Shiloh didn't take them far. A little ways down the road, until she couldn't feel any other eyes on them. Each house held so much land that there were wide gaps between them, with well-manicured lawns and perfect little gardens. Despite the name of the street, there wasn't a big red flower in sight. Not unless they took a walk down into the valley.
They didn't yet, though Aspen kept squirming for it. Sooner or later, she'd slip off on her own. "Hide us, Mirage," Shiloh asked. "I need to think."
There was no visible effect, other than the Pokémon sagging from the effort. "They said no," Mirage said. She stalked around them, illusion around her vanishing. "I smelled lies. Smelled kit I think. He is inside."
Shiloh nodded. "I saw too, in his mind." From the way Lane talked about it, she expected something simple—words arranged on a page for her to peruse at her leisure. Instead she had confused afterimages, blurring views of rooms and faces and people. Useless.
"So how do we get in?" Shiloh might not be able to read her emotions directly, but she needed no psionic powers to know how desperate and angry that Pokémon sounded. If she gave up now, Mirage would go on her own, and get captured by private security.
Or worse, shot.
"There's another way in, there always is. We could maybe... watch the staff come in, then have you copy them. Might be waiting here a few days..."
"No. Can't wait that long. What if they move?" Mirage tapped one claw in the dirt, impatient. "I saw his face. Uncomfortable, afraid. Might do something to hide the kit. No way to find him then."
That was true for a zoroark. It was true for Shiloh too, though it wouldn't be if she could use psionics like Lane did. Reading minds was only the beginning—she'd been able to control people without effort, puppeting them to do things against their will. Or she could just knock out everyone in the building, walk in, and take Briar without a fight.
"Has to be quick..." she agreed. "No time to case the building." Then she froze, remembering something the butler had said. A governess position, only open to a female employee. I can send thoughts, I could force them to feel things too, like trust. "Alright, backup plan. Mirage, I can't believe I'm asking this."
She adjusted her coat one last time, running her hands down a smooth, muscular chest. The butler hadn't recognized him, and the guards didn't either. I was barely myself for an hour. For Briar's sake, she could give it up. "I need a new illusion. That butler said they were waiting for someone; I'll have to be the one they wanted. Make me a girl, maybe this tall. Young, long hair, friendly. Like... nice? Make me look like someone nice."
"Why?" Aspen asked. She found her way to a nearby stump, hopping up onto it. "You think they'll accept you the second time?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. But it's either that, or we try to break in. That could go really badly for us. If humans think they're in danger, they could kill to defend their home."
"New illusion. Good idea. How is this?"
Her world shifted downward. Her clothes changed with it, expanding out from the chest and sideways into a short skirt. Shiloh recognized it instantly—it was a Pokémon breeder's uniform. Sure enough, she reached up and found a braid down her back. "You made me into Holly."
Of course Mirage would choose her—the member of his staff who cared for Pokémon he wasn't using in battle, and occasionally arranged for breeding with other champion Pokémon owned by other trainers.
"That looks more like you," Aspen said. "Not perfect. You shouldn't be older than my mom, that's just weird."
That wasn't the only weird thing. Whatever relief came from being herself, however briefly it lasted—this was the opposite. Being a female Pokémon was at least different enough that she didn't have the same reasons to be embarrassed. But a human being, there was no hiding behind a new body.
Shiloh hadn't just picked her because she came highly reviewed—but also because she looked good in films about him. Champions needed attractive assistants, that was just the rules.
"This is close, Mirage. But could you make the, uh—could you make my chest a little smaller? And these clothes won't work either. I need a long dark dress, heels—"
It wasn't like Lane's transformations, that seemed to take her thirty seconds of effort. Instantly Shiloh's tight uniform was exchanged for a dress, tight enough in the front to see that Mirage got that change right, too.
"Good enough. How close to me do you have to be? To keep the illusions working?"
"Not close," she said. "There is a limit to how long. But I could go all the way to the park and keep it up."
"Then I think... it would be best if I went in alone," she said. "You wouldn't have to be far—if you can stay hidden here, you could watch and wait for me to come out with Briar. Once I find him, we might need to break out in a hurry, so I'll come straight back to get your help."
Mirage leaned against a tree, looking thoughtful. "Do not like... being trapped inside. Might need to save you too. But if I stay, she goes with you." She pointed at Aspen. "Tiny Pokémon, easy to hide. Strong enough to protect weak Pokémon who gives orders."
"I'm not—" Shiloh stopped short, taking a deep breath. She didn't have to be right this time. It was a good compromise. "Fine. Will you let me carry you, Aspen?"
The Shaymin tilted her head to the side, thoughtful. Then she pointed down into the valley. "Only if you bring a flower with us. I can't fly out with you if I can't fly."
It took them a few minutes to bring a flower up from the valley, but not that long considering. Shiloh was careful not to give it to Aspen yet, instead tucking it away in her hair. That looked natural enough, and would also be easily within-reach if they needed it.
Aspen wasn't a spy at the best of times—but if she grew into a full-sized fox with all her usual ambition and energy, she would be impossible to contain, and Shiloh would blow her cover.
"Come out by tomorrow," Mirage finally said. "I will wait here with the ghost. If you do not come back, we'll go after you."
Shiloh was getting better at holding things. Either that, or Aspen was just more patient with her now, because she didn't squirm when she perched the little Pokémon where her shoulder would be. Touching anything else took a concentrated effort of her powers—but the rest of the illusion felt completely real.
Right down to the tight dress, and everything underneath it. It's for the best I can't change like mew do. At least I don't have to look like this.
They walked in silence most of the way back to the house. When Aspen did speak, it was mostly just to complain about having to ride. "If they make us fight, I'm gonna start quick," she said. "I can already smell the flower. I'll grab it, then I'll be brave."
"Not like the Vainglory," Shiloh whispered back. "This should be a lot easier. We still don't know if these humans are even bad. They might just be rich."
"Can you explain how that works?" Aspen asked. "My mom talks about money sometimes, but I don't really get it. I know having it makes humans act better than each other. But it's confusing why."
They were already to the driveway. "Another time, Aspen. I can't be talking to myself where the security cameras can see."
Of course she could've used telepathy—but if she was doing that, she wasn't sensitive to her powers in other ways, feeling at the intentions of everyone around her. She was about to do something she'd never done before, and she had to do it in a body that resurrected every uncomfortable thing about her transformation.
She put it from her mind as best she could. She thought about Briar instead, her friend helpless and sold to strange humans. It was time to set him free.
The butler answered the door when she knocked, already looking defensive. Shiloh said nothing at first. Instead she focused on her own oldest memories of safety and comfort.
"I take it you're here about the governess position?" He swung the door open, looking her over.
She nodded, smiling back at him. There was no telepathy in that, just a lifetime of performance. She looked back, friendly and neutral. "My name is Holly. I'd like to apply."
"This wouldn't be so simple normally. There would be references, multiple interviews... but the situation is dire. The young mistress has no one, and I'm entirely unqualified. Tell me, is that a shaymin on your shoulder?"
Shiloh nodded again, shifting her attention back to telepathy. Mirage might've changed her voice, but just because the tone was right didn't mean the words were human. "She's my partner, I hope you don't mind. She's perfectly housebroken, and very well behaved."
He stepped aside, waving her in. "They say the Pokémon are never wrong. I think the young mistress will like that. A real shaymin. Perfect."
There was so much he didn't say. The butler felt relief, along with more complex thoughts. Plans swirled within plans, unmade. A stronger Pokémon might've been able to sort through all that, or subtly redirect this man towards only the direction that mattered to her.
Shiloh wasn't that Pokémon, so she could do nothing but follow in silence. "There's no use making arrangements about employment and contracts and so-on if you haven't seen the child. It's her approval you need if you wish to work for the family. No advice or instruction I can give, other than to be friendly with her. If she approves, then I will as well."
Shiloh followed him through a sprawling mansion, through ancient floors and wings with furniture covered in sheets and windows drawn. It was a house of vast wealth, yet she saw almost no sign of current occupation. There were few other servants—a furtive maid bowing as the butler passed, a cook slaving away in the kitchen. Otherwise, they walked alone.
"Can I ask—what condition she's in?" Shiloh asked. "I don't recall whether it was mentioned in the listing." She couldn't project her thoughts and search with her mind at the same time. As soon as she finished speaking, she turned her mind back to the search.
It was no different than what she'd done to find Mirage aboard the Vainglory. Only this space was far smaller, and they were already going in the right direction.
Briar was here, a spot of cloudy dark-type in a building otherwise empty of Pokémon.
"We already have a nurse, so there's no concern for her physical wellbeing. It's just—talent and bedside manner do not always coexist. As you will see. Nurse Virgina is here to keep her body alive. You must show the child there is a reason to live."
They reached an upstairs wing, with double doors already open. Harsh white light shone from within, illuminating pristine bookshelves and toyboxes untouched for some time.
A large hospital bed sat in the center of the room, surrounded by life support equipment. Most of it was in use, machines beeping and little tubes of fluid pumping all the time.
On the bed in front of her was the most unfortunate specimen Shiloh had ever seen. She was pale and shriveled, with sunken eyes and sallow cheeks. Yet she wasn't lifeless—one hand stroked along the back of the Pokémon in her lap, just the right size for a child.
It was a Shaymin, exactly the same size as Aspen, and in better shape than Shiloh imagined possible for a legendary trapped in a hospital room. Because it wasn't a legendary Pokémon at all.
It wasn't just Aspen's height, but her exact duplicate. Not that any of the humans in the room noticed. "Miss June," the butler said, bowing to her. "I've brought someone to see you."
She sat up in her bed, wincing at the effort. A real smile crossed her lips, and she looked up at Aspen. "You have a Shaymin too!"