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Salieri nearly shrieked at being called 'rabble'. Thankfully Gurkinn intervened. Sal swallowed her pride with a gulp in the presence of the the community's leader. He held himself with the same kind of dignity as the elders of Agate Village back in Orre. "Hi, uh, okay. Thanks."

She followed Gurkinn as he led them to the tower proper. Oberon squeaked like a chew toy whenever she bounced with Sal's step. "So you're the Aura guy," Sal noted so astutely. "When you say 'I see', is that, like, a good 'I see', or...?" She definitely felt weird, but she wasn't sure if that was from the experience, or some kind of aftereffects, or from having just Teleported.

Salieri settled onto the carpet in a crossed legged position, and saw the cooking corner. She looked her lips. It was dinner time, and she was starving.

Zack's memories weren't as clear as her own, but Salieri still felt like she had lived through each one that she had witnessed. It made looking Zack in the eye difficult, especially since she had to assume he saw through many of her dark moments as well.

"Not really," said Sal, unable to pull her stare away from Gurkinn'a eyebrows. "I heard you're Gurkinn the Aura guy. How do you know who I am?" Concerned, Sal leaned in. "Are you in my brain right now?"

"This isn't the spice of life. It's like someone smothered a salad with variety sauce." Sal stopped herself before her metaphor ran away entirely. "How long will this last?"

Salieri didn't expect this detour to end with free lodging for the night. Her luck wasn't entirely terrible today. Now she could find something to eat and make calls to Mia, Math and Ben. And get some training in too, if she was still awake at the end of this. Oberon's Heal Pulse didn't restore fatigue, and today's antics left her tired.

"Thanks," Sal said to Gurkinn with a nod. Part of her wanted to pick his brain about Mega Evolutions and Aura, but it could wait until the morning. She wasn't sure she could retain a lesson right now, or concentrate on anything other than his eyebrows. Seriously, they were monumental. Arnaud always told her not to stare, but it was like the eyebrows were staring right back at her.

She got to her feet and looked to Zack. "Well..."

They had spent the bulk of the day being attached to each other, tethered at the mind. In a way, now they knew each other better than most other people on Earth. To share that experience with Zack was disorienting to say the least. What could be said between them now that they weren't both already thinking?

Sal shrugged. "See ya."

And she would follow Lou up to the living quarters to grab a room and get her bearings.

'See ya,' Zack said at the same time. He closed his eyes, sighed, at let Salieri climb the stairs first.

A half minute later, Emmanuel led Zack to his room, then left him alone. The oak door creaked shut, and Zack drew the bolt before getting a real look at where he'd spend the night. Each residence was built into the tower's external wall, and had square window frames big enough to sit in. Orange bleached from the sky as the sun sank into the ocean, leaving pale clouds and clusters of stars in its wake. Zack had stayed in worse places for free.

His right arm was still useless, tied up in its sling, except now it ached like a son of a b***h. He tried to think past it, but that meant remembering his training. Every time he took his mind back to the academy, Salieri stood alongside him. Zack shook his head, undid the strap on his bag, let it fall to the floor. If he allowed himself to reminisce, he'd start thinking about what he'd seen in Salieri's head and he didn't want that. Better to let those things fade and go forgotten before they drove him insane.

'Need a distraction,' he said, scanning the bookshelf for something to read. There were plenty of old tomes on spirituality and meditation, old religious rites and philosophy. Plenty of nonsense, but Zack needed nonsense that was entertaining. No novels or nothing, and he doubted there was a television anywhere on the island. His next best shot was his Holo Caster, check to see if they'd made the news. He was halfway through unhooking it from around his neck when he paused. Instead he took out his pokéballs and released his team.

Letting a full squad loose all at once was dazzling, and lit up Zack's window like a lighthouse beam. Fatass yawned and stretched, and Zack recalled him before he rolled over and crushed the bookcase. It was a wide room but not that wide. The trainer collapsed on his bed, expecting a hard mattress, but instead he sank into it. Guess being an acolyte wasn't complete s**t after all.

Malis glowered at him from across the room, but Zack ignored it. His attention was on Serene, who stared at him briefly, then parked on the rug before a hollow fireplace. Lethal looked about, and apparently decided he was good enough where he was and lay down. Zack almost jumped when a shadow hovered on the edge of his vision, but it turned out to be Hazard who rolled through the air in fits of silent giggles. Man, he hated ghosts.

Zack shook his head again. No he didn't. He sighed. 'Hey, everyone.'

Chateau Leroux

Dusk had fallen along Route 7. The forests were alive with pokémon cries, marring the silence with rustles and scratches as Elizabeth looked out over the balcony. There was no view except the tops of trees in moonlight, but she wasn't there for it. She fingered her gloves, taking them off and on, making sure they were tight. The finest Rhydon leather; she could pick up a Magcargo in these things. She lived in a mansion, ate the finest foods, wore the finest clothes, learned from the finest tutors. Being a noble afforded her such privileges. It served to elevate her, she wore it as armour to separate her from the common masses.

But her father's death changed all that.

When Ratio threw Gabriel Leroux from that window, he pierced her armour, and she came crashing down. She tightened her glove until her fingers hurt, checked her rapier was looped properly through her belt, then pushed aside the balcony doors. Inside the mansion was furnished in gold and red, spanning across an enormous entrance hall where a grand staircase led into the upper rooms. Elizabeth, along with the more important branch Lerouxs, lived in the chateau's east wing. Guards wearing the Leroux family crest stood at each door, the first line of defence in a Ratio attack. She could go into the east wing, set aside her sword and rest for the night. With her father's funeral tomorrow, Elizabeth needed all the sleep she could get.

Instead she went west, to where Elliot and his family lived. The guard moved to intercept her but she commanded him to stand aside.

'I'm afraid I cannot, madame,' said the guard, his pale blue eyes quivering like a trapped animal. Some common-born meat shield made to boss around a court noble? He had every right to be frightened.
'You dare refuse me in my own home?' Elizabeth replied, looking like her mother once had at her most fearsome.
'Lord Leroux has commanded it, madame,' said the guard. Slow, almost tripped over his words, avoided eye contact. 'The word is the assassin can change form. He could be anyone. For the lord's safety-'
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. 'If I were the assassin I would kill you where you stand. Since you are lucky and I am not, I am only thinking about it. Now stand aside.'

The guard swallowed, nodded, and unlocked the door. Elizabeth strode in without a second glance, nor a thought for the man's lost job. Elliot had avoided her since their conversation on the balcony. Zack Redgrave refused to tell her anything. Everyone she spoke to, be they common or a fellow noble, had given her nothing save the barest scraps of information. Was she the only person on the planet who wanted justice for her father?

Familiar hallways became a blur of paintings and cabinets. Other guards left their posts to follow her, accumulating in a huddled mass of concerned umms and ahhs, until finally she reached Elliot's study. He would be here at this time, doing whatever it was that house heads did with their evenings. Her guess seemed to be right, as the hallway leading into the study was crowded with guards.

'Lady Elizabeth,' one of them gasped. The group who had trailed her stopped behind, and Elizabeth found herself surrounded. 'We received no word that you would be coming.'
'Apologies,' said another near the door. He plucked a pokéball from his belt, and made sure she knew it. 'But you must leave now. It is for everyone's safety.'

---

Lord Elliot Leroux backed into his desk. Ratio prowled toward him, his footfalls silent on the study's deep carpet. The assassin's ragged cloak shifted in nonexistent breeze, concealing his body save his extremities. All Elliot could see amidst the living mass of black cloth was the white, animal mask, and armoured, claw-like limbs.

There were shouts outside. The guards. Elliot recognised Elizabeth's voice in the fray, as commanding as her mother's but as cold as her father's. She wanted in. If she had her way she would be face to face with her father's killer, and that could not happen.

'Can't you do something?' he asked Ratio, who stopped pacing at once. The assassin looked toward the door and shook his head.
'An aura as fiery as that would resist any attempt to calm it. Once she begins to quieten on her own, I can help her along, but until then it would be like, ah,' Ratio rolled the words around before speaking them, 'like pissing in the wind.'

'Then we must wrap up,' Elliot said, squeezing his hands together. 'I cannot keep taking long breaks the same time each night. Someone will start to ask questions, and questions always find their way back to Lord Nostrad.'
Ratio stared directly at him. His face was hidden by that mask, unknowable. Was he studying him dispassionately? Or smirking in mockery. 'Your uncle was murdered and you are grieving. Nobody will ask questions.'
'Don't be so sure, Ratio. I have spent the past ten years with Lord Nostrad while you were rotting in that cell. I know the threat he poses.'

'Do you?' Ratio rounded on Elliot, the edge of anger in his voice. 'Do you truly think you know him better than me? You lived under his thumb but I, Elliot, have lived under his knife. Would you like me to show you the kindness of Jullien Nostrad?'

Ratio's mask peeled back, but at the first glimpse beneath it, Elliot turned away. The shouts outside the door grew louder. Amidst the voices Elliot heard the pop of a pokéball, and a deep roar.

'If you know him, then you should know why I have to be extra cautious. If he finds out-'
'He won't,' Ratio said. 'Nostrad is powerful and paranoid, and very, very smart. But he is also blinded by pride. He relies too heavily on the system he inherited, and his belief that his power can never be taken. As long as he thinks he owns you, he will never suspect you.'
'He can read minds, Ratio.'
'Have you continued the exercises I showed you?' Ratio asked. Elliot nodded. 'Then unless you foolishly choose to spend an excessive amount of time with him, you have nothing to fear.'

One final roar echoed beyond the door before they flew off their hinges, leaving a giant robotic fist in their place. Elizabeth's Golurk lowered its arm and soldiered into the study, having to duck to get past the door frame. Elizabeth marched alongside it, tailed by a pair of roughed-up, exhausted guards.

'Elliot,' Elizabeth shouted across the study, voice echoing in its high ceiling. 'I have had enough of you avoiding me, Elliot. And who the hell is this?'
'Kero Lafleche,' Ratio replied. 'I am a private contractor looking to boost your security. From the looks of things, you are in dire need of my services. I would shake your hand, Lady Elizabeth, but you appear to be holding a sword in it.'

Elliot's heart was in his ears. Standing beside him, instead of the twisted masked creature he had just spoken to, was a middle aged, handsome man with long auburn hair. He dressed smart, like a noble, and his eyes even crinkled when he smiled.

'We are so sorry, Lord Leroux,' the guards said, one holding the other up, 'Lady Elizabeth ah, refused to be refused.'
'So I see,' Elliot said. 'Leave us. Elizabeth, if you wished to see me, you need only ask, perhaps at a more convenient time.'
'I have asked, Elliot. And hounded. For days you ignore me. For days you pretend to have more important things to do than find my father's killer.'
'Now is not the best time. Monsieur Lafleche-'

'I don't give a s**t about Monsieur Lafleche,' Elizabeth snapped, swiping her sword so violently Elliot winced. She paused, made eye contact with Ratio, and said, 'no offence.'
'Rarely am I offended,' Ratio replied with a smile. 'Especially not by beautiful women, and especially not when they have such an enormous pokémon at their back.'
'I understand your pain,' Elliot said to Elizabeth, and she lowered her sword. 'The unthinkable has happened, and for it to be Gabriel is crushing. But this is not how we act. Nobility is not a stick to beat the masses with, it is a responsibility. We conduct ourselves properly, and do not fly off the handle the instant things do not go our way.'

'This is not just things not going my way, Elliot. This is my father.'
'As I said, I understand,' Elliot replied. 'But my first duty is to the house, to keep it together when its foundations are shaken. I see now that I have failed somewhat, but make no mistake that revenge is a distant second.'

Elizabeth met him with an ugly smile. 'Not all of us have the luxury of hiding behind our house. Perhaps the time is not right after all. Please, tell me when you decide to stop being a coward, because it is either that or you are too ignorant to help me. I don't need either. Good day, Monsieur Lafleche.'

Ratio waved goodbye as Elizabeth turned on her heel. She looped her sword back into her belt and gestured to her Golurk, who followed her into the hall, its heavy footfalls disappearing into the ether. Elliot pinched his brow.

'Please,' he said quietly, in case any guards were nearby. 'Please tell me that Gabriel had to die.'
All the good humour bled from Kero Lafleche's face. Though flesh and blood, it was as much a mask as the white shell Ratio usually wore. 'Gabriel led the operation to locate and unearth the weapon. He had ties to every inch of the court's operation, and enthused over the plan more than any of you.' Ratio paused, then looked Elliot in the eye. 'I did not need to kill him, but yes, he had to die.'

The Tower of Mastery

'Holy s**t, I needed that,' Zack said, closing the bathroom door, and returning to his room. His pokémon had made themselves at home. Malis was busy tearing pages from books to feed to the fire he'd started in the fireplace while Serene warmed herself in front of it. Lethal sat in the window bay, flinching and frothing at the mouth as Hazard nipped in and out of the wall to poke the pokémon.

Zack smiled to himself. This was his team now. He hadn't given much thought to his old team, but reliving Salieri's memories meant he relived his own. There were a lot of things he didn't want to look in the eye. Before the academy, he'd been as wide eyed as any of the other kids, but the place had a way of wearing you down. He rarely let his pokémon out of their balls except to battle, but this was nice.

'You guys hungry?' he asked, and immediately drew four hungry gazes. Serene even drooled a little, while Malis held a book so close to the fire that it burst into flame without him realising. 'Alright. Serene, come with me. Lethal, make sure Malis doesn't burn the tower down. Hazard, come get me if he does.'

Serene hopped to her feet and doddered up to her trainer. She took him by the hand, and they vanished in a flash of light, only to reappear at the base of the tower. Night had truly fallen, but lanterns lined the township's streets. Silence blanketed the town, and Zack felt like his every footstep would wake everyone up. He licked his lips and glanced this way and that. They had to keep food somewhere.

With flickers of light, the two teleported around town, reappearing further down the street, in people's bedrooms, in pokémon stables, in the guard station atop the wall, until finally they located the canteen. It was a large, circular building filled with rows of benches pointing outward from the center, which had a double-size statue of a Lucario with a circular base. Zack could've bet money that if you viewed the whole thing from above, it'd look like a pokéball.

'Over here,' he whispered, leading Serene to the kitchens. The store cupboard was unlocked, its door swinging open with oiled grace. They went inside and Zack passed Serene an empty potato sack from a pile near the door. The Kirlia started to struggle as Zack filled the sack with handfuls of food. Eventually, he took pity on her.

'Try lifting it with Psyshock,' he said. Serene looked at him puzzled. 'You used it to beat that guy's brains in. Remember?'

Serene nodded, then closed her eyes in concentration. The potato sack quivered as pink sparks manifested in front of the psychic type, but she failed to make anything happen. Zack frowned.

'Guess you could only use those moves cause I knew them,' he said. The battle at the pokémon center had been his weirdest one yet. Halfway merged into Salieri, they had taken Serene's body for a joyride, except Serene was still in control. Sort of. For a minute, all three of them were blended together, and Serene fed on the power of Zack and Salieri's experience. At least, that was what Zack thought had happened. He knelt down and clapped Serene on the back. 'We'll get you there. Now that I know you can kick that much a**, I expect you to do it on a regular basis.'

---

Malis almost lost his tail when Zack and Serene got back. He had fallen fast asleep in front of the fire, snoring his head off, while Lethal held his tail away from the rug to keep it not-on-fire. When the room lit up with the light of a Teleport, the Clawitzer jumped out of his figurative shell.

'Back,' Zack said, as Malis scratched furiously at Lethal's claw while Hazard rolled about laughing. 'Knock it off. Serene, give it to them.'

The Kirlia tipped the sack over, letting its contents spill onto the floor. Malis forgot the sharp pain in his tail as his jaw went slack, and he pounced on the largest chunk of dried meat he could see. Serene chewed on a Rawst poffin while Lethal tried and failed to scoop large quantities of food into his mouth with his big claw, and Hazard vacuumed up as much food as possible by phasing across the floor with her mouth wide open. Zack saved the rest of the bag for Fatass and put it at the side of his bed while his pokémon ate.

He lay back, propping his head up with his good arm as he kicked off his shoes. It had been a long, long day. Hell, a long week. And they still had a way to go before Helena was ready for the league. He had his own job to do now as well. Salieri wanted to avenge Moze and Arnaud, and now he had to help her. Maybe that would put the ghosts of her memories to rest. He thought of Autumnal Avenue, of Arnaud being cursed by that Hex, and it made him sick to his stomach.

Zack sat up again, and fished his holo caster from his neck. Arnaud was trapped in his own head, bed ridden and completely unaware of the mess his daughter had made of herself. Zack turned his caster on and dialed. It rang through, so he dialed again, wracked with a guilt he wasn't sure he owned. Finally, the call went through, an a familiar hologram lit up the room.

She was a pretty woman, except for the scars that mottled her eyelids. Glass from the accident. She wore dark glasses out in public, and joked that if she didn't then kids might think she was scary enough to be a pokémon. Zack didn't think it was very funny.

'Hey, mom,' he said, looking at the bed.
'Oh? Who is this?' Kaitlyn replied, making an exaggerated display of being blind. 'It sounds almost like my son, except he never, ever calls me so it can't possibly be him.'
Zack frowned. 'Maybe he doesn't like wasting his time.'
Kaitlyn grinned. 'I love you too, hun.'

Shalour City Gym

Bright sunbeams poured in through the windows of the gym, giving an awakening glow to the indoor skatepark. Even during morning traffic there were skaters trying to hone their skills on the rails and half pipes. They arrived early to beat the rush. Trainers aiming to challenge Korrina did the same.

With so many distractions and decisions to make, Salieri had been up late, staring at the ceiling while she tried to go to sleep. She dreamed that she and Kelly were at the volcano again, and he begged her to help him, and she couldn't make the choice. A jolt of coffee in the morning cleared Zack's memory out of her head once more, even though she hated drinking the stuff. Too bitter for her taste.

She meant to get to the Gym at eight, but it was nine when she arrived. With a short line ahead of her, Salieri sat in the bleachers, trying to get her head in the game while waiting. Ska's proposal weighed on her, but he had given her until noon to answer. Matheson's hung over her head as well, but neither of them mattered here. This was the Pokémon League.

Incoming trainers would approach her for battle to vie for a higher number in line, but Biz Marquis beat them down and defended her position. After the most recent battle, Salieri rolled Biz's Pokéball in her hand. The Chesnaught was still clumsy at inconvenient times, but he was really coming into his own. Such an advancement from the scrub of a Chespin that stole her bandanna in Sycamore's lab. Thinking back on what a pain it could have been to fish him out of the Wonder Trade, Sal smiled. It had been more than worth it.

Biz was reliable, but if Korrina used Hawlucha he'd be at a huge disadvantage. And if Reynard was worth taming, now was the time to test it. Sal mulled it over, then released her Vaporeon. She curled up onto the bench and yawned. "I don't wanna lose with the same Pokémon to the same person twice. If you want another shot, it's yours."

Sal's eyes narrowed. "But if you won't listen to what I say, and you make a fool of us both again, then there's no point in keeping you on my team. I don't wanna lose with the same Pokémon to the same person twice if it's because they don't belong. You get me, Reynard? If you want the glory, you need to earn it. Do you want the shot?"

Reynard gave her a sidelong glance for what seemed like five minutes. Then she looked away, uneasy. Salieri knew the look. Rey was deciding if following orders was worth sacrificing her independence. "This isn't about putting you under my thumb," Sal assured her. "It's about kicking a**."

That resonated with Reynard. She looked at Salieri and gave her a reluctant nod. Sal hid it, but she was relieved that she didn't have to bench another Pokémon into Gotengo. "Good. Let's talk tactics again."

Rey had heard Salieri go over strategies at breakfast that morning. It was a blur, mostly because the Pokémon wasn't paying attention, and so she only
remembered keywords and pieces. Despite the urge to nod off, Rey listened up this time.

"Hawlucha's Attract and Encore are a real pain. I actually thought it'd be funny if I taught you Attract as a counter, but that's not how I want to win. Not here, anyway. We'll talk about it later, that's totally still on the table." Rey opened her mouth to yelp a protest, but Sal held up a hand to interrupt that interruption. "I've got some ideas how to work around it. But that's not the most important part. This is Korrina's Gym, but the field isn't just in her favor. We can tip those scales to our side."

The mermaid dog was curious now. She tilted her head. Sal leaned in with a wicked smirk. "Here's what we're gonna try out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When her turn was finally up, Salieri stepped onto the challenger's box at one side of the modified boxing ring that served as the battleground. This time she was more aware of the cameras broadcasting the battle on TV. Reruns could be the death of her reputation if she didn't recover now. She only left with any dignity after her defeat yesterday because Zack had willed it through the bond. That had been an upside.

Then again, half the reason it was such an embarrassing loss was because they had been holding hands. The upside was evened out.

Salieri put on her tough front, folding her arms as the spotlights lit up behind them. "Korrina! I'm back, and I have just one question!"

She released Reynard into the ring and caught the ball as it returned. "Is this building up to code?"