Silver Notes: AAANNND I'M BACK! Sorry for the huge delay on chapters, but I was too busy doing Nanowrimo, which I won! Yay me. In any case chapters will return to their normal schedule now.


Plans Within Plans


Maylene took a single, perfect step forward, and waited.

In the situation she'd been thrown in, there was no reason not to. As her mother had so thoroughly tried to beat into her thick skull, patience was key.

Never attack first against an opponent you're not sure you can beat, her voice echoed in her mind. Wait, observe and make decisions from there.

She approached with swift, slow movements and Lucario did the same from behind Mars. They both shared the same pose: left leg and arm forward and knees slightly lowered. A stance which left very few openings, one which she'd practiced to perfection.

"So young and already a Gym leader, eh?"

Mars scratched her cheek, tilting her head to the side in a casual manner. Her apparent unwillingness to fight didn't fool Maylene, who noticed the way those cold red eyes were completely focused on her.

"And you look so much like Mary, too," she continued, forming a lopsided smile. "Did you know I faced against her during my own League challenge, way back then? I remember it like it was yesterday."

A burst of heat grew from her chest outwards through her veins, but Maylene didn't let it affect her. So she was trying to taunt her? Or she genuinely didn't know her mother had…?

Whatever the case, it didn't matter. Words, sharp or dull, had no place in a proper fight. She would not let a snake's tongue sway her from her current objective.

"I respected your mother. She was a good, honest woman, and one of the few people who could really see the big picture." Her expression softened for a moment. "Your eyes tell me you're no different from her. A bit younger and more naïve perhaps, but you certainly deserve to live more than the trash you just rescued." She pronounced those last words with utter disgust, her nose crinkling. "I would hate to harm someone like you. Step away and let me escape, for your own good."

Maylene didn't move an inch, her expression as stalwart as it'd ever been. At least five heartbeats passed before Mars gave up, sighing.

"One after another, I just keep running into stupid kids ready to throw their lives away." She shook her head, placing her hands on her hips. "Oh well, broken bones and cut limbs can be a good learning experience I'm sure."

Dear god this woman loves the sound of her own voice, Maylene thought.

"You said the Association's forces would be here soon?" Mars asked. "Then I guess we better get started."

Mars swatted at the air with her right arm, which had started melting into a shapeless, pink gum. Maylene's body reacted automatically; she dropped her stance and leaped forward with all the strength in her legs. Both eyes were entirely focused on the woman's transforming arm, while one of her hands grabbed what hung behind her back.

She brandished the two bokken, cutting the air in front of her. They felt reassuringly familiar in her hands.

A distinct blue glow caught her attention from behind Mars; that of Lucario materializing his own weapon. Both of them closed their eyes at the same time and, without words, understood perfectly what the other was thinking.

Terrible waves of… something she couldn't describe exuded from Mars' body, which she could feel a lot clearer than anyone else. Its weight was wide and massive, but unlike Inyssa she could bear it without her body faltering, thanks to the way Lucario had trained her.

She stopped a stone throw's away from Mars, her bare feet sliding on the soft dirt. Her fingers spun the wooden blade on her right hand until its tip was pointed at her thigh. She raised it to the sky and, with the strength of her previous momentum, threw it like a lance. It flew directly towards Mars' chest.

Mars took a sudden step back, her sharp gaze set on the bokken. She raised her left hand and shielded herself with it, attempting to catch it.

Lucario appeared behind her in a flash, a glowing staff of blue energy held by his raised paws. With a powerful roar he lunged down, aiming at her spine. Mars' eyes went wide as she felt his presence, and almost too fast to follow she threw herself to the side. The wooden blade crashed against the Pokemon's weapon, shattering into a dozen splintered pieces.

The transformation was completed then, and Mars smiled. Landing somewhat unevenly she stomped the ground with her feet, and spun in place.

Maylene barely had time to duck. The dark tendril ruffled her hair as it passed over her like a bullet. Lucario wasn't as lucky; his feet touched the ground a second too late as he saw it fall over him. He shielded himself with the aura staff, which took most of the hit and shattered into a puff of light.

Gasping, she looked up at what had attacked them. From the tip of the woman's right elbow grew a black, uniform tentacle as thick as her torso and as long as she was tall. It squirmed and coiled into itself, bouncing on the floor with a wet and unpleasant sound.

She'd only seen a Tentacruel once, but she would've recognized one of its tendrils anywhere.

No time to step back now. Mars wound back her shoulder and threw the tentacle forward in an arc. It came at her from the right with a speed that by all means it shouldn't have had, leaving her unable to dodge. Gritting her teeth, she covered her sides with both arms and waited for the impact.

Blue flashed across her eyes as Lucario jumped between them, stopping the tentacle with both paws. Its force raised a cloud of dust between them, almost knocking him off his feet. His muscles were as tensed as an iron bar, and his legs shook from the impact.

That thing would've broken my arms, Maylene realized. I can't get hit by any of her attacks. I need to act as a support.

Lucario bared his fangs and snarled at Mars defiantly. He grounded himself and with all the power in his arms tugged at the tentacle backwards. It was sudden enough to startle Mars, making her body tumble forward.

She's out of balance, this is my chance!

Her fingers grazed the handle of one of the small knives hidden in her belt, and without hesitation she threw it forward. It flew like an arrow towards Mars' face, and if it weren't for the way its metal glistened under the light of the sun the woman might have not noticed it. The tentacle grew inwards, shrinking until it was small enough to slip through Lucario's hands. With swift movement the fingers of her left hand clasped around the knife's handle, so close to her face it almost scratched her nose.

That's when their opportunity came. Mars jumped back to gain distance, and the back of her heel hit a thick root sprouting from the ground. Her eyes went wide as she extended both arms to the side to regain balance.

"Aura Sphere!"

Ignoring the pain thundering through his body Lucario jumped up towards her. Both steaming paws joined at his side, and in the space between them materialized a swirling, pulsing ball of aura. It's weight and power were so intense it started burning and skinning the fur of his palms. A few feet below, its force rustled the grass.

With a pained roar he sent both paws forward, releasing the attack. It fell like a bullet towards Mars' face, burning the air in its path. In the fleeting moment before the impact she saw her raise her right arm.

The explosion sent a gust of wind in all directions, rustling Maylene's hair and forcing her to cover her face.

A metallic, gong like sound reached her. Mars stumbled a few feet back, her newly transformed arm covering her face. It was silver and square-shaped, with a distinct metallic gleam as sunlight reflected off it. She lowered it slowly, revealing the small circle of purple over her now broken nose. Dark threads of blood traveled from her lips down to her chin, staining the ground beneath her as they fell.

A Golisopod's arm? Maylene thought, narrowing her eyes. It's the only way she could've blocked that.

"That was one hell of an attack," Mars laughed, brow furrowed in pain. "I actually felt it inside my head."

Maylene looked at her partner, worried. His arms hung to the side, blood falling from his palms to the ground. His eyes were dull and tired, and his breathing was too heavy. She gulped and pushed down the panic building inside her. She had to think her way out of this fight.

She seems to only be able to transform one limb at a time, the rational part of her mind told her. Though... why does she choose her right arm every time? From the way she's been fighting I could've sworn she was left-handed. And... now that I'm looking more closely, why is her right arm much paler than the other one? She narrowed her eyes, then shook her head slightly. No... that doesn't matter. From what I've seen transformation takes at least a full second to finish; if we both attack at the same time then she'll only be able to block one of us.

Lucario understood her plan by reading her aura, and with enormous effort started walking towards Mars' side, while Maylene did the same in the opposite direction. They couldn't be too careful, not with the opponent they were facing.

"Already formed another plan?" Mars smiled. "Good; kids your age should be lively and smart. Thanks for letting me catch my breath, by the way."

She could counter attack, Maylene thought, paying no mind to her rambling. I'm sure she wants to take me out first. I can't approach carelessly, I need to use my bokken in the exact moment...

Her eyes went wide with realization. There was only one moment where she'd know exactly how Mars would act; when she launched an attack.

She nodded, and Lucario understood. Lowering his knees he threw himself towards her and wound back his right arm, though the punch came a lot slower than his previous attack. Mars noticed this, and thinking it a result of his exhaustion lowered herself just enough for his fist to fly over her head. As she did so she extended her right arm back, which started shifting once again.

A slight change in the wind alerted her of Maylene, who'd ran to her blind spot with her wooden blade in hand, ready to break it over her face. With her current position, one leg back and the other lifted, it seemed too late to even try to dodge, and the Gym Leader knew this. A slight grin formed on her face.

A dark shape began to form on Mars' lower back, and a second and a half later something long and sharp lounged toward Maylene's face. A terrible sense of dread fell over her body as realization hit her; Mars had used her own trick against her. She couldn't stop her movements.

Lucario aimed his left paw at his trainer, and with a snarl he expelled a powerful gust of aura.

It felt as she'd been hit with a small hurricane. Her body flew to the left, and as the blade passed over her it only managed to scratch the skin under her left eye. Through the pain she saw the floor approaching rapidly, and with a twirl of her legs she landed one hand on the ground and pushed herself back, falling on her knees. She grabbed the left part of her abdomen, where Lucario's attack had hit. It was painful, yes, but surely not as much as the alternative. Her thumb caressed the slight cut at the side of her nose, cleaning some of the blood off.

If not for Lucario, that would've taken my eye.

The thing which had attacked her now moved from side to side from Mars' lower back, coiling around her body. It was a thick, black tail with a jagged red blade at the end; a Seviper's tail.

Realization hit her then, with enough force to make her shake. With urgency she looked down at the thumb stained wih her blood, though she didn't notice any strange color on it.

"Don't worry, it's not venomous like the real thing," Mars assured her. "I can only copy shape and consistency for now, I'm afraid."

After reeling for a second at the stupidity of being told such a weakness, Maylene stood straight and started walking around her slowly. If she could create limbs from any part of her body then she had basically no blind spots, as long as she could feel where an attack was coming from.

That time it formed slower, though. It seems the transformation is only that fast when she does it on her right arm.

She grit her teeth, a nervous drop of sweat falling down her forehead. The woman standing before her was a tough opponent, more so than any she'd faced before. In terms of stamina, focus and technique Maylene knew she had the advantage, but she couldn't even come close to matching Mars' strength, speed and overall flexibility.

She didn't adhere to any martial arts style, which was bothersome to deal with due to unpredictability alone. But worst than that was something she'd realized after only exchanging a couple blows: Mars was insanely more experienced than her. Whoever she was, she'd surely been fighting her entire life, which put Maylene at a clear disadvantage. A fighter needed either technique or experience, preferably both. The more you had of one the more you could compensate for the other, and she wasn't sure she was skilled enough to offset the balance in her favor.

That's why you have Lucario, she assured herself.

Still, attacking from a distance wouldn't suffice anymore. Her only realistic choice was to put herself in danger and act as a decoy with her remaining bokken, while Lucario tried to hit her from another angle. The risk was too big, and she figured she'd have a ten percent chance of surviving unscathed.

Smiling, she wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her palm. Her brow furrowed as she lowered her knees in anticipation.

It was a risk she was willing to take.

"Dust cloud, now!"

Lucario's paw fell with enough strength to make the ground shake, and letting out a roar he sent a powerful shockwave of energy through it. The dirt and dust around them vibrated for a moment before exploding upwards as if the ground itself were erupting. Thick enough to obscure everyone's view, which is exactly what Maylene had planned. She closed her eyes and concentrated as she ran forward. Ripples of energy grew outwards from Lucario and Mars' aura, pinpointing their exact location. The woman had taken a step back and started transforming her right arm into something long and smooth, with no specific shape to it.

Another tentacle? She was probably planning to use that spin move, both for protection and to clear the cloud of dust. They needed to act fast.

The tentacle lunged at her, and just before it connected she slid under it with one foot and one hand on the ground, while Lucario jumped up, winding his arm back.

Mars realized she hadn't hit anything, and even when while out of balance she was quick to react. Raising her left leg she kicked the air in front of her. Maylene felt this and while standing up moved slightly to the side, avoiding the kick by less than an inch.

"NOW!"

Miraculously, Lucario's punch actually connected with Mars' head. She felt the impact echo all around them as the woman's body veered down, eyes and mouth open wide in pain. Wasting no time Maylene jumped behind her and with a well placed elbow on her kidney got her to slightly turn. She grabbed her from under her arms and forced her torso up, giving her Pokemon a perfect target.

This wasn't part of their plan, but she couldn't waste such an opportunity. In those short, fading moments she thought clearly about what she wanted Lucario to do, and he understood. Doubt and fear tainted his aura, though it wasn't strong enough to surpass his loyalty towards his trainer. With a sorrowful nod he planted his feet firmly on the ground. His aura traveled from every part of his body towards his right arm, and before Mars could react he threw a devastating punch, hitting her just below the ribcage.

The energy exploded in a cone in front of him. Maylene felt it in her insides even though she'd been shielded by Mars' body, and the intense pain told her at least one of her ribs had probably been broken. Not that she had time to think about it as they were expelled backwards like a cannonball. She landed on her side, cheek bouncing against the dirt beneath it.

The world turned into a blur of colors and waving shapes. She rolled to the side and breathed in deeply, trying to force her vision back to focus. The pain in her abdomen was pulsing and burning, almost unbearable, but she couldn't allow herself to collapse yet.

At her feet lay Mars, barely holding herself up to her knees and one hand over her stomach. Her face was twisted into a terrible mask of pain and rage, a spider web of red clawing from the edges of her eyes. She was breathing heavily through her mouth, under which was a huge pile of blood and vomit.

Stumbling on every step Maylene got to her feet, her sense of balance almost nonexistent. If she could just restrain Mars…

"Ha…ha…" The woman's laugh reached her. "Nice one, Gym…leader."

She couldn't help but take a step back, eyes wide open. How could she…?

Mars looked at her, and Maylene could swear the temperature dropped to zero. The skin of the woman's face was stretched unnaturally into an enormous grin. Her teeth were stained with blood.

"You think… that's enough…" She pushed herself to her feet, her entire body shaking. "…to put me down?"

The full brunt of her malice fell over the clearing, and Maylene barely protected herself as a shiver ran down her spine. Next to her Lucario stared at the woman incredulous, snout down and paws shaking. His chest rose up and down with his jagged breathing, as the last attack had drained all but the last remains of his strength.

Mars took a careful step forward, both arms hanging under her. Maylene and her Pokemon moved back a few inches, shock alone preventing them from attacking.

She tilted her head to the side, dark shadows falling over her eyes. "People stronger than you… have tried before. I'm not going down until…"

A violent coughing fit fell over her, and more drops of blood stained the grass in front of her feet. At some point her coughs shifted into a high pitched, soft laughter. When she raised her head again Maylene saw her right arm start to bend and re-shape itself, though it seemed a lot slower than before. It finally shifted into a longer one, covered in white fur. Enormous black claws grew from her fingers, looking sharp enough to cut her into ribbons. The back of her mind recognized the Zangoose's arm, but she couldn't do anything with that information. She was getting closer, almost on top of her and…

A sound like thunder broke through the forest, snapping Maylene and Lucario out of the spell they were under. Mars' eyes went as wide as possible as a scream of pain got caught in her throat. Balance left her as her knees hit the floor violently. A small circle of dark red appeared in the middle of her left thigh, which grew in size as the blood stained the cloth covering it.

Maylene took a step back. "Wh-"

Lucario's sensitive ears picked up on the sound of dozens of footsteps approaching from all around them, and she caught up a few seconds after. She saw a figure appear from the darkness of the forest, a pistol in her hands and two eyes brimming with fury behind it. A woman in her forties, with short black hair and stout complexion. Before she could ask who she was at least thirty more figures emerged from all around her, all dressed in the same black and blue uniform, brandishing similar weapons as that woman.

The Association's forces, Maylene thought as a smile of relief formed in her lips. Sure took their sweet time.

"I can't thank you enough for your service, Gym leader." The woman's voice was soft and polite, though she could feel the raw anger behind it. "We'll take care of it from here."

The woman raised her free hand, and every one of her employees pointed at Mars with their respective weapons. Mars struggled to even move, a low growl of pain escaping her lips. Her eyes were sunken and pale, as if she were struggling to stay conscious. Even still she lightly raised her head to look at the person who'd shot her.

"It's… you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Sarah… huh? Long time no see. Sorry for what I did to your son's Pokemon."

Maylene couldn't believe the nerve and confidence Mars still displayed, even in such a perilous situation. Sarah's nostrils flared, and the hand holding the gun shook ever so slightly. Her finger caressed the trigger.

"You are accused of stealing, kidnapping, terrorism and murder. In the name of the League Association I hereby place you under arrest." Her statement was almost a growl, and her eyebrows were so close they almost looked like one. "However that doesn't mean I don't get to shoot you again if you misbehave. I'm willing to do it as many times as it takes, you bastard."

As consciousness left her, Mars let out a faint, confident snicker.

"Oh well, what can you do."

And with those words her eyes shut, and she collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.


Cyrus stared at the blinking light of his monitor for a lot longer than he needed to, only coming to his senses when someone knocked on his door.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a few moments. They stung badly. How long had it been since he'd gotten any sleep? Two days? Four? There was no time to do so, not when his plans required every free minute he could muster.

If the word like still had any meaning to him, he would've applied it to sleep deprivation. It was the only time he could pretend to feel something, the only time his mind even came close to functioning as it was meant to. He couldn't pass through any of the other doors, after all. Sleep had been nothing but a void ever since the incident. Forgetting was impossible. Madness was unattainable.

He would've considered the fourth door if it weren't for the only thing still left in him, his ambition. Were it not for that, death might've been an option.

It was unfortunate, especially for his enemies. He had a job to do.

Lazily he got to his feet, and urged the people outside let themselves in.

The first to enter was Saturn, hands behind his back and expression unreadable. He took two steps and bowed down to him, posture was firm and perfect. Jupiter was next, hitting Saturn with her shoulder as she walked past him. Dry drops of alcohol stained parts of her uniform, which was poorly kept. Charon followed soon after, adjusting his glasses and holding a heavy looking folder under his right arm.

His commanders. The three people closest to him.

Part of him wished he could feel anything at the sight of them.

"I will make this brief."

Everyone shifted uncomfortably on their feet. Cyrus' voice snuck up on them like an unexpected, freezing gust of wind. None of them could stand to look at his eyes for more than a few moments.

"Mars has failed in her mission," he stated, as calmly as if he were telling the weather. "She's been captured by the Association, and so have many of our grunts."

Their reactions were predictable. Charon muttered something under his breath and shook his head. Saturn's eyes went wide in shock, and he let out a forced gasp. Jupiter seemed surprised for a moment, and then laughed.

"I knew I should've gone with her!" Saturn frowned, clenching his fists. "Sir, I am so sorry! I was the one who let her take care of the mission!"

"Eh, who cares?" Jupiter shrugged. "That psycho got what was coming to her, if you ask me. Good fucking riddance."

"How can you say that!? She is one of us, you heartless…!"

"Enough."

Silence fell on the room as soon as Cyrus spoke.

He turned to Saturn. "You know it's protocol to notify me whenever a mission changes hands. Handing this particular one to Mars was the worst decision you could have made."

Saturn lowered his head, face turned into a mask of shame. He couldn't speak, couldn't even apologize, not while being looked at with those eyes.

"You will be processed next time you make a mistake of this magnitude," he said, plainly. "And as for you, Jupiter."

The woman stood as straight as her alcohol filled body allowed her, too scared of her boss to say anything.

"You know very well what Mars holds. Whatever happens to her, we cannot let that Ditto fall into the enemy's hands."

She bowed slightly. "Y-yes sir. I apologize for my insolence."

"The Association doesn't want us to know where they're taking them to," he continued, crossing his arms. "Charon, I assume the locator installed in Mars' body is still active?"

He nodded, a constant frown on his face.

"Unless they use some kind of localized EMP, it should still work."

Cyrus nodded. "Our first step is to locate her. Once we've done that the rest of our plan will unfold smoothly."

"W-what about the others, sir?"

Saturn raised his hand hesitantly, irises shrunken. His voice carried an unmistakable hopeful tone, which Cyrus didn't fail to pick up on. He had to choose his words carefully; Saturn was too important of a right hand to upset. As much as he didn't like the idea, he needed to maintain the young man's idealistic nature if he was to use him for his plans.

"It is unfortunate, but I already used the failsafe on them," he said. "We can't have them divulge everything they know about us. Do you understand?"

"But…" Saturn's lips quivered, and his eyes seemed to water. "They're part of our family, they would never…."

"It has happened before," he cut him off, "and we don't know what kind of interrogating tactics the Association has. It was the only choice."

Saturn looked like he wanted to protest further, but after a few moments he lowered his head in defeat and nodded. Next to him Jupiter rolled her eyes as obviously as she could.

Good enough.

"Jupiter," Cyrus adressed her. "Follow Charon to the lab, learn Mars' coordinates and start gathering a team to retrieve Ditto."

The woman formed a not very sane smile.

"What if Mars resists?"

Cyrus stood silent for a moment. He'd considered the possibility, of course. In fact it had been the one that crossed his mind as soon as he'd learned the news of his commander's fate. There was a non insignificant chance that she might have learned of his truce with Shadi. No negotiation would be possible, if that was the case.

"If she resists, deal with her in any way you see fit," he said. "We only need Ditto unharmed."

She smiled as if receiving a present, then bowed properly to him.

"What about… the girl?" Saturn asked, regaining his composure. "Inyssa. What do we do with her?"

"I will deal with her personally."

Everyone's eyes fell on him for the first time. The startled looks on his commanders' faces would've been amusing to him in the past.

"She and her friend have grown too bothersome to ignore," he continued, "and they will continue to do so. Their potential as trainers is dangerous, and they need to be taken care of as soon as possible." He turned towards the old man. "Charon, how is the Unovan BS project coming along?"

He seemed shook for a moment, before clearing his throat and adjusting his tie.

"Colress' instructions have proved immensely useful for containing it," he said. "The merge of its DNA with the Berserk Gene makes it incredibly unstable, but we should be able to have it fully under our control as soon as we finish developing the containtment armor. Should take a couple weeks or so."

"Good. I'd rather not have relied on one of the Institute's Stigmas for help, but it was a necessary evil," he whispered to himself. "We've been gifted with a gratuitous opportunity, it seems."

"Wh-what do you mean?" asked Saturn.

"Both these missions, it would be benefitial to make them ocurr around the same time." He tapped his chin, eyes narrowed. "The Festival of Spirit in Celestic Town will be held soon as well. A powerful allure for any trainer worth their salt. Judging from Inyssa and her friend's idiotic and traditional trainer spirit, it would not be a stretch to believe that they will most likely attend the event. That will be our opportunity to seize her."

Everyone in the room stared at him in confusion, but his mind was too busy for him to notice. He looked to the side, at the gigantic map of Sinnoh pasted on his wall.

"Both missions will act as a smokescreen for the other," he said. "Jupiter will be in charge of the jailbreak, and I will make use of the Unovan project to take care of her."

He didn't fail to notice Saturn's look of horror, even if he didn't protest. Indeed, the Unovan project might be more than overkill to deal with amateur trainers, but at least it would guarantee his success. Besides, he planned to use it for something much greater that day.

With some luck, he might even be able to get rid of the Champion herself.

"Go off then," he told Jupiter and Charon. "There is something I must discuss with Saturn."

After some bows and empty words of appreciation he was left alone with his right hand. Saturn waited patiently for his own orders, standing as still as a statue. So young, and yet so loyal. He'd been lucky to attract someone like him to his cause.

"Your mission will involve something different," Cyrus stated, voice full of exhaustion. "It is time we deal with the Ursa situation."

He saw the young man's expression turn into one of anger and sadness so fast he wished he could be jealous.

"Again, I apologize for not catching her last time," he said.

"No need," Cyrus said. "In any case, we know her last location was Solaceon, where she stole the research Willow had done for us."

He started walking around the room, hands behind his back. "Jupiter has been working on recreating it, but her progress is not fast enough. Getting those papers back is our top priority at the moment, closely followed by retrieving Azelf itself." Everything around him seemed to become colder the more he spoke. "Fortunately, the research is too complicated for someone like Ursa to understand. This means that her most likely next course of action will be to find someone who can interpret the papers for her."

Saturn spoke up. "Do you think she'll go to the Association? Wait, no…" He shook his head. "There's no way she'll ever trust them."

"Exactly. And there aren't many people she could ask for help that aren't associated with them. This leaves two options for her."

He raised his hand and formed a two with his fingers. "First, she might try to kidnap one of their scientists and force them to interpret the papers. After that, she'll kill them so the information doesn't fall on the Association's hands."

"She won't do that," Saturn assured him, brow furrowed. "Ursa is… a traitor, and she's horrible, but she wouldn't kill someone innocent that has nothing to do with us."

Cyrus knew this, of course. That girl was the epitome of everything Team Galactic fought against. Too idealistic, too emotional, too bent on everyone around her.

"Her second option is to kidnap either Jupiter or Charon. However that would mean breaking into our base, and she knows there is no chance of such a plan succeeding in her current state." He took a deep breath, considering the possibility. "To do such a thing she would need to fully recharge Azelf's power."

Saturn's eyes went wide as realization hit him.

"Lake Valor!" he yelled. "Do you think that's where she's heading?"

"It's my best guess at the moment," he said. "You are the one in charge of that area, are you not?"

"I… yes, of course." Saturn gulped. "Are you thinking of…"

"Setting a trap. As soon as she sets foot in the lake's cave we will capture them."

Hesitation flashed across Saturn's face for a moment, and Cyrus was reminded that affection wasn't something that evaporated so quickly. The boy still had fond memories of her, it seemed.

"Y-yes sir, that is a genius plan." Saturn smiled nervously. "In that case, I will do my best to lay the preparations. I will not fail you again, I swear!"

"Very well." Cyrus nodded dispassionately. "That is all. You can go now."

The young man bowed firmly to him, and then turned around towards the door. Cyrus let out a tired sigh, his eyelids almost falling close by themselves. As much as it pained him, maybe it was time he got some sleep.

"Wait, sir!"

He blinked fast, shaking the exhaustion off. Saturn was talking to him again, a nervous look on his face.

"I almost forgot to mention," he said. "A few days ago, while I was scouting around the lake, I came across this boy…"

Cyrus had to endure the tale for almost two minutes, still struggling not to fall asleep on the spot. Even if his commander had a point and there was potential for a useful new recruit in the horizon, he couldn't bring himself to care.

"…and I really think he embodies our ideals, sir!" Saturn finished, grinning from ear to ear. "If I may, can I try to recruit him? Nothing would make me happier than having him as part of our family."

Family. The word resonated strangely inside Cyrus, bouncing off as if it had no place to land. It simply flew around for a few moments before dissipating, leaving him with an odd feeling of emptiness.

"Yes, of course." He nodded absentmindedly. "You have permission to do so."