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Marcus raised his gaze from his rice bowl, which he had utterly demolished with an appetite that befitted a man in his physical prime. His pale eyes met her chocolate brown ones.[break][break]

Whatever ignorance Paige had enjoyed had surely been shattered by the encounter in Ultra Deep Sea that had threatened her life. Marcus assumed the hearing she'd been forced to attend hadn't made such knowledge any easier to digest. In fact, based on the worry that creased her face, it had only exacerbated her concerns.[break][break]

"We've been in danger for a while now," Marcus said, though his tone carried no condescension. If anything, he sounded withdrawn and distant, like he had closed himself off to others. "I imagine you don't see much of what's going on living in Dewford, but our region hasn't seen peace and stability in a long time."[break][break]

The Megalopolan invasion. Attacks from Ultra Beasts on New Year's Eve. Necrozma's attack on Sootopolis. The METENO 99943 meteoroid. And now these dangerous rifts and the horrors they contained.[break][break]

"Between supernatural threats and Team Rocket's increasing activity, nowhere is really safe now," Marcus admitted matter-of-factly. "That's why the military was deployed alongside the Rangers to your hometown that day."

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The hearing explained Paige's presence in the building so perfectly that Marcus had no more questions. She had said herself she'd been nervous, so he had no reason to ask how it went. Especially since he had been summoned to a similar hearing weeks earlier.[break][break]

"I remember it," he said with a nod of his head.[break][break]

Marcus was about to bid Paige farewell when she spoke again. He hesitated, surprised by such a bold statement from a shy-looking girl. The way she blushed suggested she might be timid, but apparently not.[break][break]

"Sure," he said, finding no reason to deny her. After all, he had plans to eat lunch, too. "There's a restaurant a block away that does Alolan food."[break][break]

But first, water. He walked past her toward the fountain to fill up his bottle. After a moment, he capped it and silently gestured for her to follow him.[break][break]

The restaurant in question was a small hole-in-the-wall type, but it was packed with customers. An older couple and their adult son ran it, taking orders and delivering rice bowls, sushi, and other Alolan cuisine.[break][break]

After ordering a seafood bowl with three different portions of meat, Marcus picked a small table by the window. He said nothing while he waited for his food, comfortable with the silence. Whether Paige minded, however, was another matter.

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"I've been thinking about you."[break][break]

The words caught Marcus by surprise, but perhaps they shouldn't have. Paige's community seemed isolated from the rest of Hoenn and ongoing events; the girl barely knew what a Wilds rift was. To be saved by a soldier was certainly out of the norm of her daily life, and therefore memorable.[break][break]

"You're welcome," Marcus said, not bothering to give her his full name. It didn't occur to him that he should. "And I'm doing fine, thanks."[break][break]

He fell silent, his pale eyes subtly darting over her appearance. Dressed in brown clothing that exuded an endearing simplicity, Paige seemed out of place in the official government building. Exactly how old was she?[break][break]

Only after a moment had passed did he realize he should ask her the same question, out of politeness. "How are you doing?"

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The weeks after Team Rocket's attack on Dewford Town and nearby locations were a blur for Marcus. After giving his report to the upper brass about the paradoxical Pokémon he'd encountered in the Ultra Deep Sea, he'd been assigned as protection detail for the scientists conducting experiments on said Pokémon.[break][break]

While it wasn't combat, it kept him occupied. Plus, he got to learn all about the experiment subjects themselves. Paradox Pokémon, they were called. He even learned that the League had named the one that had attacked him a Great Tusk. Fitting.[break][break]

After finishing his morning shift standing guard during another experiment, Marcus returned to the main building. He had two hours for lunch and then another shift in the afternoon. First he dropped off his equipment — his rifle and armor were technically the government's property — then grabbed his water bottle from the communal lockers.[break][break]

Men and women who knew Marcus greeted him as he passed, but he said nothing to them. Instead, he merely met their gazes and kept walking. That was how he was, and how people knew him: the strong, silent type.[break][break]

However, a different sort of greeting cut through the quiet of the building as Marcus turned a corner. He looked up, startled by a voice so familiar yet difficult to place. And then he saw her, the girl from the rift.[break][break]

What was she doing here?[break][break]

"You," he said back, his voice a quiet rumble. What was her name again? "Paige?"

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