Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed.

Desmond entered the vault and noticed Lucy sitting down in front of Altaïr's statue with small boxes around her. Ignoring Rebecca and Shawn, who were arguing about the pros and cons of some movie they had seen, Desmond sat down beside the blonde. Lucy didn't look up at him, but Desmond knew that she knew he was next to her.

Desmond picked up one of the boxes, inspecting it closely. It was made out of metal, with a clear plastic square near the top of the lid. Below it was an odd dragon of sorts, with an elongated head and a gray chest plate with a gem embedded inside. Above the dragon was an emblem blaring 'Pokémon: Trading Card Game'. 'Another part of the childhood I never had,' Desmond thought bitterly. Lucy shook his shoulder and Desmond tuned her voice in with some difficulty.

"…Are you listening? I asked if you've played before." Desmond must have had a blank look on his face because Lucy clucked and said "So you've never even heard of the game. Well, since the Animus is down at the moment, I'll teach you."


In five minutes, Desmond had the rules memorized. Lucy lent him a pre-made deck so they could battle each other. In twenty minutes, Desmond had gotten the hang of the game and knew what moves to call. In thirty minutes, he was sending Lucy running for her money. Rebecca looked over after hearing Lucy swear again, perhaps the sixth time in as many minutes.

"Something wrong over there?" Lucy looked up blankly while Desmond studied his hand and field. "You keep cursing over there; did something go wrong?"

"No, Desmond here keeps beating me." Lucy scowled at her friend, temper slightly frayed with her losing streak.

"Well, how about I play against him? What game are you playing?" Rebecca asked, pulling her headphones down to her neck. "Pokémon? Oh, God, it's been so long since I've played! I'll go get my cards!"

Shawn opted to watch the techie run off and scramble through their bags. He didn't play the game so much; he found watching much more entertaining.

Less than three minutes after Rebecca and Desmond set up their fields, Rebecca lost. She struck up a deal with Lucy; they would double team him and try to wear him down. Even with the two girls playing in a two-on-one match, Desmond took them down like a house of cards. At one point, Shawn asked him something about his playing.

"If you've never played before today, then how do you play so well?" Desmond shrugged.

"I don't know, it just… comes, I guess."

In less than three hours, Desmond was banned from playing Pokémon ever again by Rebecca. Desmond gave Lucy back her cards and went outside to exercise. When he came back, both girls and Shawn were so engrossed with the game they hadn't even noticed that Desmond came back. He shook his head, a smile on his face, and leaned against the wall. Lucy proved to be better by a mile, making Rebecca clutch her head and groan in disappointment.

Yeah, this was a good life.