Author's note:

Hi readers. Thanks to all of you who've read up to this point, especially those who chose to follow and helped my motivation more than they realize. I took a short break on updates, but continued writing at around the same pace. Please feel free to give me any comment at all on what you like/dislike. It helps a lot.

Thanks,

Aden


A tiny ocean of crumpled, beaten, defeated pokemon sprawled out across a cobblestone street. From the roof of a building underneath the cloudy sky, a lone Riolu gazed out, shading her eyes with her paw. On her back, a white cape flourished in the warm midday winds. Enamored by the scene on the street below her, she failed to notice sweat dribbling down her arm.

"Look at that," she sighed. "All civilians safely gone from the area… No extreme amount of injuries or permanent damage. All assailants on the ground. It's beautiful. It's perfect…"

Riolu's eyes sparkled. A dopey smile curved up on her lips.

"It could only be the work of the Lodestar!" she squealed.

"You don't need to shout. I can see that."

Riolu raised her paw and adjusted her ear piece's volume. "I know, but look at it… It's flawless, just like she is. Just imagining how she did it, I…" She breathed out heavily. "What a hottie…"

A sigh. "Are you done? I get it's amazing she was here, but some of us actually plan to do our homework tonight."

"Fine, alright… But… Wait, hold on…"

"What?"

"There's this Drilbur who can still sorta walk. He's trying to carry this bag with him."

"Then go take care of it, and get back here soon."

"Got it," she sang.

Riolu nosedived off the building. The wind whipped back her feelers and cape. She flipped to land with her feet on the pavement. She used an extra arm to take some of the force. Across the street, Drilbur noticed her. He fell flat on his face when he tried to run. Riolu dusted her arms off and sauntered over to him.

Closer up, she saw the object he tried to reach for with his claw: a brown, leathery wallet. She walked past Drilbur, picked it up, and pocketed it in her cape.


"Okay, so to manage the N.A., you're basically just playing Civilization except it's real."

"I don't know what that is."

Still in her room, Furret Abigail sat on the edge of her bed with shiny Zoroark Aaron behind her. Since her permissions were upgraded, she asked for his help. He seemed tech-savvy enough to help her figure it out fast. After a few minutes of having his claws on her back, she gave up and reclined back into his embrace. She wanted to avoid giving any of them ideas until she chose one to go out with, but couldn't help herself. Tingling warmth pushed her closer to sleep as he continued to hold her phone screen in front of her eyes.

"Looks like there's another fifteen meter pit outside Gordon Ram's restaurant," Aaron said. "Probably something raw again. So, to fix it, you go to the construction tab, and send out a team. They'll probably fix it on their own if you don't send them, but that way, you can prioritize what gets done. So when responding to major incidents, just use these tabs."

"Oh… Okay…" Abigail grumbled.

"You alright? You look sleepy."

Aaron settled into a rhythm rubbing up and down the back of Abigail's neck and the sides of her spine. She forgot to answer, and what she had been doing in the first place.

Somewhere in her stupor, she laid out on her front. She woke up sometime later with her nose against her soft blankets. From the sluggish weight on her body, she must have fallen asleep. Glancing around, she didn't see Aaron. He must have left.

Abigail's fur vibrated. She looked around for the source. Her phone screen lit up just over her head. She reached forward and checked it.

"Come to the Nightlight Hub real quick. I have a job for you." -Anne

Abigail blinked. She rubbed down between her eyes and stood up. Her ragged fur stuck up in places around her body, but she didn't care at the moment. She set a low bar for herself, and met it by getting her fur straightened out. After, she headed out into the lonely hallways. Focused on the clinking noise of her feet on the floor, her body made the turns for her.

Within a minute or two, she walked to the Nightlight Hub's round, twin doors and pulled it open.

"Hey Abigail."

Abigail's ears perked up. Floatzel Zen, Quilava Gawain, Zoroark Aaron, and Victini Anne sat on cushions around a small, black table with an empty cushion.

"W-what are you guys doing here?" she asked.

"We're Nightlights," Zen shrugged, smiling. "Master rank Nightlights, since we passed the entrance exams with high enough marks to be here."

"Have a seat," Anne said. "I would have sent one of these guys to handle this if I didn't think you'd do better."

"Alright then…"

Abigail skulked over to the cushion and sat down. Now that they were here, she wished the bar she set stood taller.

"We found some more evidence of the Rioters," Anne said. "You remember that scuffle you broke up a few hours ago, right?"

"Which one?" she asked.

"The biggest one. Based on questioning, we actually think it was some sort of gang activity, impacted by the Rioters in some shape or form. Since the orbs were stolen by organized attacks on convoys, it's likely that they knew what they really were dealing with before we did. They might be trying to get the orbs out of these other gangs with shady deals or things like that."

"What evidence did you find?"

"We don't know, because it happened to be picked up by a small vigilante group based in the western side of the city. We need you to go out there and convene with them to figure out whatever they did. I'll pull up their profiles."

Anne tapped on the table. Abigail rubbed her nose again as her eyes adjusted to light pouring off a screen she didn't expect.

"These three right here."

The pictures were all turned to face Abigail. They looked like school pictures of a Riolu, Vulpix, and Houndoom. They each had small blurbs with their names and other info.

"You make profiles on vigilantes?" she asked.

"Yeah, so that we can keep track of criminals they take down. We profile their names, behavior patterns, encounters, effectiveness, and a few other things. Most of them are arena competitors who just ran into some goons on the street, so organized ones like you and this group are very rare."

"They all look like high schoolers," said Gawain.

"They are, but they have some of the highest effectiveness ratings in the city. We have a hunch they plan to work for the N.A. after graduating. We don't want to scare them away from us by having our agents pound on their doors. You'd be a lot more… relatable."

"I get it," Abigail said. "So, out of curiosity though... Did I have a profile?"

"Take a look."

Anne swiped through a few menus on the screen. A picture of Furret Abigail came up. In it, she wore a red apron and held out a plate to a Sceptile, sitting at a table in the restaurant she used to work at. Aaron whistled twic; a catcall. Abigail's tail swirled and tightened. Anne passed him an unamused glance.

"Most effective vigilante," Anne said, "so we did a little more thorough investigation on you. Every time even a peep of something illegal made its way into your area, it just shut down so fast that we were honestly a little scared."

"You look good in anything, don't you?" Zen asked.

"Pipe down, Romeo." Anne turned her stare back at Abigail. "So, you up for it?"

"Yah," she said. "Of course."

"Alright, This mission is subject to change, so you may have to follow up on the evidence while you're out in the field. That could mean investigating gang activity. Pick one of these idiots to have as backup."

"The choice is obvious," Gawain said. "Zen and I punch and set things on fire. Aaron, on the other hand, has something that can help you be discrete in getting around places, which is better for an investigation."

"Unfortunately, yah," Zen said. "Whatever clues you find, Aaron will get you all set without anyone noticing a thing."

"I'm so happy you guys voted me best idiot," Aaron smiled and brought a claw to his chest. "Warms my cold heart right up."

"If you screw this up, I'll throw you out the window."

"As if that surprises me. Just relax. I'll call us a carriage."

"Right," Abigail said.

Aaron smiled. Abigail glanced away to dodge his striking yellow eyes. She clenched her paws together.


As discussed, Zoroark Aaron called a carriage for them. From the outside, Furret Abigail could tell he called one smaller than what would hold him after he evolved. He must have done it by mistake. She pretended not to notice her head almost hitting the ceiling when she hopped inside and sat down first.

After setting down a small, brown strap bag next to Abigail's, Aaron sat down on the cushion next to her; so close that the shadow of his breath in the air tickled her ear. She didn't have much room to move away.

"It's a little cramped…" Abigail said.

"My bad," he said. "Forgot to change my phone settings to show that I evolved to be bigger when I called for a carriage. Do I smell bad?"

"Uhhh, n-no…"

Since he pointed it out, she took a whiff. An indecipherable smell tingled in her nose.

"Men's perfume is weird," Aaron said. "I don't know what 'bear slayers' smell like, but it was either this or 'Jaguar King'."

"Oh," she said. "I've, uh, only ever used perfume once. Back at the Royal Parade, actually."

"Meh." He shrugged. "You always smell like flowers anyways. So, how was your nap?"

"Quit poking fun…"

"At you? Never…"

Aaron's huge tuft of indigo fur swung behind Abigail's back. She stared down as her face warmed. She coiled her tail around herself to create a new personal space. He wrapped an arm around her back. The carriage began to move and jolted them both. Being the afternoon, it would be a lot of stop and go.

"I'm happy to see you back to your usual, old lady self," he said quietly.

"Ha ha…" she laughed sarcastically and rolled her eyes away from him.

"Just kidding."

"I know. Cause I don't act like an old lady."

"The way you use your phone says otherwise…"

Abigail glared at him. His eyes thinned.

"What?" she asked.

"I dunno," he said. "I mean, fighting in and of itself is pretty wild, but I don't think I've ever seen you do much stupid. So maybe you are a bit like an old lady. You could prove me wrong, though."

She lifted her head. "How's that?"

"Act like a rowdy teenager for a change."

"And what exactly do you mean by that…"

"Just sort of… Letting go, you know? Just being stupid."

Aaron leaned his face closer. Abigail's warm breath trembled on its way out. Her lips quivered in anticipation. Her paws scrunched up against her chest. She leaned back only to rub against his soft, supple indigo fur.

"Kind of hard to kiss you when you look that nervous," Aaron tilted his head and grinned. "Do I look scary or something?"

"N-no," she breathed.

Aaron's face fell flat. He glanced right through her and nodded. "You don't like making decisions you might regret. I get it. You like thinking things through first. But, me and Zen are mature enough for you to take bets on. Neither of us will get mad, possessive, or anything like that. We just don't like this limbo where you don't really say yes or no to go out with us."

"I-I know."

"Then why so nervous? You can level with me."

"Cause… when you evolved, you guys got a lot more… forward."

"But I was always flirting."

"Yah, but you got… started looking different," she squeaked and glanced away. "And I don't want to change how I act around you just because… of that."

"Well, that's cool," Aaron smiled. "But hey, you liked me before, so it's just a bonus. You're not fake. Trust me."

Aaron leaned in faster this time. Abigail rooted herself in place until their lips touched. He pushed harder against her face. She let go of her clenched paws and let them fall. Her tail curled around his back.


"Hey, uh, Abigail? I think we're here."

Zoroark Aaron pushed open the carriage back door. His fur stood up all over as if he'd been run over by it.

Furret Abigail's paw snagged onto the back edge of his indigo fur. She yanked him and his arms back, which slammed the doors shut.

"Y-you know we could just keep making out later, right!?"

"That a promise?"

"Yes. I promise."

"Alright. I'll make you regret calling me an old lady."

"I already do… I'm sorry."

Aaron flew out of the carriage doors. He landed on his legs and arms, then stood up on the cobblestone street. Abigail walked out behind him, hopped down, reached and shut both doors, and knocked on the back to let the driver know they were out. She looked down at Aaron as he stood up.

"You look like a wreck," she said. "Get your ass in gear. We're on a mission."

Aaron took out his phone from his brown strap bag over his shoulder and held it out in front of him. He blinked and shook his head.

"Holy shit Abigail," he mouthed. "Why are you so violent?"

"Don't be an old man. Now fix yourself before someone sees and thinks you got mauled by a dog."

"I got mauled by you. Man, I was just tryna kiss you once, for like, four seconds. Why'd you try to bite my head off?"

"It wasn all that… Stop your whining and fix your fur."

As the carriage pulled off, Abigail took Aaron's hand and walked him to the side of the street next to the dirty, white stone wall of a small convenience store. Some older pokemon walked about alongside carriages, but she still had time to dodge anyone seeing him. She yanked off the yellow ring that held his indigo mane together and fixed it while he smoothed himself out. Abigail glanced around to make sure no one saw.

"Which building is it?" she asked.

"I had the carriage drop us off a street over so they don't see us coming and run or something. You don't have your Grapplers or anything, so I figured it'd be best."

"I didn't bring them so that they wouldn't be intimidated and run."

"Yah, I figured, Just helps in case they do, or something."

Abigail finished and clipped the ring back on his mane. She spun him around and glanced up and down. He looked normal, apart from his tomato red face.

"Not having fun?" she asked.

"I… just had my expectations shattered," he said. He rolled his weight around on his feet. "I'm good…"

Abigail resisted the blooming urge to tackle him to the ground and checked around. It seemed a lot like home, but she didn't recognize this street at all. It seemed better kept with beautiful patches of flowers and trees lining the cool, cement sidewalk.

"Do I look okay?" asked Aaron.

"You look fine," she said. "Well… I think you look a tiny bit hotter a little rougher around the edges... but, you look okay."

"Why are you, like, ten times more aggro right now?"

She gave it a second's worth of thought. "Cause you made me more comfortable, I guess?. Now let's find this place."

Abigail walked down the street. She pulled out her phone from her bag and tracked where to go. Aaron bounded up next to her and glanced over her shoulder. A straight path led them to the building marked with a blue dot.

"Hey," Aaron said, "so what are you going to say to these guys when we meet them?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean, you could be their idol, or they could just be unfair and hate you since you get all the glory for doing the same stuff they do. Have you thought about an approach?"

"No need to play it like a chess game. I'll just talk to them."

"Fair enough."

Abigail picked out the building for herself once they drew near. A small, one story building with a quaint lawn stood out by itself near the end of the street. Cascading, white painted wood panels stretched down its front, back, and sides. She and Aaron walked past weeds that stretched over a thin, stone walkway leading to a wood front door with a doorknob painted a gold color, not unlike her own fur. She searched for a doorbell and pushed it.

Muffled voices shouted inside. After, heavy footsteps came to the door. A Ninetales opened the door, looked up, blinked, and turned her head back.

"Quinton!" Ninetales called with a shrill voice. "What have you been doing on that computer?"

"I'm not doing anything, mom!"

"Okay then! Get your ass up here!"

"Fine!"

The footsteps sounded like they came from the basement. Abigail shared a glance with Aaron. He reinforced her confidence with his resting face, a smile.

A Vulpix trudged to the door. Ninetales blocked his view of them until she stepped off to the side. He stopped cold. His eyes bounced between Abigail and Aaron. He met Ninetales' glare.

"What?" he asked. "I didn't do it."

"Who else in this household would bring this to my doorstep?"

He turned to Abigail and Aaron. "What do you even want?"

"You happened across something we're looking into," Abigail said. "May we come in?"

"Uh, no?" he scoffed.

"Oh my gosh!"

Abigail's fur nearly stood up. She suppressed her reaction to a pokemon shooting towards the door out of nowhere. An excited Riolu bounced in front of her on her feet.

"Hi hi hi!" she said. "Oh my gosh, hi!"

"Hello…" Abigail said.

"Hi! Oh, come in! Quinton, come!"

Riolu grabbed Abigail's paws and yanked her inside. A kitchen and living room occupied their left and right, but Riolu kept straight down a thin hallway with eggshell walls. She opened a door with a rampway leading down. Abigail glanced behind to make sure Aaron followed them, and he did.

"Erica!" Vulpix yelled. "Don't take her down there!"

"So anyway, welcome to our secret lair!" Riolu said.

The rampway opened up to a dark room with yellow string lights, three large computer monitors and keyboards, and half a dozen tables all with lamps and papers on them. It reminded Abigail of the room Anne operated out of. Splash marks stained the dark, black carpet. In the corner, a tiny black trash basket overflowed with empty soda cans.

"Hey Erica… Uhhhh, what?"

A Houndoom laying in the corner raised her head and stood up on seeing them enter.

"Sup," Aaron said.

"Uh, hey," Houndoom said. "I'm still awake, right?"

"I don't think we got introduced," Abigail suggested, still in Riolu's grip.

Riolu let go and spun around. "Oop, forgot… My name's Erica," she said. "The Houndoom over there is Victoria, and the Vulpix is Quinton."

Zoroark Aaron turned his head back as Quinton came down the steps. "So you turned your mother's basement into a Batcave. Pretty much the most badass thing you can do at your age."

Quinton's head fell and he sighed. "Talking down to me already? In my own… Okay, yah, it's my mom's basement."

"Okay, we get it," Houndoom said. "So what the hell do you two want?"

"We were investigating some criminal activity and saw on cameras that you guys happened across a key piece of evidence," Abigail explained.

Riolu stopped, stared, and stomped over to the tables. Her eyes darted around, her paw raised until they landed. She picked up a small brown leather wallet and held it out to Abigail. She picked it out of her hand, opened it, pulled out the lone piece of paper inside, unfolded it, and got reading.

"It's a threat," Quinton said. "It's from the Rioters to some local gang that runs a casino. Apparently, they have something important."

Abigail had a guess. If they were a gang, they were organized enough to take on an unprotected Nightlight convoy to have stolen one of the antiques, or more. By all probability, they wanted to trade for it. One look at Aaron told her he thought something similar. She inspected the letter to find a time, but couldn't. She'd have to organize some kind of surveillance on the building when she found it.

On second thought, she'd let Aaron find it. She took out her phone and passed it to him.

"Could you find the building for me?" she asked.

"Yah," he said. "Sure."

"S-so," Erica's voice squeaked, "sorry about that. We didn't figure anyone important would pay attention to crime on our side of town."

"Cause they don't," Houndoom Victoria spat. "They're just here cause we got in their way."

"Don't be like that," Aaron grunted, staring down at the phone screen. "Abigail did the same things you guys do. She just got roped into all this. You can be mad at the N.A. all you want for being lazy, but isn't she one of your own?"

"Your circumstances alone won't make us respect you," said Quinton.

"She also mopped up your entire downtown for you."

"The only thing that did was put these guys on edge." He walked over towards a cushion underneath the computer monitors. "Now your precious Lodestar will be seen miles away if she even goes near that building cause they'll be watching out for her. All you did was render yourself useless."

"Cut it out you two," Erica's voice lowered. "She quite literally didn't do anything wrong."

"Pft, yah," Quinton huffed in under his breath. "Morally. Strategically, she just oopsie woopsie ruined everything we worked on for tracking these guys."

In terms of bounty hunting, Abigail never had a great streak with strategies. Her mother taught her to track them down and took them out before anyone could see what a huge threat she was. Now that everyone knew, it put her at a disadvantage. She needed to do something with the situation now. The casino opened at night, which gave them very limited time to do anything if they met tonight. She lacked experience in getting someone who'd actively run away from her.

"I didn't know about the whole situation when I got called for violence in the streets," Abigail said, "but it's still salvageable. If you guys could lend us some info, I'll recommend you myself for jobs in the N.A. when you graduate."

"We can get jobs ourselves," Quinton said as he sat in front of the monitor. "What else you got?"

"Uh, well… Lessons in battling?"

"Don't need em," Victoria piped up. "Well, Quinton might, but, we got him."

Quinton grunted.

"A date?" Erica asked.

"What," said Abigail. She shared a glance with Aaron. A tinge of heat passed through her face. "U-uh... S-sure?"

"Erica," Quinton sighed, "we worked hard to get this intel. I don't feel like giving it up just for you to-"

"Quintoooon," she sang. Riolu Erica spun around and walked up to him. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and if you ruin it for me, I'll burn down this house and everything in it! So what do you say?"

"I hate you…"

Vulpix Quinton tapped away on a digital keyboard. He used all three screens at once.

"Every Thursday night, the mafia boss pays a visit to the casino," Quinton said. A monitor directly over his head showed a picture of a Bisharp walking on a red carpet into a maze of lights through glass doors. "He does a lot of business there. It's not Thursday, but next he shows, he'll probably be doing business with the Rioters. That's how we can know the deal's happening. Every employee is in on dealing illegal weapons like blast wands, so, don't expect to just walk in and out."

Abigail's ear rose. "Blast wands?" she asked.

"Please not again," Aaron whispered. "I get why the last time you did it, but here, it'll be a lot of tax dollars…"

Her ears drooped.

"Casino's too big for you to bulldoze them," Quinton said. "They'll walk out the same minute you walk in, and all those goons will slow you down enough for the big bads to up and leave. Even if you swarmed the place with Nightlights, I'd place a gamble that they have some kind of hidden passageway to escape."

"The main goal isn't to arrest them," said Abigail. "They probably have something dangerous, and we need to get it back."

"Then you just have to grab it and run. No other approach for you to take. Based on the structure of the building, we have a decent idea of what room their business takes place in. Unfortunately, you've knocked yourself out of the running to be the one that goes in. After you took down lots of their street rats, they'll be watching out for you."

"We can go," said Erica, looking at Victoria. "These guys have been a thorn in everyone's side for years. Let's cut the roots. If there was ever a time to do it, it'd be with the help of the Lodestar."

"I guess so," she replied. "Guess you could call this our internship. Will probably look good on our resumes."

"These punks have been preying on the young and elderly for long enough. What say you, Quinton?"

"Well," he looked down, "I would like to see them pounded on the ground. This whole thing is getting old."

"Okay!" Erica spun around and faced Abigail. "We'll help," she resolved. "We'll be ready to enter the casino on our end. You do whatever Nightlight stuff Overlords do. And then tomorrow…"

Riolu Erica rubbed her hands together. Furret Abigail trembled and whipped around her tail under her devious stare.

"I'll finally get to have a pizza party with the Lodestar..." she sighed.

Abigail breathed out. "Of course," she smiled. "I look forward to it."


Afterwards, Abigail and Aaron took shelter from the crowds in another carriage he called. They chilled out on the side of the street for a few hours. Abigail called Anne and updated her on the situation. She didn't sound too keen to the idea of getting help from vigilantes, but Abigail pushed forward. She made a promise. After she set up a horde of discrete Nightlights to watch the building and for a convoy to deliver her gear, Furret Abigail let her head fall back against the wood wall.

On a cushion across from her, Zoroark Aaron glanced up from his phone. Abigail's eyes quivered tracing down his long, beautiful dark fur and glimmering, yellow eyes. A growl welled up from her chest. She didn't want to be reckless, but at that moment, she wanted him.

"Just so I know," Aaron said, "you're not about to kill me, right?"

"Maybe," she said. "I don't know."

"Uhhh… What do you want then?"

"Just kinda… tear up your face into bits and pieces and eat 'em."

"Aright," he nodded. "Pretty close."

"Oh!" Abigail pointed at him. "You promised to make out more now."

"On two conditions. One: you go out with me on a date. And two: you ease up on the ripping and tearing. Felt like I was gonna die a few times back there."

She wanted him.

"Okay," she said. She gripped an invisible rope, swung her paw over her head in a small circle and pretended to throw it at him. "Get over here."

"Wait, I'm a prince," he said, smiling and folding his arms. "You have to come to me. I'm lazy."

"If you're sure…"

"Lemme check." Aaron puashed and stared at the wall. He met her gaze again. "Okay, yah," he shrugged. "I'm lazy."

Abigail shot out of her cushion. She leapt up and bounced off the ceiling. She tackled his chest as Aaron still had his arms raised. She wiggled up to his reddening face and smiled.

"This is so the opposite of what I expected," he said.

The carriage doors creaked open. A cold chill passed over Abigail and rooted her in place. A pair of big, blue eyes landed right on them. Holding each door in her hand, Victini Anne floated up to the edge and stared.

Abigail pushed off and flew back against the opposite wall. Victini Anne held each of the carriage's back doors. She shook the confusion off her face.

"H-hi, Anne," Abigail sputtered. "Didn't, ah, expect you."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Look, Abigail, I don't know about this. If those guys get hurt, it's on you, and you specifically. I wrote it down as an internship, but, like, no interns do this. Like, ever."

Abigail rubbed the heat from under her nose. "It's personal for them now. Besides, I'll be going with the help of Aaron's illusion to do most of it myself. I won't let them get into actual danger, I just need their intel so I can get it done."

"Will it still be that easy if one of your old teachers is there? Or your mom?"

"I'll deal with it."

"We'll deal with it," Aaron raised his voice.

Abigail turned and saw his dazzling, white smile. She smiled back. Anne's eyes bounced between them as her face sagged.

"Will I have to deal with looking at this bullshit all day?" she asked. "She has a Sacred Treasure. Your 'power of love' that you guys found in a twenty minute carriage ride won't stop the building from collapsing if she so much as pulls it out."

"My mom won't be there," Abigail said. "These guys are just a street gang. She's going to save her own strength for bigger targets, if there are any. And I know I can count on Aaron's illusions. I'll be in and out like a ninja."

"You better. One wrong move when working with those vigilantes, and you'll be responsible. Trust me, you're not the one I'm worried about. Just be careful."

Victini Anne turned away as she closed the doors. Zoroark Aaron stretched his back against the wall.

"She has a point," he said. "They're strong and they know it. That makes them reckless. Realistically, since they aren't old enough to compete in arenas, I doubt any of them have lost in years. Odds are they're overconfident."

"I'll be strict," she said. "I was a vigilante, too. I'll tell them how it is. I think they'll listen if I'm earnest."

"That's my future wife for ya."

Abigail's tail swept across the floor. She prowled up to him and laid on his fur. She turned her chin up and rolled herself around to face away from him.

"You know how you level up in video games?" she asked. "You need to do a lot more backrubs to level up enough for that."

"You're so beautiful…" he whispered.

"Ding ding. Level two."


Sunset came and left. As night nestled into the sky, Furret Abigail got into position on a short rooftop of a local convenience store. Zoroark Aaron's indigo fur shielded her from the cool winds. The lampposts turned on.

Ahead by two blocks, the casino rose above the trees and other small buildings. The young night sky reflected pink clouds and light blue in the glass on it's long, straight sides and front. Lights in the windows lit it up like a Christmas tree. Unfortunately, Abigail wouldn't be able to bring her Grapplers or cape inside. She'd have to go in with just her phone bag and an earpiece without a camera.

"Yo, reporting in."

"Is that you, Zen?" Abigail asked, holding a paw to her ear.

"Yah. I studied the building layout to help you out for this mission. It's pretty big."

"Yah, I can definitely see that… It looks as big as a whole city block."

"It is. When you head in the front, there should be a donut stand. And, like, I really don't mean to distract from the mission, buuuuuuuut…"

"I'll bring two dozen back after we're done… Wait, aren't they, like, mafia donuts?" she asked.

"The goons run the gambling part of the casino, and use the hotel as a base for their bull. The stores are clean," Came another, less enthusiastic voice.

"Oh," Abigail said. "Hi, Quinton."

"Hey."

"Are you staying behind in the room?"

"Yah. That's what I usually do. What about it?"

"Are Erica and Victoria on this line, too? I want to talk to them."

"We're here!" Erica said. "What's up?"

"Hey," she said. "Just wanted to remind you to be careful. We really just need your help finding where they are. If you're reckless, there's more than yourselves at stake, so uh… Please. Remember that."

"Loud and clear. We won't screw up by being stupid. We're just finding them, that's all. In and out."

"Thanks, Erica. I won't let all your hard work go to waste. I promise."

"Thanks. We're going to walk over now. Still on the line."

"Right."

Furret Abigail let her paw fall from her earpiece. Zoroark Aaron copied her.

"Sounds like it's go time," Aaron said. "You ready?"

"Yup!" Abigail stood up and rotated her back. She hopped up and down in place and breathed out.

"Alright. Just remember, if you use moves or energy, or if you get hit by energy, the illusion will fly off. Otherwise, it should last, like, all night."

"Right. So, what are my options for how I look tonight, Aaron?"

"I already picked the best one. Let me apply it, then I'll explain why."

"Alright. Do it."

A small wave passed over her body. Abigail didn't feel any different. She looked down at her paws, and realized they had turned brown again. She looked back at her tail. The fur on it transformed to be dry and brittle.

"Okay," Aaron clapped his hands together. "You are now an elderly, alcoholic Furret who aged like swiss cheese left out in the parking lot for seventy years.

"What!?" she asked. Her voice cackled to match his description.

"If I made you anything else, you'd stick out a bit going into the casino alone. This way, no one will even talk to you."

"Oh, you're cold. But why not transform me into another species?"

"If I did another species entirely, it might be noticeable to a keen eye. This way, the illusion's tough as nails. Besides, there are plenty of Furrets in Valor. Anyone who'll look at you will turn away when they catch a glance of your ugly mug. Make sure you hunch your back a little. It doesn't work like it used to… Maybe those damn brats will understand when they get to be your age."

"Depending on how this goes, I might reset you back down to level one."

Aaron scoffed and raised his hand to his chest. "Well. Back in my day, relationships had more to them than that…"

"Are you salty cause I called you an old man?"

"A little, but that's unrelated. Good luck. I'll be right here ready to race into action along with the others. Don't hurt your back carrying the team."

"Oh, shut up."


After a quick trip to a local convenience store and paying with her phone, Furret Abigail finished her raggedy look with a small black cane. Once she got closer to the building, she leaned on her cane more heavily.

A female Indeedee and Mareep walked past her on the sidewalk. They made light conversation with each other. Both of them glanced at Abigail as they walked past.

"Holy shit, she's fugly…" Mareep whispered.

"Shh," Indeedee hissed.

Abigail smiled. She had imagined doing this for a while.

"You brats better walk faster before I beat your asses!" Her voice steadily rose. She raised her cane in the air and shook her arm.

Indeedee and Mareep bolted. Abigail smiled.

"Uh, what was that?" Zen asked. His voice buzzed in her ear.

"I used an illusion to make Abigail look old," Aaron explained. "She's really a natural."

"Wait, that was Abigail?"

"Keep focused here. Remember how much is riding on this, Zen."

"Oh trust me, I know."

Abigail walked past a maze of carriages on a wide-spanning, black parking lot. She continued on the right side of the cement walkway leading to the front, sliding-glass doors. She revved herself up in case the Banette or Panpour employees watching out front questioned her. On seeing her, they definitely reacted. Panpour shared a glance with Banette, then chose to be the one to step forward.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" he asked.

"Hm? What?" Abigail grunted.

"You… uh, are new here, right?"

"I've been around these parts longer than you've been alive. What of it?"

"O-oh! Nothing! Just, uh, asking. Haven't seen that many Furrets around here."

She scoffed and flipped her tail. "You rude little thing! I'll-"

"Our apologies!" Bannette said with wide eyes. She walked forward and raised her hands, signaling for her to stop. "Please, go on inside, ma'am. I'll straighten him out."

"Hmph. You better do as good a job as I would have. Tch."

"Holy shit, she's a natural," Zen said.

Abigail smiled as the doors parted for her. They opened up to a wide hallway and a fancy red carpet with a black background and caramel patterns of music notes and plants. Bright chandeliers bounced light off fake gold walls. On each side, clothing stores, bakeries, and other stores lined the hall. Furret Abigail raised a paw to her ear.

"I don't get why anyone would waste time gambling here," she said, stepping onto the soft carpet. "They have sweets. I'd prefer sweets to a million dollars, even if it wasn't rigged."

"This casino actually has its own arena," said Zen. "They place bets on the winners. But something tells me whatever gang is here uses it for other things. I've got a bad feeling."

"With age comes wisdom. I'll put them in their place."

"Ooooo-kay…"

"Hey Abigail," Erica's voice rang. "We're inside and monitoring activity, just as planned! Nothing to report just yet. We'll keep an eye out for where the employees gather."

"You better," said Quinton. "Their boss just walked through the back, according to Nightlight surveillance. Something's happening tonight."

"Stay in that area, Abigail," Zen said. "Watch for activity. Other areas are taken care of."

"Got it," she said. "I won't get in trouble for grabbing a cupcake, right?"

"Lets you blend in and stay in one spot. Go for it."

"Nice."

Abigail spun around and made for the white tiled floor of the dessert store. Her cane tapped on the floor as she entered, waking up a Glameow who sprawled out on top of a glass case filled with shelves of ornate desserts. She suppressed her smile into a neutral expression and remembered not to greet her. Grouchy old ladies did that to her at her old job. She studied the desserts as she walked closer and picked her favorite.

"Red velvet," she nearly spat out. "That cupcake right there."

"Sure thing," Glameow said.

"You have a phone thing to pay?"

"Yes. Right there."

Glameow pointed to a small scanner on top of a short counter. Abigail took out her phone from her pocket, brought up the screen, and struggled just like an old lady would, only it wasn't acting. After ten swipes, she finally got it. Glameow handed her a red velvet cupcake with thick white frosting and shared a nod.

After, Abigail walked over to a table next to the window, sat down on a decent enough cushion, set down her cane, and sighed. She licked off some frosting and savored the grainy texture.

"Uh, big problem," Zen said. "Yen is here. That Meloetta. She just went through the front entrance. That's right where Abigail is."

"Keep calm, carry on," said Aaron. "Figure out where that room is."

Abigail leaned over and checked the bottom of her window; it reached too low for her to duck out of sight. Walking out into the hallway now would be asking for it. She'd have to stay put. To keep from losing her nerve, she stared down at her cupcake.

Her fur stood up. A shadow fell over her. She winced and rolled up her eyes.

Meloetta Yen leaned on the glass out the window. She raised her hand, shook her head, and grimaced. Abigail pursed her lips and glared back. Yen shook her head again and let her mouth hang open. She turned and walked towards the doors. A brown leather cape on her back followed. Abigail reached up to her earpiece.

"Aaron, it didn't work," she said.

"Okay. Set the earpiece for us to listen."

"Okay."

Yen pulled open the door and walked inside, ringing the small bell hanging over it. Glameow stirred. She fell back on the floor seeing Yen walk up to Abigail.

"What kind of disguise is that?" Yen demanded. "Do you know how hard it will be to forget this? You look hideous."

Abigail flared a small amount of energy through her body. Light flashed around her and faded away with the illusion.

"What even blew it?" she asked.

"You got a red velvet cupcake and started eating it with the frosting first. How would I not see that?"

Yen frowned and shook herself off. She patted down her sides as if she fell down in mud. Abigail folded her arms and leaned back. Her paws returned to their usual gold color.

"Funny seeing you around here," she said. "Didn't know you were the gambling type."

"You already know why I'm here," Yen said. She flipped her long green hair as she sat down on the cushion across from her, facing away from the table towards the inside of the shop.

"I have a guess. But, I don't understand why you're here. I really don't."

"Don't give me that. It's not like we want to destroy everything… But this obsession with peace and normalcy… I just… I became an explorer to protect peace, but the only way for this to end peacefully was to ignore a gaping wound, and protecting peace wasn't enough for me anymore. I need peace and justice, Abigail."

"Against who?"

"The Nightlights. They're the ones responsible."

"Couldn't you… do it some other way?"

"Civil disobedience alone can't lower the pride of a nation like Valor. Even once we attain the power of a Legendary species at our side, they'll fight us before giving us the justice we deserve. Don't you want justice for your father?"

"I do, but-"

"And he died in Nightlight custody of some 'illness'? Isn't that unforgivable?"

Abigail glanced away as Yen stared. "Yah…"

"Have you given up?"

"No," she said firmly. "I'd have more time to look at it if you didn't keep me so damn busy. I don't want anything to get destroyed."

"And that's where we disagree." Yen stood up and flipped her hair and cape. She folded her arms and turned away. "I think real justice is more valuable than fake peace. That's why I'm a real explorer, and you're not."

Abigail slammed her paws on the table and shot up to her feet. Yen didn't flinch.

"Say that again," she said. "He wasn't your father, you know that?"

"But at least on the bright side of him being dead, he doesn't have to see his daughter licking the boots of his killers just cause they're telling her…" She crafted a fake smile, sparkly eyes, and brought up her hands to her chin. "You're doing the right thing!"

"Shut it."

"Please. I can't take you seriously. You're easier to use than a napkin."

The bell rang.

Seconds before Abigail slugged Yen in her flapping lips, a horrible, electric tingle settled down on her fur. Her shivering paws gripped the table for some sense of solidity. Another Furret walked in, with a heavy, brown leather cape and a silvery sheathe on her back. She froze.

"Yen," Furret Jessie said, "don't mock my daughter ever again, do you understand?"

"Yes," she answered, staring at the floor.

"Come. We're leaving."

Yen turned up. "But the Eye-"

Jessie unzipped a cape pocket and pulled out a pale silver orb with a white center. She glanced between Abigail and Yen as she put it back inside, out of Abigail's reach.

"I thought Joshua brought the money with him," said Yen. "How did you pay for it?"

"Told them I'd handle the Nightlight ambush," she explained. "But we're done here."

"But… If we backstab them, other gangs won't trust us."

"Not a large concern. I could've defeated them then and there. They've done some unforgivable atrocities. Leaving them to the care of my magnificent daughter is a mercy they don't deserve. We have what we need. Let the Nightlights have their fun."

"Abigail," Zen said, "don't engage. We don't have a choice but to let them walk out. This is a civilian heavy area. If she pulls Lobera, the building could collapse. We'll have people follow them and get intel. Focus on the gang."

Abigail swallowed. Her mom glanced around the shop. Her eyes fell on the red velvet cupcake on the table. She picked it up and licked the other side of the frosting, and covered her mouth as she set it down.

"Ah damn," she muttered. "Ah, Yen. Get me one."

The poor Glameow behind the counter scrambled. Sweat poured down her face as she grabbed a red velvet cupcake, stuck it in a box, and pushed it on the short counter like her life depended on it.

"Thank you, come again!" Glameow squealed. She probably added that last part out of habit.

Meloetta Yen nodded and left a stack of two bills on the counter. She handed the box to Furret Jessie.

"They're on the seventh floor," Jessie said, "but not anymore. They all follow the boss as he walks out. If you take them down fast enough, you'll have plenty of evidence left there to bite into."

"We're gonna lock down the stairs and elevators," Erica reported. "Rest of the Nightlights move in now, right?"

"Not until Jessie's gone," Zen said. "Just one or two minutes. It's okay. Once you cover those, they won't have any escape or way to burn their evidence, so keep calm."

"Mom?" Abigail asked. "Why don't you just come back with me? I'm the Overlord now. We can…"

"I know things no one else does," she answered. "Things I can't afford the Nightlight Association to know about." Her eyes turned down. "To tell you the truth, I tried to leave you and everything in this world behind, then someone came and saved my life. They offered me knowledge," she gestured towards her cape pocket that held the orb, "on how to find the justice I need to live, and soothe old wounds that I need to heal."

Jessie reached out and rubbed the fur on Abigail's head. She moved her paw between her eyes and picked out her earpiece. She brought it close to her eyes and clicked a button to turn it back on silent.

"I need to summon that knight," Jessie said, "and slay it to claim its power and become a Scion. Then I'll have more power to make a change for us as a family, and keep my promise."

Jessie placed the earpiece and revelation in Abigail's paws.

"How do you know what a Scion is?" she asked quietly. "Wait, how do you know I know what a Scion is?"

"I'm sorry for how I treated you before. I was angry and wrong. There's a reason I don't want to involve you. Yen. Let's go."

Her mom turned for the door. Yen kept eye contact with Abigail for a few seconds and followed her out. After they left, Furret Abigail put her earpiece back in place and turned it back on.

"There we go," Zen said. "You good, Abigail?"

"Yah..." she said. "How's it looking?"

"Nightlights are coming in now, just not from the front. We don't expect much action there, but cover it for us in case anyone tries to run. Hold civilians there, too. Calm them down with some of that charm. Keep them inside and happy, alright?"

"You got this, Lodestar," Aaron said.

"Thanks," she said. "On it."


Furret Abigail spent an hour blocking a waterfall of bodies and questions from leaving the building. Under the circumstances, they kept impressively calm with her around. No major arguments broke out, and Glameow's desserts sold out when she talked about how great they were. The whole situation feasted at her stamina, but the Nightlights worked fast at arresting, with little resistance. After an hour, the door opened up to cool, relieving outside air.

Zoroark Aaron set up a carriage ride, since he knew Abigail would be tired out of her mind. She dozed off multiple times.

During one of her naps, Aaron picked her up and carried her past a tidal wave of reporters and paparazzi at the base of the Nightlight tower. The cascade of voices dribbling in her ears woke her. When she did, half of her face was buried in black fur. The tip of her tail tickled the ground, and the floor as Aaron entered the lobby.

"Hey Aaron?" she asked.

"Yah?" he said quietly as the voices faded behind the glass double doors.

Something stopped her. She doubted it for a while, but her mom and her still had some sort of closeness buried under a new flaming pile of shit going down. She only meant for Abigail to know about her plans and knowledge about Scions.

"Sorry," she said. "I don't know."

He smirked. "It's okay. We scored a big success tonight. Gold mine of evidence under lock and key. You can rest easy."

"Level three." She closed her eyes.

"What happens if I hit one-hundred?"

"Then I might like you."

Aaron looked forward. "Aight. Bet."