"I start turning people in, I start losing business," June snapped back. While a majority of her deliveries were not ones that contained illicit or otherwise dangerous things to deliver, enough of them were to mean she knew when to speak up and when to keep her mouth shut. Word traveled quickly, and she tried to make sure certain words got to the intended targets and not just about everyone. A tightrope act, to advertise her services to as many people as possible but not to people that would try to get herself thrown into prison. 

It also made it necessary to be an asshole sometimes. Like right now!

Sure, it felt really awkward as Howard unboxed what looked to be an ordinary mask. Ordinary in the sense that it fit in with everything else in the room. The way he rubbed in felt even worse as he chided her into taking a whiff of the old paint that looked like a stiff breeze away from going all over the place. Yet there was a niggle in the back of her mind, a hook that just wouldn't come loose no matter how hard she pulled and tugged at it. Why specifically get her for something as whatever as this?

Probably some artifact smuggled in, she concluded. Her knowledge of customs for 'important' goods was faint but the circumstances deemed it an appropriate guess. Not the first time someone got an item from another region and brought it in secretly, and items like that needed a third party to deliver it. Like her. 

Did it even matter? This wasn't drugs labelled as something else, and it wasn't a weapon. She had gone far enough in this query despite her desire to know more. Too far in honesty. 

"Alright, alright, I get it. Sorry. Sometimes I get bad feelings about stuff and need to cover my bases," June said. A held breath escaped her lungs as her shoulders relaxed. "Can't ever be too careful, and nothing personal. Besides, do I look like the type to care if you got illegal stuff? I've delivered plenty worse to shadier people. Got a few regulars that are from Team Rocket even."

The delivery girl either had more trouble keeping her mouth shut than advertised or that last part was a targeted slip up aimed at Howard. Blackmail or a desire to keep him as a regular customer?

If it wasn't obvious, a bright grin replaced that slight frown from moments ago. "And hey, since I sort of ruffled your feathers, how about the next delivery is half off eh? Next time you want something from... somewhere far away, I'll make sure it gets here nice and discreet so it can sit on your shelf and gather dust."

---

howard slayte

"But I--"

"Keee-aarrrrrrr!" Matchstick called out. Its head cranked ninety degrees to the side in order to stare down its trainer, annoyance now clear on its face. June closed her mouth immediately and stared off to the side. "Ok. Yea. I'm sorry."

The bird continued its death stare for a few more seconds before it returned its attention to Josh. It nodded its head vigorously at the trainer in June's stead and let out a few friendly chirps. It seemed like this sort of thing wasn't exactly uncommon between the two, a practiced song and dance instead of a one-and-done lesson to be learned from. Unfortunately, there still stood much ground and progress to be gained about the idea of risk management with the delivery girl. How many more times would this happen?

Whatever the case, the Talonflame seemed to be done with both the conversation and the race. With a defeat under its wings, it slowly turned around and started to fly away. More flying needed to be done before it would be content with its time here. June, meanwhile, tried to turn back towards Josh. "Next time, we're gonna come back and be even faster! I don't need anything but Brave Bird!"

Despite her almost purposefully ignoring Josh's advice, her glum attitude had vanished. With closed eyes and a bright, warm smile, she waved as they flew off. There would be a next time if only for Matchstick's sake. She would prove that she didn't need to slow down or play it safe with a move like Quick Attack. Even if she fell another nine times, she'd get back up ten times in response.

But those were thoughts, and thoughts were meaningless without action. Thus, she took hold of the reins and started to guide her Talonflame away from the course to a relatively open sky. Time to practice until the sun set on this day. Or they got hungry. Whichever came first.

---

Josh Devlin

As Josh would come to learn, June's command showed that he was right on both accounts. This maneuver risked almost everything. Tight control and preparation of what was to come would determine just how well it would pay off. As they approached and started to climb the loop, it seemed as if June didn't give herself enough credit before. Ember-kissed feathers left a trail that rivaled the sun in sheer intensity whilst the two climbed higher and higher. The class below struggled to pay attention, students and teachers alike, while the sight unfolded. 

June held on tight and as close as possible to Matchstick, who focused entirely on the process involved with such a feat. Every single ounce of momentum would need to be preserved and utilized to its full potential in order to ensure the loop went smoothly. If it lost it, then the race stood as good as lost. Both riders pushed past the first quarter. It wouldn't be long before they reached the midway point.

Unfortunately, this marked the end of their chances. While the world inverted and the pair of Talonflame pushed through the top of the loop, a weird idea sprang forth through the delivery girl's head. They had just used Brave Bird to reclaim all the distance lost earlier. Why couldn't they... do it again?

"Matchstick, Brave Bird again!"

"Skreeeee?"

"I said, Brave bird--"

The pokemon relented. It did not truly think it was a good idea, but the instinct kicked in much like the previous time. There needed to be mutual trust between trainer and pokemon, an understanding that both were equals and possessed critical thinking skills. However, this would not be the case as the pair started their drop. 

Matchstick noticed the problem first. Their angle was too tight. Furthermore, while the loop was rather tall, it did not stand tall enough to afford such a dramatic speed boost when they did it. There wouldn't be enough time to reposition into a good place, and they were approaching the ground fast. While that should've been expected, there was no way in hell that they both made it to the flag and  didn't rocket into the ground at the speed of sound. 

June's world shifted radically and her stomach churned. "Wh-wait, what are you doing girl?! We're going to miss the-- wooooAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

They missed the checkpoint. Matchstick abandoned the Brave Bird and instead pulled out its wings. Frantic and powerful swings felt like they struck a solid brick wall as all their speed and momentum disappeared into the wind. Their descent slowed and slowed until they hovered between a pair of trees, their green leaves dotted with red and grey feathers. It looked like a massacre had occurred when quite the opposite did. 

June held on tight as the bird started to fly calmly to the finish line. Her vision swam and her body felt heavier than a sack of rocks. Shame and guilt hung heavy in her head as reality presented itself: her move had nearly got them killed. What the fuck did she think would happen? How did she think that would go? So stupid! Now wasn't the time for this self-doubt, though. The Talonflame had wasted no time in the short and quick trip over, and soon enough they were back right next to Josh. 

"Good race..." she muttered. Her chipper attitude had disappeared, replaced with a shy and meek trainer with less confidence than those that had signed up for the class not even an hour ago. Her knuckles turned white against the muscled wings she clutched, and she looked firmly down at her saddle. Even worse, Matchstick looked annoyed. Or relieved. Or stressed? There stood no surefire way to tell. Birds can only be so expressive.

---

Josh Devlin

Absolutely wonderful. Ahead of the pair stood a great big... June had no idea what to call it. A curve? Another skateboard-like structure but in the air? Whatever the case, it looked terrible to navigate. At least, it would be a massive pain in the ass for Matchstick to navigate. From afar, the path ahead looked simple enough: slow down and then take a nice turn. However, the delivery girl remained strapped to the back of a bird that didn't quite understand the concept of 'slowing down'. 

There would need to be a better understanding between the two. Normally, June let the bird do whatever it needed in full trust that it had the ability to navigate the open skies or tricky situations. This time would be different. If they wanted to close the distance even further, there would need to be a compromise. Did the pokemon even grasp that yet?

She did the math quickly in her head and eye-balled just how much time they had. By her count... ten seconds. She would need ten seconds of control. If the bird could give up ten seconds of its preferred break-neck blitz, it could have the rest of it all. Tentatively, she pulled back on the bird. Careful not to tear it out from its natural form but forceful all the same.

Matchstick gave her a mean look from the corner of its eye. Confusion and doubt clouded its vision. However, it relented. Their speed dropped dramatically like they had hit a rough spot of counter-current. Much like the pair in front of them, they took the turn easily enough. As the seconds crawled by, almost to the mark, they crossed the near ninety-degree angle.

Then, the time sounded in both their heads. 

Matchstick took control back. On the downward spiral, the bird tucked its wings and plummeted straight down. June held on for dear life, unsure of what the creature wanted. Its focus remained straight ahead, but there was some crucial step missing. Gears turned in the delivery girl's head. A puzzle slowly put itself together, and there was naught but a single piece that remained to be put in. It slid into the picture--

Oh. The answer seemed obvious in hindsight. "Matchstick, use Brave Bird!"

Their free fall turned intended drop. Just in the nick of time, as flags blended in with the landscape around them. One after another, the two raced past their checkpoints like lightning. Any distance gained earlier by Josh got gobbled up as the pair behind progressively closed the distance. As this hurdle came to a close, another one would be right around the corner. The last one, June hoped. As long as they didn't fly into the sun like the legend of old, this could actually be a win for them. So, the two raced forward into...

---

13vvPzzt
Josh Devlin

Things went poorly. Fast. Matchstick, for better or worse, had not been in such a 'tough' position in the last few months. Thus, when push came to shove, the pokemon had to take things slow. Slower than it would've liked. As the mock half-pipe got close, the bird chose to take things normally. As a land pokemon might act, it took the sloped curve nice and even, a beautiful arc of perfection and practice. It raced back down as fast as it could comfortably. This ordinarily wouldn't have been a problem, as it raced through the colored flags, but this was a competiton. Thus, when Matchstick noticed Suzaku pull ahead by a very clear margin, it got upset. Pissed, to put it lightly.

"ccaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaWWWWWWWWWWWWWW--"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--"

Together, the two tried to close the gap between the pair. Matchstick with its risky movement and hard turns, and June with her desperate attempts to steer the pokemon. In tandem, the two tried to match their movements together to perform a beautiful dance between the sideways checkpoints. Compared to the other racers, the two vaulted and jittered through the open air. Dancers with different rhythms in their heads. The Talonflame wanted to go as fast as humanely possible, and the delivery girl wanted nothing more than to not experience the same terrible and terrifying awful movement that she had when on that Cyclizar.

Even worse, the next 'rut in the road', to put it nicely, came up...

---

Josh Devlin

Iao8nUVG

June rolled her eyes, unamused by Howard's descriptive idea of what an average HPS delivery went like. Not that he was wrong-- if anything, he got it nailed down all the way to them driving off a cliff-- but she didn't particularly care. Not any meanness or cruelty to the plight of Howard, but she had heard the exact same argument before. "Oh, please June, you believe in the HPS to get anything done at a reasonable time and safely?" They always said.

So far, her count made it 6.86/10 that after someone said that, they revealed a package filled to the brim with either narcotics or a really bad ass weapon. The former had a massively higher fee depending on product and the latter she didn't deliver for a god damn reason. People liked to think themselves clever, for better or worse.

"I don't mind delivering for so called 'criminal masterminds', I care that you might try to stiff me," June explained. Unlike Howard, she did not have to worry about some looming figure constantly over her shoulder at every waking moment. In return, she tended to look the other way to those kinds of people. Sometimes. "So please do. I don't know if you read it on my ad, but narcotics average around a shit ton more than the normal fees."

While Mr. Slayte opened the package, the delivery girl would simply stand where she had planted herself and watch. Hopefully the threat of financial ruin would keep the guy honest. Did that classify as cruel and unusual punishment? Probably. Oh well.

---

howard slayte

"I see..." June trailed off. Sounded like a massive pain in the ass, the way Howard explained it. It also sounded like he knew the pains of the process plenty well enough. That bit about the one writer and 'literature class' went way above her head, though. Not terribly interested in those sorts of books.

Speaking of, she simply shrugged her shoulders in response. "Don't need a class to learn how to deliver a box. Only hard part was getting my name out there and to the right people. You can pay people to figure out the legal stuff, which took care of most of the problems. Pay is pretty fine, though, since I do it all myself."

Of course, she also didn't have the crippling obsession to ancient artifacts, but that felt like an elephant in the room more than anything else. On that note, the delivery girl crossed her arms. "And since we're being honest, it's a little odd that a person like you would ask for a person like me to deliver something I presume is like the dozens of other things you have in here. You read my ad, heard about the stuff I can get from point A to B, yea? That or you got a fuck ton of drugs in this box. Or some grenades Or a sack of rocks. Get fake orders with a sack of rocks often. Anyway, point is, if it is another artifact for the collection, why not just send that stuff through the regional post office?"

Man did she hate the fucking fake orders of rocks. How the hell did they even get her contact info, and why was it always rocks?

---

howard slayte

"Oh! There's a speech for that," June said. In truth, she had literally no idea what else to say. That tidbit of information didn't get her any closer to... never mind. Now certainly wasn't the time for this sort of thing. A side note at best. Focus on the reason she came here: to make sure Matchstick didn't get stir crazy. Which, when Josh mentioned a race, got June's attention further. A race? She didn't care for the bragging rights that they brought, but her pokemon thought differently.

As soon as the word 'contest' left the gym leader's lips, the delivery girls bird brought its head up. Eyes locked on and narrowed on the trainer. Every single muscle in its body stood still, motionless at the utterance of a test of speed. That had gotten the full attention of at least one of the two that faced him. June, on the other hand, shrugged her shoulders. "If Matchstick wants a race, then looks like we have to race. Odds are that you win, but either way I'll be happy. So long as this idiot right here is, at least."

As she rubbed the neck of the Talonflame underneath her, she re-adjusted her position on its back. "You'll have to lead the way, though. Don't exactly know where this 'Multiplex' is."

---

Josh Devlin

"Oh, I can time my attacks pretty quickly," June insisted. "I can be pretty slick with my Brave Birds. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about."

"CAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Matchstick interrupted. The pokemon rocked back and forth to throw off her trainer's mental train of thought. That, or it was getting desperate for more movement. While June got her bearings back, the pokemon would continue to shuffle itself in place. Yep, it wanted to get to the open skies real bad.

"Anyway," she ignored the Talonflame's movement for now, "I can't really speak about how well you're doing, but you're probably doing a good job! You've got, oh, a dozen or so people down there just for this class! With you, probably. Not due to the-- ok, forget what I said. I'm sure Katherine and John are proud of you. Don't know much about that 'avatar' business though. What, you get a really important pokemon to notice you or something?" She asked. While the question seemed innocent enough, her attention got strangely focused on Josh and his possible explanation. As if she was trying to feign innocence while very much wanting an appropriate answer. 

---

Josh Devlin

"Oh, that makes sense!" June said. While she would personally prefer a shorter review, the analogy got the point across all the same. "Who knew these 'vases' could be so... nice? I guess?"

However, that brought another question to the forefront of her mind: how the hell did they know this guy was actually a good king? And how the hell did they even figure out this language? How long ago was this? Did anything those people did matter in today's world? 

As June's head spun she leaned on the table, careful not to touch anything on it. "Geez, this stuff seems complicated. And hard. Where did you go to school? How the hell do they teach you stuff like this? And how did those people learn how to teach you this sort of stuff? How the hell do you learn a language no one speaks?"

Unfortunately for Howard, there was a little more to June not asking questions about the stuff she delivered: she had a tendency to get distracted. Very easily, as it turned out. This girl had been in the apartment for maybe five minutes and was already starting to try to learn more about things that even he himself didn't think about! Splendid! He got the feeling that the bombardment of questions wouldn't end here if he decided to play along-- though, maybe that wasn't a bad thing.

---

howard slayte

"Huh? What do you mean '200-level' or '300-level'?" June asked Josh, eyebrow raised as high as she had flown. She looked back to the rest of the group, only to see that none of them had flown up to their platform. They either focused on the other teacher-assistants, looked amazed at her as if she had done something extremely cool, or rolled their eyes at her. Had she shown up for the wrong class afterall? 

By the time she returned her attention to the gym leader, he had started to talk about material covered in other classes, and even mentioned some guy she had no idea who was. "Woah woah woah, slow your roll. I've done loops and inverted flying but... 'Quick Attack'? Yea, Talonflame tend to do that." 

In response, Matchstick let out a high pitched chirp and cocked its head to look directly at her. "What do you mean, girl? You've gone pretty fast, yea? And you've used moves when going pretty fast when I'm on your back, yea? I think that would count as a 'Quick Attack'."

The pokemon did its best to signal its despair at the denseness of its trainer before returning to face straight ahead. Clearly, this had not been the first time its tried to convey this sort of message. Based on how annoyed it sounded, it would certainly not be the last. 

"And who is this 'John Sullivan'?" She asked him. "Was he the guy before you? Your mentor or something like that?"

---

Josh Devlin

Ah. That'll do it alright. From the sounds of it, Mr. Slayte was simply doomed from the start. Getting invested in pricey merchandise was one thing, but to have it be the thing you study for a few years at a place of higher education... would drain anyone's wallet. Especially one like this. June nodded along to his explanation, her eyes glued to a particularly interesting piece.

It wasn't anything particularly crazy, just an old-looking vase. Perhaps nicer looking than the rest of the artifacts, but the main appeal were the numerous glyphs carvings into the upholstery. She pondered what could be so important as to mark into such an item, and more importantly, how it felt to her skin. There was always the undeniable urge to touch stuff like this, but she refrained from acting on said urges. 

After Howard's plea, she shuddered. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I wish this was the worst it got. Not that what you got here is particularly bad, but... ugh."

But which one was the worst? There was that one person who was unhealthily invested in those animated figures on those streaming services, another who had a bajillion jars of preserved pokemon parts, a half-dozen people who offered obscene amounts for her to stay the night, but none of them--

"Ah fuck," June shuddered, "No, you're pretty tame. Just remembered a time when... actually, probably shouldn't say anything about that. For legal reasons and, well, personal ones. Anyway, change of topic, you got any idea what these symbols mean? On this jar?"

---

howard slayte