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Ben did his due diligence and read the contract. It was a good deal, anyone would get everything they needed from getting 8 badges for a while. Which meant convincing someone to drop would be easy by comparison. It gave the nobles a definitive number to beat in bribes and time to manipulate someone.

It went without saying that he was probably going to be targeted immediately no matter how many people stuck to him if he said no. "Hero of Kalos? Please tell me you won't actually use that name." Ben feplied, voice low enough he wasn't sure the two gentlemen had actually heard. He didn't realize someone had snuck up behind him before the voice spoke. That was... Robin? Robin. Pretty eyes, bit of attitude. Apparently ambitious. All good traits.

Honestly, Juliet had been his first thought at the offer of a fancy dinner party. Noble help to get through noble spaces. But Robin did volunteer... Could he just drag her along? It was dangerous. Actually, that wasn't the most pressing answer he had to give. Accept or die. "It's too good a deal to just pass up." He signed the contract there and handed it back. This was a bad idea. But better than the 'please target me' option. "And it sounds like Robin will be my date to meet with Lord Balibar." He turned to her and gave a smile. Bad ideas all around. "Is there anything else that needs my immediate attention?"

Coumarine City Pokémon Center

"Are you even listening?"
Salieri shook from her daydream. She'd been recalling what Ramos had told her in her head. "Obviously," she lied. "Just give me the abridged version."

The young Nurse Joy at the counter stood with Durendal's Pokéball in one hand, the other hand on her hip. "He overexerted himself. The armor is still stitching up. Your Pawniard can still do light activity, but I recommend keeping him out of battles for the rest of the day."
"The rest of the day?!"
"You won't get anywhere pushing him too hard. He needs to heal." The Nurse sighed. "If you're that desperate to train, grind against Fletchlings."

Durendal was her most trusted Pokémon. Her sword. If she was attacked by another Darkhorse Hunter she'd be at a disadvantage. Sal took his ball back and sat on a couch in the lobby.

Of course she wouldn't push Dune anymore today. He was her friend. But did she love him? Sal's guts crawled again as she replayed her Gym match and Ramos' encouragements again. Luck was something she had grown to detest. Everything she had in her life was something she'd fought for. Earned. To be handed what you wanted because the universe made it so felt like entitlement to Sal. Like the silver spoons nobles were born with. Once upon a time, a young Salieri would have wept over a hand out for her and her family. Now, she shunned the idea. Luck was for her, to put it simply, nothing to be proud of.

But Ramos said it was love that saved her match. And so she was at war with herself, because if she wasn't lucky, then she had more love than she thought she did. Sal wasn't sure how that was defined. If she had love, then why wasn't she happy?

I don't want to think about this. Salieri spun the Pokéball in her hand, fine on the outside and reeling on the inside. The fun she had over the caesura, was that love? The memories she made? Why can't I be satisfied?

The storage closet she was sitting next to opened with aplomb, and out popped Matheson. He readjusted his rusted orange long coat, adorned with sponsorships patches, and shut the door behind him before spotting Sal closer than he thought. "You did it!"

The two of them had spent a fair amount of time together during the caesura. They even went on a second country hopping date. Before the Fishbone incident, Sal thought of ending their budding relationship before it started. They were from two different worlds, and Salieri's world opposed the place he had come from. He was engaged in an arranged marriage, to a woman Salieri detested.

But they were young. And reckless. And they liked each other. So they settled on something casual. It had been a long process of negotiating. No definitions, few strings, little commitment. They were testing the waters, because they weren't ready to leave the beach yet.

Sal stood up and let him hug her. The roiling inside her simmered down. Matheson had a lot of qualities Salieri admired. He was kind to everyone. He was responsible, and loyal to his people. He was competent, but didn't take himself too seriously. His usefulness as a resource and link to nobility couldn't be understated. And all of this was wrapped in a package shaped like a handsome boy with a nice a**.

They weren't the reasons Salieri liked him. She liked him because he made her feel like she wasn't a loser. And so she hugged him back and allowed his mood to come into her space and change her own. "I did, didn't I?"
"I knew you would." Math hesitated, then added, "Buuuuut I wasn't so sure you'd do it on your first try. That was close, dude!"
"Don't remind me," Sal said, rolling her eyes and dying a little on the inside. "It's all skill, baby."

She opened the double doors and they stepped out into the sun. The two of them strolled slowly on the path weaving through the back of the Center. Sal guessed that Ramos' profession had a heavy influence on the town, because the training grounds at this Center were adorned with hedges and shrubs, manicured lawns, and carefully planted flowers. Wide weeping willows waved in the wind, their branches looming up high.

"You're good. Real good. But Dune is something else."
"You got that right. Tell it to him next time, he needs the boost."
"I'm serious, Sal. I heard some sponses talking about you. And him in particular."
Sal eyed him, curious. "Yeah? What did they say?"
"They were impressed! Especially by Durendal. It's week two, people talk. You might just land a sponsorship after this."
"Tch. I'm already sponsored, ya dork."

Sal flicked the keychain on her beltbag. Dangling from it was the emblem for Restaurant Le Yeah in Lumiose City, which was a Chimchar in a chef's hat holding a plate of something delicious. Math peered down and laughed, flicking the keychain. "Nice! Did you always have that?"
"Hell yeah, dude! The Aviads are my number one fans. Plus, Mia's dad bakes the best soft pretzels. It's the greatest perk ugggghhhhh."

Matheson gave Salieri a moment to drool a river in front of him. "That is sweet. I'm, uh, not talking about that though. I mean that is awesome and now I want a pretzel-"
"I'd punt a Lillpup for a pretzel right now..."
"I'm talking about big labels. Labels that can give you money."

Salieri stopped under the zig zagging shade of one of the willows. She appreciated the way he had phrased it. Clearly, he didn't think any less of her for touting Mia's family business. "They're not gonna sponsor me, Math."
"Yeah? Why not?" Matheson turned around to face her. "You're objectively good at this."
"Because I'm not an image person." She made quotes in the air around that label.

Over the caesura, Salieri had almost been approached to be a sponsor for a Kalosian clothing line, until they had deemed her to be 'not the fit we're looking for'. It didn't take long for her to find out (through Mia's search engine martial arts) that Sal had indeed been scouted by multiple companies, only to be glossed over for someone who fit the bill better than her. Apparently, regularly calling out the government and her somewhat grungy lifestyle didn't make for good advertising. Who would've guessed?

"I image-ine you're better than you think you are." Matheson grinned from ear to ear, and Salieri put her hands to her cheeks in horror.
"Oh my Arceus that was terrible."
"You liked it!"
"That was the worst thing to happen to me all week."
"C'mon."
"Maybe my whole life. And I mean, my dad is in intensive care."
"It wasn't that bad."
"It was worse."

Salieri shook her head and started walking again. She brushed some hair away from her face, realizing she hadn't seen herself in a mirror for a few hours. "Thank you."
"Of course."

The truth was, she was ok with not being sponsored. She wanted validation, and she definitely wanted the money. She wanted the money quite badly. But she didn't want to give up who she was, whoever that might be. And Moze had always told her that if a corporation didn't want to deal with you, you were probably doing something right.

So when she saw a glimpse of the nearby TV in the window of the Center, and saw Helena's Gym match against Ramos being broadcast live, it stopped her in her tracks. Helena didn't look like herself. She looked like one of the Unovan Girl dolls Sal had stolen from one of the rich kids at her school as a child. "The ******** hopped over one of the hedges and opened the Center window. She leaned in, hovering over the couch inside and the trainer with the remote sitting on it. "Can you turn that up?"

The trainer, not blinking an eye at the strange surprise girl bursting in through a window behind her, silently obliged and raised the volume. "A trainer endorsed by Lord Balibar himself! Helena Redgrave of Unovan descent! For the first time in history see what she brings to the table!"

Matheson bobbed his head over Salieri's, forming a Scooby-Doo esque stack of observers with her. "Is this the game? Cause the Paladins can still play this season if they take it today but after last week I just don't know about Rodriguez-"
"Math shush." Sal listened to the announcer, read the closed captioning to double check, and allowed her jaw to drop. "No way."
"...oi, that's Zack's sister, right? You guys are friends? Maybe?"

Sal backed away from the window. "The Gym! I'm going to the Gym!" she yelled as she started to run. Confused but intrigued, Matheson followed.
"We're not gonna make it to the match, Sal!"
"Doesn't matter! I just have to catch her before she leaves."

She rounded the corner and her feet hit the pavement. Balibar had endorsed a Unovan. It was unheard of. It flipped the paradigm. Salieri had to know what happened.

Coumarine Gym

The shutters on the glass ceiling of the arena reopened when introductions were done, going from makeshifts spotlights to fully fledged sunlight. Across the arena from Helena, Ramos rapped lightly at the base of his spine with his knuckles.

"Seein' you whippersnappers bloom 'efore ma eyes warms this ol' man's 'eart. Congratulations on yer sponsorship, 'Elena." He regarded her with the same calming respect he had given all of his opponents today.

His hand hovered over a set of Pokéballs slowly, patiently, before settling on one. Ramos gave it an underhanded lob, and out came an Abomasnow (Lvl 40). The Pokémon's bristly face had been pruned to resemble the whiskers of his trainer. Embedded in a collar around his neck was a blue and green gem. A Mega Stone. It was something Ramos reserved for trainers who showed up in kind.

The Gym Leader spun his shears in his hands, and the bolt that joined both halves together glowed with the Key Stone embedded inside. A light connected between the shears, Ramos, and his Abomasnow, before the Ice type was cocooned in a shell of swirling energy. It shattered like glass and faded away, revealing a much larger, more jagged form.

The Mega Abomasnow shook in place and bellowed, releasing a Hail from its body that covered the arena. Sharp pieces of ice fell from above, threatening the floor before.

"This'll be a one on one match. Whenever yer ready, 'Elena," Ramos spoke, louder than usual to make it over the Snow Warning but still as calm as always. "Good luck."

Lumiose City - Mia's Bathroom

Mia looked down with her toothbrush dangling in her mouth as Zack ended the call. She hadn't said anything when she picked up because she had been brushing her teeth, and now she was glad she hadn't. She heard everything.

"Um...the ********?"

Coumarine Gym

Helena allowed herself to feel Loki. Playful, mischievous, calculating. He was her growing up with her brother. Calculated pranks and jokes that required cause and effect. Like a bucket on the door that dropped water on you when you entered the room. Or a cream filled donut with all the cream siphoned out and replaced with honey.

A smile played across her black and gold colored lips, and the keystone at her wrist began to glow. Loki would glow once their bond had been achieved. The gem at his throat lighting up much brighter than the glow of his body.

As the color of his harder leathery bits changed they would also expand creating more of a sage-like outfit. A gem opening from his forehead like a third eye. Facial hair grew like a sage beard as the number of spoons multiplied until there was five.

Mega Alakazam was ready.

"He's stronger than us," Helena said simply. It was a truth both of them knew. " Helena also knew that her opponent didn't have a single move in his kit that could allow him to do what Korrina did.

"Calm mind." She felt the change through the bond and adapted to keep them connected. Alakazam took the first flurry of hail as if it was nothing. His pain was hidden and erased by his calmness.

Coumarine Gym

These were the first moves of a game. Pawns set forward in chess. As the number of possible moves decreased, the finale would show itself. The time for manipulation, for chaos, existed after the first few moves but before the last few.

"Calm Mind." Helena repeated and Loki would become even more calm. The settling into her focus was a strange feeling. It wasn't a hyperfocus where she tunneled, but a focus on everything. Loki could see the entire board, and Helena could as well.

The more refined it became, the more of the board Loki could simultaneously contemplate in mere seconds. The second wave of hail struck Loki but he did not move. Not yet. They were a moment before chaos. On the precipice of the rubicon.

Route 12 - Fourrage Road

He was screaming. His entire body, his Pokemon, everything had ended so painfully, so slowly. The echo of the trauma carried through him and, as her materialized, out into the world. For days, it was all he had known.

But now he was here. Real. Alive. No. Grant wasn't alive, there was something wrong about him. Something had pulled him out of what he knew without understanding to be himself. He was lost in it, haunted by it.

"Who are you?" the ghostly visage of Grant asked as he turned his head to look at Zack.

Route 12 - Fourrage Road

Grant stared at Hazard, his own mind trying to make sense of everything. "I was in pain." He looked down at what remained of him. "I was murdered. All of my friends, my Pokemon." His expression twisted into one of horror, panic, agony. He looked back to Hazard.

"You have to fix it. You have to help me!"

Zack took out a map he'd picked up at the Fourrage Road route station, and turned it this way and that. While he had done well at his survival skills class, the one thing he'd always struggled with was map reading. And general navigation, for that matter. He really only shone with the practical s**t, making camp, and such. Hard to visualise what he saw ahead of him as a bunch of blobs of colour and ********. Dexio,' Zack shoved the map into the aide's arms, forcing him to almost drop his handkerchief in Grant. 'Look for the best route to the route stations from here. Chances are that's the way he went.'

[Kakakaka! I can't!] Hazard swooped around then landed in front of Grant. Her ghastly teeth were as big as his head as she grinned. [You're deader than doornails! Look! That's you! Kekeke!]

She pointed to the stinking purple smear on the ground. A chill wind blew, cold enough that even Grant would feel it, and Hazard flew up into the air and floated beside him.

[We're looking for the person who did that] she pointed again, first to the smear, then to Grant's ghost, [to you. THINK! You saw him, kekeke, you saw him after you died. Where did he goooo?]