanto brothels, a habit she'd found hard to shake. "I know who you are. I've seen you on TV." She paused, a coy smile gracing her lips. "You're even more impressive in real life." She winked.[break][break]
Deimos trotted over, sniffed the Primarina, deemed her safe, then bowed his head in greeting.[break][break]
"Probably because I'm nobody special," she laughed, in response to Melody's observation. "Certainly nobody an idol such as yourself would ever come across, under normal circumstances."[break][break]
But I'm glad we met, she realized.[break][break]

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"Too many times," she answered softly.[break][break]
She'd seen it in the bedrooms of royalty, in the after parties of executives, in the charity banquets of politicians. Secrets whispered in her ear as hands groped for supple flesh; conversations had without regard for the pretty eye-candy on the arm of someone worth speaking to. She'd watched so many men and women crumble under the weight of their own scheming before they'd ever had a chance to build.[break][break]
"You and I are not so different," she decided, twisting so that she could face him. If her feet were growing numb due to the icy water, she didn't seem to notice.[break][break]
"I, too, take advantage of the rich and powerful whenever it suits me. And it often does."[break][break]
She examined her nails, running her thumb over the tips of the acrylic manicure.[break][break]
"But if it ends up suiting you to hurt Yumi, I will kill you."[break][break]

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Fans?[break][break]
Mei had no idea what Melody was going on about, but there was no time to question it, she needed to act. She quickly scaled a nearby boulder, standing on top so she could get a better lay of the land. From her new vantage point, Mei watched as Melody and her Primarina moved as one - together, their coordinated attacks were beautifully executed - it made the whole thing seem more like a dance than a fight.[break][break]
Mei had some training in the arts - after all, her primary profession was entertainment - so she could appreciate the grace with which Melody seemed to carry herself. There's a reason she's Elite Four, Mei thought. Many reasons, it seemed.[break][break]
Mei resolved to help her. After all, these awful paradoxes didn't discriminate between League and Rocket. But most of all, she had no true quarrel with the pop star. In another life, perhaps Mei could have become her peer in the industry.[break][break]
"Deimos, give them a hand!"[break][break]
Snow began to fall as the Glaceon summoned a SNOWSCAPE. Tera crystals glossed over with ice, and the next wave of BLIZZARD that erupted was twice a strong. The group of monsters that had escaped Melody's sweeping efforts froze in place, then toppled.[break][break]
Silence filled the chamber; all Mei could hear was the soft hum of infinity energy and the sound of their breathing.[break][break]
"Are you allright?" She asked, finally, slipping from the boulder and joining Melody on the ground. She stepped over the fallen bodies, ignoring them like so many swatted flies.[break][break]

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Melody finally noticed her attacker. Another woman might have screamed and panicked, but Melody just sat there, head cocked prettily. After her Pokemon blasted it into the wall, she happily patted it on the head like this was just another day on the job and not an anomalous encounter in a dangerous new area.[break][break]
Caught off guard, Mei didn't register Melody's warning at first. Get out of here? Wasn't she the one who had just been attacked - ?[break][break]
An explosion of crystal and stone sounded from directly behind her. The escort whirled around just in time to see a small horde of the same grotesque Pokemon stampeding towards her. She hopped nimbly to the side, relying on her instincts from years of training in hand-to-hand combat to narrowly avoid getting trampled. Beside her, Deimos summoned a BLIZZARD in hopes of slowing the group before they could reach Melody.[break][break]
"I hate this place," Mei mumbled with a sigh.[break][break]

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She stripped off her boots, rolled up her pants, and sighed audibly with relief as she dipped her feet into the water. Boreas floated over, ice forming around Mei's ankles as his wingtips made contact with the pool, now several degrees colder. A grateful smile, a pat on his head. "Thank you, love."[break][break]
She took the offered canteen, drank deeply. She bent over to refill it as Nikkari played his hand.[break][break]
"She's beautiful," Mei answered immediately, eyes bright with amusement. "And she demands attention. What man would ignore her?"[break][break]
Straightening, the escort leaned back against a rock, staring up at the canopy of trees overhead. Dappled light filtered through from above, and if she didn't know any better, she would never have guessed they were miles and miles underground.[break][break]
"You see great potential in her," Mei continued, more seriously. Long lashes fluttered, and she turned her seafoam gaze on him once more. "She inspires loyalty by having high standards. She is willing to be patient for perfection, rather than settle on speedier - and perhaps, easier - paths to power."[break][break]
A playful grin spread across her lips.[break][break]
"And I think you find that captivating."[break][break]

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It was odd - Melody didn't seem to hear Mei's footfalls. It was impossible to avoid the scattering of some pebbles, the echo of movement in the otherwise empty cavern. One could hear a pin drop, it was so eerily quiet. But the idol just...sat there. Occasionally bopping her head up and down, almost as if - [break][break]
"Headphones," Mei realized, incredulous. "She's listening to music."[break][break]
What if someone or something were to sneak up on her? Like - like Mei was trying to do. Melody was a member of the Elite Four, so she had to have some kind of...plan up her sleeve, right? Maybe this was a clever plot to lure unsuspecting Rockets into attacking her, hoping for some kind of advantage.[break][break]
Mei was a fool for thinking she could handle someone like this. And even if she could, and Melody wasn't the tactician Mei assumed her to be...a sneak attack wasn't exactly a fair fight.[break][break]
Why did that bother her now, when it wouldn't have in the past?[break][break]
A scuffling sound came from the far side of the cave. Mei tensed, preparing for someone else to appear. It wasn't a person that crested the boulder beside Melody, however - it was a Pokemon.[break][break]
Maybe. What the hell kind of Pokemon looked like that?[break][break]
A purple man, snapping jaws, deadly claws, a bipedal body. It reminded her of something else, but she couldn't quite place it. The important thing was that it was heading directly for Melody.[break][break]
"Watch out!" Mei called out, hoping the woman's pretty little Pokemon would hear, at least.[break][break]

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Property management. Of course.[break][break]
She ducked beneath the leaf, his chivalry appreciated - construed or not. She shielded his Alolan Vulpix from stray branches, just in case. Mei suspected the little ice fox was about as pleased to be in this wretched jungle as she was, sweltering as it was.[break][break]
Beyond, there was a waterfall. Scenic, she supposed. Perhaps they'd be able to take a moment to cool off, stick their feet in the rushing water. She regretted wearing boots.[break][break]
"Do I?" She mused pleasantly. So he knows, she decided. She couldn't blame Yumi for telling him, if she had. It wasn't like she was ashamed. She serviced men like him all the time, the only thing separating him from them was timing.[break][break]
"Very well," she could entertain him now, for free. A little reward for taking interest in her closest friend, and doing so respectfully. "I think you get people what they want." She paused. "The more important they are, the better."[break][break]

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Tension hung between them, so palpable she could taste it. The bitterness burned the back of her throat, made her want to slap him so hard he'd see stars.[break][break]
But then she deflated, backed off, removed the finger she'd poked into his chest. She knew when to take a hint. The Lucario's expression was so severe it could slice through stone. KING WAYLAND might be a mess of a man when it came to his personal life, but his Pokemon were well-trained, and, more importantly, clever enough to know when a fight was not worth the trouble.[break][break]
"Curiosity," she answered simply, turning away in an attempt to further deescalate. To make sure the people I care about aren't dying down here.[break][break]
"League and Rocket crawling all over this place like ants on an abandoned picnic. Must be something worth seeing. Or taking." She didn't really care which; after all, knowledge was power.[break][break]
"What about you? Aren't you supposed to my laying low or something?"[break][break]

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