[attr="class","text"]

Nikolaj gave one last, lingering look to the corpse of the Celesteela before following Callan and Vanilla down the tunnel. Eventually, they emerged into a wider space with a lake. With the stars hanging overhead, it appeared like a great hand had scooped out a crater in the ground.[break][break]

The older man nodded at Callan, agreeing with his decision. "I'll check for any dangers and set up some traps to defend us while we sleep," he offered.[break][break]

With his Excadrill, Nikolaj set off to examine the area's perimeter. Decades as a Ranger helped him navigate the rocky terrain. It was his keen eye for trouble — developed in his youth while working for Team Rocket — that helped him spot the perfect place to set up traps, however.[break][break]

Using a sticky glob, he covered the approach that left them most vulnerable. Satisfied, he headed back to the edge of the lake where the stone bowls were gathered. Their presence was too unnatural to ignore.[break][break]

"What do you think these are meant to be for? Offering bowls?" Nikolaj wondered aloud to his nearby companions.[break][break]

Grandmothers in Sinnoh sometimes put cups of milk or cream on the windowsills for ancient spirits or their ancestors. Perhaps this setup was similar.

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

[attr="class","text"]

Nikolaj grunted with disapproval, telling Yvaine with one sound exactly what he thought of her birth father. But otherwise, he let her speak uninterrupted.[break][break]

"Cami and I don't have any plans to move. We like it here," he said when Yvaine fell silent. "Nice and quiet, away from the cities." Away from Team Rocket's influence and machinations.[break][break]

His single eye scanned her face when her hair fell back to reveal the worst of her scars. A part of him ached to see the injury to her eye. That his adopted daughter had met a fate similar to his troubled him.[break][break]

If only he had been around to protect her.[break][break]

Nikolaj finished the last repairs to the fence. "Are you going to keep moving after this contract, or are you home for good?" he asked.

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

[attr="class","text"]

When Nikolaj let Yvaine go, he did not miss the slight dampness on her cheeks or the quick motion of her fingers to wipe it away. But he said nothing of it and simply smiled.[break][break]

"We're doing good, really good. Sasky came home a few months back, shortly after the dome went down. She'd be happy to see you. Cami, too."[break][break]

He stepped back toward the fence he'd been repairing. Taking up the hammer and nails again, he resumed his work.[break][break]

"We've been having some bad luck with the wild Pokémon around here. A pack of Mightyena keep coming onto the property to hunt. It's dangerous, especially at night."[break][break]

A series of sharp taps drove a nail into place.[break][break]

"Lend me a hand here, would you? And tell me how you've been. What've you been up to?"

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

[attr="class","text"]

Nikolaj picked his way after Callan, his Excadrill at his side. "I have not," the older man admitted.[break][break]

Despite having lived in Hoenn for over twenty years, and despite being in the proximity of the defense of Littleroot Town last November, Nikolaj had not had the misfortune of battling an Ultra Beast. He was content keeping to his territory of Oldale and the Silent Icelands.[break][break]

Yet the recent call to investigate these "Wilds" at the latest Rangers meeting had stirred his curiosity. When Callan requested assistance exploring one called Ultra Crater, Nikolaj jumped on the opportunity to join.[break][break]

Call it a midlife crisis.[break][break]

He gazed upon the corpse of the Celesteela that lay across their path within the underground tunnels. "Is this one of them?" he asked, approaching it with caution.

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

[attr="class","text"]

That was a better answer than Nikolaj could have hoped for, considering the hostile energy that lingered between him and Felix. He nodded, sensing the end of the conversation.[break][break]

"All right then. Take care."[break][break]

Without waiting for the younger man's reply, he turned and headed down the sidewalk.[break][break]

Perhaps he should not have made the offer. He knew nothing about Felix and less about August. And to them, Nikolaj was a complete stranger, summoned by their father's death. Judging from the brief exchange, James had not been kind to his sons, and they were better off without him.[break][break]

They might be better off without Nikolaj in their lives, too.

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

[attr="class","text"]

A chuckle escaped Nikolaj at Felix's statement, an amused sound underscored with a somber regret. "He sure wasn't. But neither was I, I think. When you're young, you sometimes feel like you don't owe the world any explanations."[break][break]

Nikolaj paused, then turned fully so he could look at Felix in the eye once more. He opened his mouth, hoping the words he was about to say wouldn't bite him in the ass sometime in the future.[break][break]

"If you or your brother need anything, you can look for me in Oldale. I live and work out there. Just ask around for Kolya."[break][break]

Maybe it was an old-fashioned way of getting in touch with someone, but Nikolaj was an old-fashioned kind of man.

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

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

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

[attr="class","text"]

It was the first time Nikolaj had heard of this person from Camila's past. He listened attentively, his frown deepening the more she revealed.[break][break]

"He left you a message at the clinic? Like a voicemail, or did he show up in person?" Nikolaj asked, clarifying. Because if this mysterious stranger had done the latter, it would be easier to hunt him down.[break][break]

Either way, a threat to Camila was a threat to Nikolaj. When the man spoke, his voice was a low rumble, like stone rolling over stone.[break][break]

"What did the message say?"

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

[attr="class","text"]

Nikolaj accepted one of the handouts with a free hand while his other held a pastry to his teeth. His blue eye skimmed over the text as he listened to the others further discuss Legendary Pokémon.[break][break]

Mention of Project SAPPHIRE as a government-sponsored initiative left a sour taste in Nikolaj's mouth. As a former criminal, he did not trust the government one bit, another reason why he'd chosen to live as far away from its influence as possible.[break][break]

Sure, he was a Ranger, and they were endorsed and funded by the League government. But it was a way to make some cash on the side, not because he fully believed in the League's efforts.[break][break]

Still, the Council's liaison had a point. The Legendary Pokémon that had caused the Silent Icelands had not been seen since that fateful day in November. Nikolaj had no idea where it roamed or if it would break free into Hoenn again, but if the location of its previous sighting was any indication, Oldale might be in its line of fire.[break][break]

He needed to prepare for that possibility.

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

[attr="class","text"]

Felix's voice stopped Nikolaj in his tracks. The older man half-turned so that his eyepatch faced Felix, putting his friend's son in his blind spot.[break][break]

Nikolaj wasn't sure he was ready to reveal his secret yet, not after keeping it buried for over twenty years. He couldn't look the younger man in the eye while he forced out his well-worn lies.[break][break]

"James and I worked together when we were younger," he replied. "Before you were born. He watched my back a lot, and I watched his."[break][break]

Regret and guilt returned to Nikolaj. He'd wrestled with those feelings for the last few months while trying to decide if he should find Felix or not. He still didn't know if they were right to feel.

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

[attr="class","text"]

Perhaps Nikolaj was better at becoming accustomed to challenges than Camila. When strange events started taking place in Hoenn, he faced them with the same stoic acceptance he displayed as a Rocket executive back in Sinnoh. But his wife was more emotional than he was.[break][break]

"We'll get through the hard times, like we always do," he reassured her, giving her leg a gentle squeeze. "Together, as a family."[break][break]

At the mention of their past, however, a frown pulled at the corners of his mouth.[break][break]

"Unresolved? What's been left unresolved?" Nikolaj asked slowly, unsure how to proceed. He thought they had departed with everything wrapped up nicely. After all, the Sinnoh Boss had given Nikolaj and his family permission to leave on peaceful terms. "Do you want to talk about what's worrying you?"

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