PARAGON

  Unknown Enemy Arc [8]

  Chapter 94 : The Queenpin

  Kalos Region - Lumiose City

  A blue sky laced with wispy clouds cloaked the heart of Kalos, shining its radiance over smooth pavement that’d just recently been renovated, regal buildings of granite and tile laden with crystalline windows, and at the very center, the sloped edges and apex of the iron sculpture known regions over called Prism Tower. The light even touched the narrow alleys behind shops and between apartments and refracted off the glittering waters of the canals, leaving no corner of the city alone in darkness. People and pokémon basked in the scents of cement and soil alike, nature and humanity living in harmony within the white limestone walls of Kalos’ capital.

  Those of Lumiose lived their lives blissfully unaware that their former king had escaped the World Prison just recently and catalyzed the decimation of an entire kingdom on the other side of the world. They knew of the destruction, but to them, it was something that’d happened to a people somewhere very far away. And with Lumiose’s recent redevelopment initiative, optimism suffused the very air of the city, twinkling in its people’s eyes, smiles, and laughs.

  But Emma knew.

  She knew that AZ had escaped, and that he’d finally perished in that western kingdom called Rota. But that didn’t mean she was any less on edge, especially not after Interpol’s sudden announcement just five days ago.

  “Thank you, ma’am!” called the boy she’d just helped. He clutched his mother’s hand and offered a gap-toothed grin.

  Emma smiled and waved back. “Don’t run off again or you’ll worry your mother!”

  The boy’s mother offered a series of thankful bows before turning to scold her son.

  Emma turned, and only when she was certain they couldn’t see her anymore did she drop her smile.

  They don’t need to know what’s going on out there. As long as those smiles remain, I’ll consider it a job well done.

  Emma strolled through the city slowly, sipping on a cup of coffee from her local spot. Some recognized her as she passed and shouted words of greeting or thanks, and Emma responded appropriately. As she passed a bakery whose owner she’d helped on a past occasion, he stopped her and forced a couple crispy almond croissants on her before sending her on her way.

  Too long later, she arrived back at Looker Bureau, her place of work and residence. The bell on the door rang as she pushed it open.

  “Mimi, I have a croissant for you! It’s…”

  Her voice trailed off.

  She shut the door behind her and her free hand drifted to her belt, where her pokémon were clasped. The Key Stone on her chest pulsed.

  “Sorry for dropping in unannounced. I need some help.”

  Emma’s brows wrinkled. “Anabel.”

  The young woman with a lavender ponytail in a tight black business suit was sitting in her chair at her desk. And Mimi the Espurr was curled up on the desk in front of her, meowing in satisfaction as Anabel scratched her neck.

  “Good thing Mimi didn’t see the broadcast or she probably wouldn’t let me pet her like this.” Anabel smiled as Mimi cooed.

  Emma’s expression hardened. “What’re you doing here? Actually…” Her head cocked sideways. “What happened to your arm?”

  Anabel glanced over at her empty sleeve. “Oh, this? Ha, bit of a long story.”

  “Does it have something to do with why I saw you on the news the other day?”

  “Sort of.”

  Emma crossed her arms and tsk’d at the non-answers she was getting.

  Mimi, sensing the discord between the two women, stood up and jumped off the desk before pattering over to Emma and grabbing her ankle, fixing Anabel with a blank stare.

  “That’s my seat,” Emma said flatly.

  “Sorry. It’s just so messy in here I wasn’t sure where else to sit.” Before Emma could rebut, Anabel stood and circled around the desk.

  Blushing in embarrassment, Emma marched forward and collected a stack of papers off a nearby chair, then faced it toward the desk.

  “Thank you,” Anabel grinned.

  As Emma moved past her, she caught a whiff of Anabel: cheap shampoo. Probably from one of the motels at the outskirts of town.

  She sat down and rested her elbows on the desk, lacing her fingers together. “So, what can I help you with?”

  Anabel raised a brow. “That’s it? You’re not gonna ask me if I’m guilty or not?”

  “Are you?”

  A coy smile tugged at the corner of Anabel’s lips. “No.”

  “Okay. So what can I help you with?”

  “I need information about the International Police.”

  Emma narrowed her eyes. “The International Police? Please tell me you’re not asking me to breach confidentiality.”

  Anabel tilted her head and smiled as cutely as she could. “Pretty please?”

  Emma sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Even if I could, I’d need to hear a lot more from you about where you’ve been and what you’ve been up to. You have heard what they’re saying about you and your friends, right?”

  Anabel swept her gloved hand over the room. “That’s why I’m here. We could use another friend or two to help us figure out why we’re being framed for terrorism.”

  “And I suppose you want me to keep quiet about this little reunion?”

  “That would be much appreciated, yes.”

  Emma stared at Anabel, searching for a tell. Any deception in her words or expression. Any hint that she was trying to withhold information. Any fleeting glimpse of the malice that had been described on the news.

  Yet she found none.

  She exhaled. “I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

  Anabel’s eye twitched and she bowed her head. “Thank you.”

  “I’m not promising anything though. I might still give them a ring.”

  Emma had no intentions of doing that, though. The relief that’d washed over Anabel just a moment ago was proof of her honesty. But Emma didn’t want to reveal her hand before she had the other angle.

  “How’d you lose the arm?” Emma began. “It doesn’t look recent.”

  Anabel chuckled. “It is still pretty recent. I still haven’t gotten used to using my left for everything.” She inhaled sharply, gaze unfocused. “It was AZ.”

  Emma frowned. “You fought that monster?”

  “Tried to. When he launched his attack on Rota, I was still recovering. Probably would’ve died if not for Cynthia.”

  “So you were in Rota during the attack.”

  Anabel’s eyes flicked up. “To protect it. Obviously.”

  Emma raised a defensive hand. “Let’s back up a bit. After leaving the International Police, you joined this…what was it, the Paragon Organization? Is that real?”

  “Real,” Anabel confirmed. “I’d like to tell you what the Paragon Organization was but I’m not even really sure anymore. It was supposed to be Cynthia’s outfit, a black-ops type group working at an arm’s length with Interpol. But…things have sort of crumbled ever since the attack.”

  “Where are the others?” Emma glanced around her office. “They’re not lurking around here too, are they?”

  “Nope. It’s just me.”

  Emma bit her lip, doubting, but Anabel gave nothing away. She seemed too fatigued to lie, but she’d always been good at keeping a straight face, or breaking it when she wanted to.

  “We have Cynthia in our custody,” Emma said. “Are you here to ask me to help you break her out?”

  Anabel gave a wan smile and shook her head. “You don’t have her. Cynthia is dead.”

  Emma waited for the “just kidding,” but it never came. Anabel didn’t meet her gaze, but not because she was lying.

  “I…That’s…”

  “Something is happening with the International Police,” Anabel said, pushing ahead before Emma had even processed the last thing she’d said. “Maybe it’s been happening for years. But whatever it is, it’s at the highest levels.”

  Emma found her mouth was dry when she tried to respond. She swallowed. “Anabel… I’m…not really in the International Police anymore, not truly anyway. Like you… You can ask for my help, but there’s only so much I can do.”

  “You still have contacts, right?” Anabel looked up hopefully. “Someone who brushes shoulders with top brass? Or at least someone on the manhunt?”

  Emma rubbed her forehead. “I’m local now, Anabel. I help lost kids find their parents. I feed stray pokémon. I carry heavy boxes for senior citizens. This is…kind of above my paygrade. If you had a request that was below board, you should’ve gone to the Rust Syndicate.”

  “I’m a wanted terrorist. Everything I do is below board.” Anabel furrowed her brows. “What’s the Rust Syndicate?”

  “Never mind.” Emma gripped her forehead and massaged her temples. “Do you have a lead? Anything?”

  “Zelda Leora. A big shot in Alola.”

  Emma frowned as she typed the name into her laptop. “You spent some time in Alola on an assignment, didn’t you? You didn’t hear about her then?”

  “Afraid not. Too busy running away from Ultra Beasts.”

  “Ultra Beasts?”

  “Oh, that might have been classified. Oops.”

  Emma raised a brow as she scanned Zelda’s biography. She didn’t particularly care about the details of Anabel’s past assignments in Interpol. As long as Lumiose was safe and sound, that was all that mattered.

  “Let’s see…Zelda Leora…Alolan investor and philanthropist… True wealth isn’t known since she never does public appearances but she’s one of Alola’s wealthiest individuals.”

  Anabel stood up and circled around the desk. “Is there a picture of her?”

  The picture was grainy as if it’d been a group photo that’d zoomed into her face. She had long black hair and wore a pair of shades that covered almost half her face. With the quality, it was impossible to discern her age, and it wasn’t mentioned in the page at all.

  “Info on her is pretty slim since she doesn’t really make waves,” Emma commented. “Are you sure this is your person of interest? Her activities seem pretty standard from what I can tell. Not like Alola has all that much going on to begin with.”

  “That’s her.” Anabel didn’t sound convinced herself, though. “Has Interpol gotten closer to Alola recently. Any collaborations with Alolan firms or anything?”

  “None that I can tell you about.”

  Anabel tsked. “C’mon. What do you think I’m gonna do? Tattle on you to the same organization that’s currently hunting me?”

  “I don’t know what you’re gonna do,” Emma said sharply. “I still don’t even know what enemy you think you’re up against. Some Alolan philanthropist is controlling the International Police to frame Champion Cynthia—who is secretly dead—and your friends for a terrorist attack against the Aura Guardians in northern Kanto? From where I stand, your story is just as believable as you doing exactly what you’re accused of.”

  “Please,” Anabel snorted.

  “I’m serious,” Emma spun in her chair to face Anabel. “I won’t report you but it’s clear you’re involved in something extremely dangerous. I mean…Cynthia dead…and your arm…and now you want to go after some foreign billionaire?”

  “Did you want me to leave you out of it?” Anabel said, ever so slightly accusatory. “I know it’s not lost kids and old bakers but this is helping people too. The guy who helped AZ orchestrate the attack on Rota is still out there and yet they’re pinning it on us. Brian Vandrick, that’s another name for you.”

  Emma frowned. “Lord Vandrick?” He wasn’t uber famous in Kalos, but Emma had heard of him since he was local. She thought she recognized his name from some ribbon-cutting event in Lumiose a couple years back…but maybe that was someone else, she wasn’t totally sure. As far as she remembered, he was mainly known for his charity for underprivileged trainers.

  “So he’s a part of this too…?”

  Anabel scoffed. “Why do you think I’d lie about this? Do you think I’m just pulling names out of a hat here?”

  “Relax,” Emma said, raising a hand and smiling nervously. “I’m just in disbelief is all. Am I allowed that?”

  Anabel took a deep breath and deflated. “Sorry. I know I’m asking a lot of you. I’m just…” She shook her head.

  Emma’s eyes tightened. Anabel stood tall enough but somehow still looked exhausted. Her face twitched as she stared at Zelda’s face, never still, never satisfied.

  “I assume you’re staying in the slums to keep a low profile,” Emma said. “How long do you plan on staying?”

  “Only as long as I have to.”

  Emma glanced around her office, at the mess of papers, boxes, and unfinished work. At the ratty couch piled high with lumpy blankets in the corner that she’d spent many a long night on.

  It may be better to keep her close…

  That was the prudent thing to do, as a member of the International Police. And if they were wrong about her, which Emma was sure they were, then it’d be a nice gesture for an old friend.

  “Why don’t you stay the night here?”

  Emma saw the vein in Anabel’s neck throb as she made the offer. She could practically see the gears spinning in Anabel’s mind, weighing possibilities, evaluating consequences, considering compassion.

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  “I’m not going to turn you in,” Emma reassured her.

  “Not like you could even if you wanted to,” Anabel murmured.

  “Is that a challenge?”

  Anabel glanced down at her benefactor. “A battle might be just the thing I need to calm my nerves. But that’d draw too much attention, so I’ll settle for this.”

  Before Emma could react, she leaned over and rested her head on Emma’s shoulder.

  Emma froze on contact. Anabel’s hair tickled her nose. And after a few moments, her shoulder began to warm.

  “Anabel…” Emma whispered, cradling her head.

  Anabel didn’t crack under pressure. Emma had no doubt she was handling being a wanted fugitive and unraveling a worldwide conspiracy just fine.

  I didn’t expect them to be so close…

  But the death of a friend would even weigh on the heart of Anabel Lila.

  Alola Region - Seafolk Village

  The algae-eaten wood of the old pier groaned as his parents bid him farewell.

  “You don’t have to stay cooped up inside the whole time we’re gone!” his mother called. “Call one of your friends, see if you can hang out with them!”

  “Yeah.”

  He offered a smile for them, but it faded as they left him behind. His mother wore the same cracked leather coat she’d had for as long as he’d known her, which was his entire life of course, and his father had on one of several equally depressing variations of tweed sweater that stank slightly of salt.

  It was date night, though at their age, that just meant dinner with their friends.

  That also meant Ezra got the house to himself.

  Though in the Seafolk Village where he lived, his house doubled as a fishing boat. It’d been moored in place for so long, the thick ropes that kept it from drifting away were dry, solid like rock, and black with brine. Perhaps once upon a time, this cog had braved the seas with pride, helmed by a captain far more impressive than anyone in his family. Its size certainly suggested it was once a king’s vessel, but that was how all the boat-homes in the village were. The fishers of years past were kings of the seas, and their boats were the thrones upon which they conquered the wild seas of West Alola. It was said when they returned home, they lashed their boats together, and the Village was born.

  But now the Village was quiet, filled with aged folk and largely disconnected from the rest of Alola, not to mention the world at large.

  Not that Ezra cared. He’d been born here, he’d probably die here, and that would be that. Even though he was only twelve, already well-past the age that he should have left home to become a trainer, he was under no illusions that his life should have been going any differently. Not everyone lived a life of great upheaval and dramatics. The simple life was the one most people lived, and Ezra had no problem being like most people.

  Raichu surfed up beside him on a current of air and psychic power as he shut the door, chittering excitedly. Ezra had caught him a couple years ago when he was a Pikachu.

  Pikachu weren’t very common on Poni Island, so Ezra considered it a miracle that he’d managed to find and catch the same pokémon as his hero.

  The house was dark, illuminated only by lanterns caked in dust and burns. It smelled of oil, roasted seaweed, and ozone, thanks to Raichu.

  It smelled like home.

  He passed through the kitchen—what was once a galley—and past his parents’ room, ascending a claustrophobic spiral staircase that creaked as he walked up to his room.

  Inside, four computer monitors basked the room in a modern light unseen in the rest of the house. For as much as his parents harped on him for staying “cooped up in his room all day,” his room always seemed to be the brightest.

  Raichu immediately took his usual spot, a perch of thick netting hanging from the ceiling, to watch Ezra silently from behind. Ezra seated himself once again in his gaming chair (he’d had it shipped, like the rest of his setup, from Melemele Island) and pulled on his headphones, leaving one ear uncovered.

  A quick shake of his mouse woke the screens back up and Ezra settled in.

  One monitor showed the stock prices for the top companies in the world, the top companies in Alola, and several others of note he’d picked out. Another showed an article he’d been reading before he’d had to go down and say bye to his parents. The third displayed a map of Sinnoh and the fourth had his music tab.

  Ezra couldn’t say why, but this was what he lived for. Numbers, news, the world. Understanding. He didn’t need a social life, or a trainer’s journey, or even much of an education (not that Seafolk Village offered all that much of an education beyond the very basics). As long as there was stuff for him to sink his teeth into, he was happy as a clam.

  Well, if he could have one improvement, he really wished his parents would get fiber-optic internet. They had the money for it, but Ezra had a feeling his parents were holding out because they were afraid he’d start spending even more time in his room if they bit the bullet.

  But though their endless needling could be grating at times, Ezra knew it was only because they were concerned about him. And he knew they had a point. But they’d long since stopped trying to get him to do something else, since his gift for this was so glaringly obvious.

  Ezra liked to think he’d kill it as a businessman or a banker or something and sometimes fantasized about leaving Poni and striking it big in some faroff city, but he’d never worked before so didn’t actually know what those jobs entailed.

  Just as he was getting back into his article, he heard a knock on the door downstairs.

  Ezra frowned and got up. Dad forget his wallet again?

  Raichu didn’t even bother following him downstairs this time.

  But it was not his father’s face that greeted him when he pulled open the front door.

  Ezra’s eyes bulged, and it felt like all the blood in his body sloshed up then down, like a great tidal wave.

  “A-A-A…”

  Ash Ketchum put a finger to his lip and offered a jilted grin. “Sorry. Do you mind if we step inside?”

  The woman behind Ash offered a wave, though she looked nearly as nervous as Ezra himself.

  Aside from the fact that he’d been reading an article about the man in question not thirty seconds ago, Ash Ketchum was his hero. And here he was at Ezra’s doorstep in Literally Nowhere, Alola, of all places.

  The first thing Ezra did was pinch himself.

  When neither person disappeared, Ezra swallowed. “S-Sure you can come in.” His throat and tongue were dry.

  Eagerly, the two stepped inside and shut the door behind them.

  As Ash glanced around at the dimly lit interior, his female friend spoke up. “I promise we’re not here to hurt you or cause any sort of problems.”

  “Oh, right!” Ash said, snapping out of his trance. “I’m sure you’ve heard about us on the news, but most of it is total B.S.”

  As he said that, Ezra began to recognize the woman Ash Ketchum had brought with him as another face from the same article. Another member of the “Paragon Organization.” A former gym leader from Kanto and a powerful human psychic called Sabrina Natsume.

  His hand drifted to his belt unconsciously. Even if it was the Ash Ketchum, perhaps he’d invited them in a bit too easily, especially after what they’d supposedly been involved in.

  Not that Ezra believed a word of it.

  “W-What are you doing here?” Ezra stammered, his heart palpitating.

  Sabrina glanced at Ash as if she was waiting for the answer as well.

  Ash scratched the back of his head nervously. “Ah…well… Erm, are your parents here? We should probably greet them properly…”

  Ezra shook his head.

  “I see…” He cleared his throat. “Ezra, do you mind if we chat for a little while? If not, we’ll leave right away. You can even call the police if you want.”

  Ezra’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets and his throat turned to sandpaper. He knows my name. Why does he know my name…?

  “You’re scaring him,” Sabrina murmured, jabbing Ash in the side with her finger.

  Realizing how stupid he probably looked, Ezra sucked in a deep breath and stood up straighter. “W-We can talk. M-My room’s upstairs… First door on the left. I-I’ll get you guys some tea.”

  Before they could respond, he brushed away from them toward the kitchen. After a few moments, he heard them shuffle along, and the stairs creaked as they went up.

  He released an anxious breath, but it did not slow his heart rate down in the slightest, and his hands shook as he got two cups down for them. In the dark, he could not see his wrist but he was sure it was bruising with how many times he’d already pinched himself.

  Ash Ketchum was in his house, in his bedroom, right now, and knew who he was.

  Beyond the utterly unbelievable reality that was the former, Ezra’s mind raced trying to come up with a reason for the latter.

  But even once the tea was prepared and served, he still had nothing.

  Steeling himself, he lifted the tray of tea and followed the fugitives upstairs, being careful not to spill, especially with how much his body was trembling.

  Ash and Sabrina both stood, silently looking around his room. Not that Ezra had ever seen a “normal” bedroom for himself, but he was very aware of how strange his nautical room and house must have seemed to them, especially juxtaposed with his PC and its numerous monitors.

  Raichu’s ears perked up at his arrival and his glasslike eyes went wide with inquisition, but Ezra could provide nothing but a weak shrug of apology for their guests’ abrupt arrival.

  “S-Sorry,” Ezra said. “There isn’t much room in here, but you can sit on my bed if you want.”

  Thank the heavens he’d decided to make it today.

  Ash nodded and sat down, Sabrina following, and Ezra handed them their tea before taking his seat at his desk and swiveling around to face them. Raichu looked on from above, chin resting lazily on the netting, but Ezra knew from his unblinking stare that he was anything but relaxed. He was one loud noise away from zapping the both of them to kingdom come.

  But if Ezra could sense Raichu’s caution, then Ash and Sabrina certainly could as well. Not to mention, Ash’s legendary Pikachu sat on his shoulder as always, and unlike Raichu, he actually did seem totally relaxed, though Ezra had no doubt he could spring into action in a heartbeat if necessary.

  Which is to say, if they really were here to cause trouble, there wasn’t a damn thing Raichu or Ezra could do to stop them.

  Ezra swallowed. He’d believed in Ash before the report, and he still believed in him after. But that didn’t mean he’d stopped fearing the unknown.

  “Your Raichu is powerful,” Ash said. “Pikachu almost freaked out when we walked in.”

  Pikachu protested on his shoulder and Ash smiled.

  Ezra beamed with pride. “Thanks! I caught him myself because of…well, because of your Pikachu, but you probably…”

  Pikachu blushed and his ears drooped in embarrassment.

  “Really?” Ash said, genuine surprise lacing his tone. “That’s pretty cool!”

  Ezra rubbed his wrist. “I thought you might already know that…since you’re here…” He glanced between Ash and Sabrina, but they betrayed nothing.

  “Right,” Ash chuckled. “Yeah, sorry. I know this is probably super weird for you, but we had nowhere else to turn because of…you know.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t want you thinking I’m some creep so I’ll explain really quickly how I found out about you.”

  “No, no, no!” Ezra cried, waving his hands in front of him. “I swear I wasn’t thinking that at all! I actually think it’s my fault, right? You probably figured out I—“

  “Alright, alright,” Ash smiled, putting his hands up. “Don’t worry, I have no problem with you at all or I would’ve dropped by sooner.”

  Okay, now I kind of wish you did have a problem with it then.

  Ash scratched the back of his head. “As you were saying, I did find out about you through your…hobbies.”

  Ezra deflated, burying his head in his hands. “I thought so…” he groaned. “I’m really sorry, Mister Ketchum, I swear I meant no harm, I just—“

  Ash cut him off again with a hand. “Like I said, I have no problem with it. Actually, when me and my pokémon found out, we were more impressed than anything. Ever since, I’ve had a feeling I might need to rely on you one day. It just sucks we had to meet under these circumstances.”

  Ezra looked up. Ash’s words seemed genuine, but Ezra could hardly believe what he was hearing.

  The “hobbies” Ash had alluded to were essentially just a polite way of saying “stalking.”

  Ezra had sent Ash and Sabrina upstairs to his room on the off chance his parents did come back early, but that would not have been his first, second, third, fourth, or fifth choice (Ezra’s house had five rooms, excluding bathrooms) to host them.

  The wooden walls of his bedroom were plastered with posters of Ash Ketchum’s numerous regional conferences, including originals and special exclusives retroactively printed after he’d become the World Champion. The shelves were packed with collector’s edition merchandise, including Krookodile’s sunglasses and Annihilape’s cap, a set of miniatures for each of Ash’s thirty Tauros, and replicas of Ash’s every Gym Badge and Badge Case, all with the League’s seal of authenticity.

  And Ezra’s own hair, beneath Ash’s signature backwards-facing red cap, was dyed a stark blond for a certain electric mouse, complete with a bolt of black just above his ear.

  Obsession was, perhaps, a mild way of putting it.

  “First off, since we’re gonna be asking for your help, you deserve to know the truth about what really happened in Rota.”

  “It was Brian Vandrick, wasn’t it?” Ezra blurted.

  Ash and Sabrina looked at each other and frowned.

  “Uh, yeah… He was involved,” Ash said. “How did you know that?”

  Ezra’s face reddened and he wondered if he’d overstepped. “It was kind of an accident… He’s a pretty major player in Kalos so I was already keeping an eye on him. He started liquidating a bunch of his stuff several months ago and he practically vanished from public life around the same time. I followed the money as best I could, but a lot of it was crypto, so I could only learn so much. From what I could tell, he was buying a bunch of insanely expensive mechanical parts. Most of them were custom-made too, so I have no idea what he was trying to build. But he vanished entirely after that day in Rota and has been on “leave of absence” ever since. It’s nothing concrete but…I just had a feeling he may have had something to do with Rota’s destruction. I mean those parts… It’s like he was building some sort of weapon in secret.”

  Ash nodded slowly, seemingly half impressed and half still trying to catch up with Ezra’s explanation. “Your instincts are right,” he eventually said. “Lord Vandrick was working for an extremely dangerous man who escaped from the World Prison. They were responsible for the attack on Rota and we were there to stop them.”

  “The World Prison…” Ezra snapped his fingers. “I knew something had happened there. Security suddenly skyrocketed a few months ago and all the usual channels for monitoring the island it’s on went totally dark. I figured Interpol was trying to cover something up, but a breakout…? That’s never happened before.”

  “When you say ‘the usual channels,’ what does that mean, exactly?” Ash asked.

  Ezra blushed. “Oh, right. Er…” He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

  Ash smiled. “I told you I don’t mind.”

  Ezra clutched his wrist. “W-Well, as I guess you already know, my Raichu can see anywhere on the entire planet… I mean, I say seeing, but it’s really more like sensing…like he can sense the contours of whatever he’s ‘looking’ at, provided there are no disruptions.”

  Raichu’s ear flopped aside from his perch in the loft and he grinned proudly. His slothful appearance was just a visage for what he was truly capable of.

  “That’s how I…figured out where all your pokémon are…and how I keep an eye on the World Prison. But like I said, since they made an effort to keep things locked down, we haven’t even tried breaking through.”

  Sabrina raised her hand. “I’m sorry, how does that work exactly? What do you mean by ‘disruptions?’”

  She had an inquisitive expression on her face, and Ezra was grateful that she was giving him an opportunity to brush past admitting to stalking Ash’s pokémon. Her curiosity made sense since she was apparently a psychic herself, just like Raichu.

  “Basically, if I want to know what’s going on at the World Prison, or who’s flying in and out of Lumiose International, or how many ships the Devon Corp has at Slateport Harbor, for example, Raichu can extend his senses out to observe, but it takes time, sometimes up to an hour if it’s really far away. We’re essentially sacrificing speed, quality, and durability for sheer coverage. Then I probe Raichu with questions to get the details. But even then, if someone just becomes aware they’re being watched, Raichu loses his concentration, and the vision is lost. For the World Prison, we keep tabs on it regularly, and he let me know that some of their recent activity was abnormal. But the defenses there are always so tight, Raichu can barely piece together a silhouette of the island from a distance. So…in other words, we’re not seeing anything we’re not supposed to, I promise.” He glanced up to see if that sufficed.

  Sabrina nodded with rapt attention.

  “It was my Lucario who noticed Raichu’s psychic sight on us first a couple years ago,” Ash said. “He deemed it benign and basically pretended not to notice, so I imagine that’s why you and Raichu never realized we’d found out. But I looked into your background after and we realized you were just a fan.”

  “Just a fan…” Ezra muttered. His chest ached with embarrassment. Never did he dream that Ash Ketchum would be personally confronting him about this. Even if the man himself just seemed amused by the whole thing, there was no denying how objectively strange it was. And since they’d noticed him “a couple years ago,” that meant they’d been aware of it since the moment he’d started doing it.

  “Really, I’m sorry, Mr. Ketchum. I’ll stop from now on, promise.”

  “I told you already, it’s fine. Besides…” Ash grinned. “Where do you have my Samurott located right now?”

  “Uhhhh.” Ezra hesitated but turned around in his chair and maximized a tab he always kept open on his computer. It showed a map of the world, and the current locations of all Ash’s Ketchum’s pokémon scattered throughout based on Raichu’s observation. “L-Last time we checked, he was in Johto.”

  Ezra said “last time,” but he and Raichu updated their locations daily. And since they did it so often, Raichu could find them a lot faster than anything else Ezra asked him to search for.

  “Whoa, that’s awesome!”

  Ezra nearly jumped out of his chair upon hearing Ash’s voice right next to him. The man was peering over his shoulder, staring at the map of his own pokémon. Pikachu squeaked in agreement on his shoulder.

  “So is that your final answer?” Ash asked.

  Ezra looked up at Raichu, and the tropical mouse’s eyes began to glow. Just under a minute later, the glow faded and Raichu nodded.

  A lot faster than anything else.

  “Y-Yeah, that’s our final answer.”

  Ash leaned back and smirked. “That’s incorrect. Samurott is here.”

  Ezra frowned. “Here? Like in Alola?”

  “Here, like in the water right under our feet.”

  Ezra’s mouth dropped open and he looked down. “Wha…? But…how…?”

  Raichu glared at Ash and his cheeks cackled angrily at the deception.

  “Wait, how did you do that?” Ezra asked.

  Ash smiled and tapped his temple. “Sorry, but I have to keep that a secret.” He took a step back. “More importantly, though, we’d like to ask a favor of you.”

  A chill ran through Ezra’s body as his hero suddenly got serious. Obviously, two wanted fugitives hadn’t shown up at his house just to surprise a dedicated fan.

  “Based on everything you said about Lord Vandrick, I think this falls within your area of expertise. We’d like you to look into someone else, if you don’t mind.” Ash met his gaze, and his brows tightened ever so slightly. “Zelda Leora.”

  Ezra paused.

  “The Queenpin…?” he said quietly.

  “The Queenpin?” Ash repeated.

  Ezra nodded. “That’s what they call her.”

  “That’s what who calls her?”

  Ezra looked up. “Powerful figures across the world. I guess it’s a nickname, but it’s only ever spoken in private, behind closed doors.”

  “Why do they call her that?” Sabrina asked.

  Ezra looked up like it was obvious.

  “She’s the single most powerful figure in all of Alola.”

  Next — Chapter 95 : Fugitives

  I apologize for the extended absence! I planned to have this out before Christmas but it got away from me. I wanted to do a little end-of-year reflection like last year but now I have to awkwardly include it here at the beginning of 2026…

  Anyway, I’m pleased with the way Hisui Incursion wrapped up earlier in the year, and although I said I was going into the current arc a bit underprepared, I think I have a pretty good idea of where I want to take things now and am excited to dive even deeper this year! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year! Thank you to everyone who’s kept up with the story—there’s still quite a bit left, but I’d like to see it through to the end no matter how long it takes!