Claire drummed her fingers impatiently on the arm of her chair. Her father was talking—laying out his plan for the exploitation of Shizo in preparation for the invasion of the Nanzo region. Specifics for the latter eventuality still weren't forthcoming, at least not for Claire. She had a suspicion she was one of the only admins in the conference room that didn't know what her father was planning.

"You're right," said a voice.

Claire looked around, but no one appeared to have addressed her. She wondered if she had somehow imagined the voice in her boredom.

"Over here," said the voice.

Claire felt her head jerked to the side by an invisible force—pointed against her will at Rasmus, who was sitting a few seats to her left. He was wearing the same fur coat, watching the Grandmaster with apparent disinterest. His hooked nose gave even this neutral expression a hint of cruelty. He didn't acknowledge Claire, but she knew immediately it was his voice that she was hearing.

"I don't blame him," came Rasmus' voice in her head. "After all, with your impetuousness…"

It may have just been her mind playing tricks on her, but Claire could almost feel Rasmus crawling around in her head. It was a deeply uncomfortable sensation.

"Your trip to Nanzo has been bothering you. Your conversation with that boy… you found friendship in an unexpected place."

"Shit," thought Claire. So Rasmus knew. Of course he knew. Nothing was secret with someone like him. She scolded herself for ever going in the first place—it was stupid. A pointless act of defiance. Now, she had been found out. If Rasmus told the Grandmaster…

"Don't tell my dad," thought Claire desperately. "Please. If you tell him I went, I'll… he'll kill me."

Rasmus was watching Grandmaster with an unreadable expression. Claire did her best to conceal the feeling of panic washing over her. Her heart was pounding painfully fast. What if Rasmus exposed her now, in front of everyone?

"Don't worry," said the voice in her head. "I never tell anyone anything without a good reason."

Claire relaxed a little, and pretended to busy herself with the memo on the conference table. She hoped her sudden interest in logistics wouldn't catch her father's attention. When she heard him say her name, she gave a slight jump.

"...Admin Claire will focus on training our current forces," said the Grandmaster. "In preparation for our next move, Admin Zhang and Quartermaster Erwin will work with the Rocket remnant in Sinnoh to…"

He hadn't noticed anything. If anything, he hadn't so much as glanced at her when he mentioned her name. And he was still carefully avoiding saying anything concrete about the plans for Nanzo with her at the table. Claire took a deep breath and collected her thoughts.

"So," said Claire, figuring that Rasmus must still be reading her mind, "you know everything the Grandmaster knows, right?"

Without looking at her, Rasmus gave a slight nod.

"Including his plans for Nanzo?"

Rasmus nodded again.

"But he hasn't told you?"

"He knows he doesn't have to," said the voice in her head. "He would be a fool if he thought he could keep any secrets from me."

Claire blushed at what she took to be a reflection on her own rashness. Rasmus looked over at her for the first time. The psychic studied her face with a bemused expression, then turned his eyes back to the Grandmaster.

"You're quite different from your father," Rasmus mused. "I see the family resemblance, but… he's right. You're more like your mother."

Claire bit her tongue. He was just toying with her now.

"What's the point?" thought Claire. "What are you after?"

The Grandmaster's voice stopped mid-sentence. Looking around, Claire realized that everyone, from her father at the head of the table to the Grunts guarding the door, had fallen completely still—frozen in time like the Terracotta soldiers buried with the first Grandmaster of Power. Everyone, of course, except Rasmus. He leaned towards Claire in a confidential way, and she noticed an odd smile playing around his lips.

"It's easier to talk this way," Rasmus said aloud. "They won't hear anything. You want to know about the Grandmaster's plans for Nanzo? Well I'll tell you. Team Power is infiltrating Nanzo. Slowly building up forces on the inside. When the blow comes, it comes from within. Use this information however you like."

"Why… why did you tell me?" asked Claire suspiciously.

Being surrounded by a living wax museum made her feel uncomfortable and vulnerable. Rasmus, she knew, wasn't someone to give something or nothing. He also wasn't afraid to take whatever he wanted.

"Because you're going to help me," said Rasmus. "The boy you met in Nanzo? He trusts you. I want you to use that for me. Can you do that?"

Claire felt a horrible sensation in her stomach.

"Okay," she said. "I… I'll do whatever you want."

"Good," said Rasmus. "You'll go back to Nanzo when I tell you to. Until then, stay here. Do whatever the Grandmaster commands."

Claire's eyes darted to her father's face. His mouth was hanging open, and she could see saliva dribbling from the corner of his mouth. It made her angry to see him like this.

"It's funny," said Rasmus. "You've read all the ancient texts of the School of Power, but you still don't understand why your father doesn't respect you. Don't you remember the Classic of Statecraft? 'The ruler is ignorant who desires the love of his subordinates—the trainer is foolish who craves the affection of his Pokemon.' Learn to hate him, Claire. He doesn't want your devotion."

Claire rounded on Rasmus. He was playing with her again, showing off his power by exposing her deepest insecurities. She wasn't going to go along with his sick games any longer than she had to. But as she bared her teeth at him, she noticed something surprising: Rasmus's breathing was shallow and quick, and his skin was growing paler. Even after all these weeks, such a dramatic demonstration of his psychic powers was draining him. That made Claire feel safer.

Even Rasmus had his limits.

All at once, the conference room came back to life. No one showed any suspicion of what had just happened—no one but the Grandmaster. He paused for a moment as he wiped his mouth, glanced at Rasmus, then continued. It was an almost imperceptible moment of realization, but Claire knew her father. Even if he didn't know for certain, he suspected. She got up and excused herself. There was nothing unusual about this—Admins came and went from briefings all the time, but Claire felt self-conscious as she pushed her way past the door guards and out into the empty corridor. She wanted to get away from Rasmus—to get so far away from him that her thoughts would be her own again.

She decided to take a ride on her Braviary. She hoped Rasmus couldn't follow her into the skies.