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'It beats waiting around for your father,' Elizabeth said, pushing thoughts of her own father from her mind. A man who had wanted a son, but was given a daughter, he personally trained in the use of blades since she was a little girl. She considered it akin to pokémon training, in a way, except her command of pokémon was substituted with command of steel. They both became an extension of her body, and in the last few days, she'd come to consider both skills a parting gift from her father. She wouldn't lose to Juliet. Still, a duel would be nice.

She followed the younger noble to the courtyard, and raised an eyebrow at her request.

'It's nothing special, really,' she said, unsheathing her blade. She held the sword flat by her palm, and presented it to Juliet. The grip was bound by strips of red leather, and the hand guard was gold that swirled into the shape of a snarling Arcanine head. Though the face was ferocious, it held a dignified beauty, especially now that it glinted in the light. Elizabeth had owned the sword for a number of years, but it was one of many. This one was crafted by a master swordsmith from the Johto region, who had moved to Kalos at her father's request. A keepsake that would be more precious were it not for its brothers and sisters.

Sycamore Research Lab - The Other Guest Room

"Stupid, stupid, stupid jerk," Helena grumbled to herself as she stepped into the door, failed to avoid closing the door aggressively and then sat on the bed and slumped her shoulders. "I hope he breaks his legs next time, so he can't do anything stupid like that ever again."

Please don't break your legs. Helena laid back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. It probably wouldn't stop you, huh? She could picture Zack in a wheelchair, wheeling himself into danger.

What felt like the next few hours were spent slowly crawling into bed. First she laid there for a time, then she used her feet to eventually remove her shoes and socks. She tossed her bag to the foot of her bed, pulled herself over to the headboard and then, finally, got the covers over her.

What was actually the next few hours were spent not sleeping. Helena eventually gave up when she realized how restless she had become just laying around. The hours had done nothing to ease her thoughts, but she couldn't comprehend the changed to her understanding of the world enough to imagine what might come next.

All she was left with were fears and anxieties that she was too exhausted to feel. It all added up to a sort of peaceful feeling. Helena got out of bed and started to plan out her next actions.

As she did this, she realized something about stepping. Her foot steps were heavy. As she began to walk around the room, she started to try making them quietly. Just wanting to didn't solve it, but as she slowed down her movements she realized that she was quieter when she stepped first and then shifted her weight onto the leg. It was slower, but a lot quieter, and she was sure everyone else in the lab appreciated the gesture - or would if they knew what she was up to.

Meanwhile, she considered her options. She needed to tell Zack and Salieri about the relationship between the nobility and Team Flare. There was also the monster that she remembered Zack mentioning when she first encountered Salieri. She wasn't sure if their monsters were the same, but she was sure that he'd see it that way and she didn't want him chasing after that man. He wouldn't survive the encounter.

Then there were the mans own words to her. Tame the Tyrantrum - Tyrant - and he'd get into contact with her. On top of that, Salieri also needed her help. The worst part of all was that Helena felt she had tripped down the rabbit's hole, that she had somehow past the point of no return without noticing.

Helena decided that she would tell Zack and Salieri about Flare, but keep everything else to herself. It would be far too dangeorus for them if she revealed the whole truth, and this way only she would be really in harm's way. Ideally, they would play it safe around the nobles and team Flare. Salieri would stealthily beat the league, Zack would chase a ghost without ever catching him, and Helena could move quietly around them until it was all over.

When she finally returned to bed, Helena fell asleep before realizing her head had even hit the pillow.

***

Cyllage City - Pokemon Gym

"You're on a roll, Salieri." Grant said as he approached Salieri, likely several battles into her rampage already. He looked at her with a smile on his face. His muscles were lax and his posture was casual, but he was covered in sweat and the definition of his muscles were obvious.

He'd taken to climbing his way up to Grant, picking off trainers like Salieri did. As she handled the bulk of them, and most went to get healed up and come back after they were back to one hundred percent, it gave Grant a window to catch up to her.

As it stood, the two were at the highest cliffs before the peak. It was wide enough to have a battle, but one mistep meant failure. Grant brushed his hair back with one hand, the hair glistening in the light. His free hand lifted up a water ball and he poured a bit over his head and a bit down his throat.

Today he didn't have his jacket on. It was due to the physical exertion, the same reason he wore a muscle shirt and jeans with climbing boots he'd picked up before heading to the gym. "I'm afraid I've gotta cut in line now, though."

Sycamore Research Lab

The whole morning felt like a haze to Helena whenever she stood still. Waking up was hard, getting up was easier. Walking to the shower was easy, taking one was hard.

Washing off the previous day, shaving her legs, the whole process made time stand still to her. What wasn't very long at all felt like several hours. When she finally got out it took time to move back into the present. She used that time to look herself in the eye in the mirror, to see her face.

Even though she knew she was avoiding facing the day, she continued to deny it. Starting the day meant accepting an ending - one she wasn't prepared for. Instead she pulled on her clothes; black cut-off and camisole under a red mini-dress with a v-shaped neckline that fell to just below her collar - the camisole kept it modest. She finished the outfit with her socks and tennis shoes and told herself immediately that she needs to pick up some boots from the store.

Helena spent the rest of the time braiding her hair.

Once it was over, and she had added a light touch of make-up, Helena could no longer justify any more time wasted. She started downstairs to meet Zack and the members of Sycamore's lab crew. On the way she caught sight of Wonder trade machine and made a mental note to make use of it once she had retrieved her Pokemon.

Cyllage City Gym

Grant watched Salieri move as she bring herself level with him. He wouldn't lie about enjoying the view, but he wouldn't meantion it either. Instead he'd wear a big grin on his face. "Let's just hope they weren't the ones softening you up."

He lifted a ball from his belt and tossed it into the air, catching it once, twice, thrice, and then he pressed the button.

A little earlier...

"Listen, kid, Pikachu is old news. Already someone else's mascot. I know yours is crazy strong, but we can't have you beating up a dozen trainers with it. Everyone'll just call you a copycat, even while they're imitating you."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Grant asked.

"How soon can you get that thing evolved?"

"How soon can you send me a thunder stone?"

Now

Raijin materalized, having gotten used to his new body as a Raichu as Grant battled the other trainers that stood between them and Salieri.

Grant was confident in Raijin's abilities by this point, and his body language spoke it. He stood up straight, his expression reflected his confidence, and he tapped the button on his earpiece labeled '3'.

"Let's do this."

Battle Chateau - The Courtyard

"Business," Juliet repeated with a hint of skepticism. The two attendant returned with the equipment: practice foils, fencing outfits and a long balance beam. "Thank you, that will be all," she told them, to which they nodded and moved off to the side to watch the duel. She took off her sash, ascot, and jacket, revealing a plain white button down underneath it. The flask was dropped on top of the clothes.

"I am aware of what people say about House Nostrad, Elizabeth. That we are more akin to snakes than dragons." Now clad in the white fencing jacket, gloves and pants, she moved onto the practice foils, holding each one up to judge their properties. "I would imagine Eliot Leroux would make a more logical business partner than my father."

Finally, she found a suitable foil. Juliet spun it twice in her hand. Satisfied with its grip and weight, she walked to the balance beam with her mask tucked under her arm. "Every clean hit, we'll reset until we decide we're through," she explained, looking back at Elizabeth. "Would you like to make this more interesting?"

Cyllage City Gym

Salieri had never seen a Raichu before. Ivan was still not working, so she couldn't check its data. Still, the mouse Pokémon looked an awful lot like a Pikachu. She guessed it to be an evolution. "Lupin, take care of this one."

Lupin twinged in annoyance. [Seriously? Do it yourself,] he huffed. Salieri smirked and twisted the Kecleon around to face the Raichu.

"You're dumber than I thought if you think I'm not making you pay for the ride up here." Salieri had battled with Lupin a few times on the lower cliffs. His fighting style was based around deceit over brute force, something she still needed to get used to.

Grant and Salieri stood on separate narrow cliffs, with a slightly larger cliff in the middle of them. Whoever controlled that cliff controlled the battle, unless Raijin had a surprise mobility tactic. Grumbling, the Kecleon stepped forward and stretched his arms. [Let's get this over with.]

"Trompe L'oeil."

Scales rapidly grew on Lupin red stripe, covering it with green. In the next instant he had disappeared, rendered practically invisible by his ability. The scales grew from his feet to the cliff they touched, covering the cliff just as quickly. Soon after, the entire cliff was as invisible as he was.

Based off Color Change, Trompe L'oeil was an advancement of his natural ability, making it near instantaneous and very easy to use. During that time period, Lupin had crawled onto the side of the cliff, hanging on sideways using a chameleon's wall clinging ability.

With no visual indicator where he was in the cliff, if he was still even on it, he fired a Psybeam at an upward angle at Raijin. The condensed purple waves of psychic energy came from the tip of his finger, flashing brightly on their way over.

Cyllage City Gym

Useful as the ability to naturally camouflage what he touched may have been, Lupin's scales made it impossible for Salieri to see what he was doing. Giving him efficient orders was difficult when she didn't know his position. So she folded her arms and waited to put her two cents in. "Uh, it went okay? His mom let me use the guest bedroom--"

Meanwhile, as the cliff crumbled, the scales peeled off, making the freshly pounded rock visible once more. Lupin swung from the cliff to one of the rock climbing footholds with his invisible tongue (it tasted like sweaty feet, but he had tasted worse). She isn't even paying attention. Screw it I'm outta here.

Hiding behind his scales he crawled up to the cliff Raijin previously occupied as the Raichu completed his landing. With the cliff coming apart under his feet, Raijin would have to return to his previous footing once the attack was over. Footing the Kecleon now secretly occupied.

With the Discharge coming in, Lupin couldn't occupy it safely for long. Now he used his second honed skill: Faux Pas. Although light didn't hit him normally while camouflaged, a dense puddle of shadow appeared on the cliff behind him. The Kecleon fell backwards into it and sank through as if it was water. The shadow took on his shape.

Inside the blinding speed of Shadow Sneak, Lupin could rush along any surface. He chose to sneak from the cliff upwards to the higher footholds, narrowly escaping the Discharge by going up. When the attack was over and Raijin had to find new footing, Lupin poked the top half of his body out of the shadow on the wall*. From there, he fired another Psybeam down at Raijin.

"Hold on. You thought we slept together, didn't you?"

(*see Lupin's profile pic for visual reference)

Sycamore Research Lab - Ground Floor

Zack closed the main door with a thud. He wasn't sure how long he'd been gone exactly, maybe an hour, maybe a little less. The still quiet of the research building faded during the day, with dulled city noises filtering through the aged windows, and voices from the lab. If Zack had looked up, he might have seen Helena near the Wonder Trader upstairs, but he didn't, and continued down the hallway to the lab at the end.

He stopped at the door, peeking through the window before he opened it. Inside, Aerodactyl was flat out asleep, with an extra couple of tranquilizer syringes sat discarded in a tray. Dexio had laid one of the giant pokémon's wings to its fullest length, and was in the process of measuring its dimensions, calling out the names and sizes while Sina wrote them down. The two girls were sat on a counter near the door while Professor Sycamore undertook the dangerous job of reaching into Aerodactyl's cavernous maw to scoop out samples. All Zack could see of him were his legs.

'Now this is interesting,' Dexio mused, looking from wing to body. His voice sounded muffled by the door, but Zack had no trouble understanding him. 'The wingspan is disproportionate to the body. In terms of ordinary Aerodactyl, it's actually twice as long as it should be.'
'So? Who even caaaaares?' Sina moaned, exasperated. Zack had the feeling that it wasn't the first time Dexio stopped to make a point. Still, Dexio's face dropped and he got back to his measuring, muttering that he cared at least.

Sina nudged Esme and showed her a crude picture of a princess with fairy wings that she'd drawn next to her notes. Esme shrugged, but then Sina labelled it with the word DEXIO, earning a restrained smirk from Esme. Zack felt himself warm up when he saw that smile, and he smiled too; he couldn't help it. His heart skipped a beat when Sina opened her mouth.

'So you and Zack, huh?' she said, marking down another measurement and turning a twisted smirk to Esme.
'Excuse me?'
'Don't try to hide it, girly. I've seen the way you look at each other,' she started dabbing the air with her pen, 'The bashful smiles, the quick glances. I thought we'd have to sterilize the lab again.'
'Good lord! The dactylopatagium is 22 millimeters thick! Are you getting this, Sina?'
'No,' Esme hissed. 'Absolutely not. I am categorically not interested.'
'Sure? Because I wouldn't mind me a piece of that action,' Sina said, giving Esme a light shove.
'Go for it.' Esme sighed. 'I don't even care.'

'Mhm-mmm,' Sina smiled to herself, bobbing side to side, tapping her pen against her lip thoughtfully. Then she settled. 'Esme,' Sina said, her voice gentle. She leaned forward, locking Esme in a reassuring gaze, and squeezed her hand. 'You don't have to do this, you know. It's been two years.'
Esme nodded solemnly, then jumped when the Professor burst out of Aerodactyl's mouth.
'Ahhh! What a stench!' Sycamore announced. 'You'd expect that extraneous bacteria would die out after a few centuries of hibernation, but nope.'

Out in the hall, Zack ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. He exhaled, the chatter in the lab blurring into nothing. He pushed the door open and went inside.

'Zackary!' Dexio said, clapping his hands together. Zack looked at him pointedly, and Dexio wrung his fingers, 'Uh, I mean Zack. Welcome back!'
'Check out the new threads,' Sina said, leaning forward on the counter and kicking her legs, 'Not bad. You might even pass for civilized.'
'Now, now, Sina. I daresay that even you would resemble a disheveled Primeape if you'd undergone the ordeals our friend Zack had, uh, undergone.'
'True that,' Sina nodded, looking back at Zack. 'Actually, weren't you supposed to be telling us about that stuff?'
'Indeed,' Dexio said, 'We're all most interested about what happened in Glittering Cave. It'd be fantastic if you and your sister could shed some light. Perhaps then we could understand what caused the rampage in the first place.'

'Yeah,' Zack said. He glanced at Esme, who met his eye. She looked almost bored. Zack turned to the rest of the room. 'Let's do it.'

Battle Chateau - The Courtyard

Elizabeth stood opposite, clad in the same white gear as Juliet, her foil chosen and at her side. She maintained a bemused look in her eye as Juliet brought up Elliot. Lord Nostrad had made the point himself, that while he hadn't always agreed with Gabriel Leroux, he had respected him. It wouldn't be unusual for Nostrad to help Elizabeth establish a charity in Gabriel's name. And while it was a cover for their true intentions, the charity was real, but it would be only a small part of their later meetings.

Thankfully, Juliet seemed content to press on to their duel. The balancing beam was an intriguing addition, but it worried Elizabeth little.

'Interesting?' Elizabeth slid the mask over her face and buttoned it up to the jacket with a series of clear clicks. 'I hope you aren't suggesting we wager money. It would be a senseless waste of House Nostrad's limitless funds.'

Sycamore Research Lab - Ground Floor

"Augustine? Augustine?"

A man's voice echoed from the hallways of the ground floor, calling out for Professor Sycamore. The call became louder as it neared the lab, until finally the source stopped at the window. He was Lysandre, proud owner of a company named after him that created the Holocaster, Lysandre Labs. Dressed in a black suit with red linings and thick fur trimming around the collar, he carried himself with the confidence of the upper class elite. His orange hair stood up in large tufts on the sides of his head, and combined with his matching beard it resembled a lion's mane.

Lysandre took a handkerchief out of his pocket, used it to grip the door handle, and stepped inside. "Good to see you, Professor," he said with a smile, regarding the others in the room with a polite nod. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Lysandre was one of the few to regard his former mentor by his first name, though in front of Sycamore's disciples he'd try to uphold professional courtesy.

"I've come to--Oh, is that an Aerodactyl? I've never seen one so large." He slid the handkerchief back into his pocket, pulled out a pair of glasses, and examined the Pokémon more closely while rubbing his beard with the bearing of a scientist and without a trace of fear. "The wingspan looks at least...hmm, twice as a long as it should be. Such warped proportions are rather unsightly, no?"