White walls appeared in Moxy's vision when she opened her eyes. She was surrounded by expensive-looking medical equipment, white curtains, and hospital beds arranged in a parallel fashion. People in familiar red hoodies were marching behind the large, glass window at the end of the room.

Moxy sighed in relief. I'm at Chloe's, thank Arceus.

"You're awake!" a voice said quickly.

"Wah!" Moxy was startled by the big pair of red eyes that stared at her from the left side of the bed.

Ugh, Zee, Moxy deadpanned, but she was quick to change her mind when she remembered her last dream.

Just put your hand on her forehead, and that demon will… Moxy couldn't finish her thought.

"Are you okay?" Zee tilted her head. "I think you had a little too many Clauncher Tails yesterday. I knew they smelled funny!"

"Yesterday?" Moxy sat upright on the sleeping cot. The cold of the room seeped through her mini-dress, and she shuddered. "How long was I out for?"

"Been like," Zee swiveled her head towards Chloe's wall clock. "16 hours or something now."

"Shit." Moxy shook her aching head as if it had been caught in a Vice Grip recently.

"Chloe said you were dehydrated. Your levels were super low when we brought you in."

"Yeah," Moxy looked down guilty. "That's probably what it was…"

Unfortunately, her lie was uncovered when Zee's red eyes pierced into her suddenly. "C'mon Mox, I heard what you were saying. 'Kill him?'. I don't think an Incinaroar's Torment would cause a person to say something like that."

Let it go, Zee. You really don't want to be involved in this, Moxy begged silently, but the seriousness on Zee's face stayed stubborn in anticipation.

"I suffer from hallucinations whenever I drink."

"Really?" Zee raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I've ever heard about-"

"Can you just drop it?" Moxy huffed. "I don't want to talk about it. Please, Zee."

For a moment, Zee didn't budge. It was mysterious, the way Zee was constantly curious about Moxy's life as if it were some sappy soap opera. It also annoyed Moxy that Zee wouldn't stop prodding her for her secrets. Then it hit her.

"You never told me how you knew where to look for the missing pokemon." Moxy switched up the interrogation, and she was successful when Zee froze.

"H-hey! I'm the one asking the questions!"

"Wait," Moxy started, eyes wide. "You actually-"

"No way! I would never be part of a gang like that!" Zee defended herself. "I told you I hate when people hurt pokemon!"

"Then?"

Zee looked like her thoughts were eating her from the inside, for she palmed her face before mumbling.

"Okay… my ex-boyfriend used to go there a lot."

Moxy was taken by surprise before she tilted her head. "I assume you went with him a lot?"

"I was a newbie in Lilycove at the time, and I… didn't have anywhere else to go. This guy kinda came along and snatched me up. He… made my life a little easier, y'know?"

Moxy nodded. Aiden had helped her exactly like that when she was on the run.

"To get by, he would go to fight clubs and place bets. When he started making a lot doing that, I kinda followed suit. W-we needed money at the time to stay in his small apartment, and I was doing whatever I could to scrounge it up."

Zee clasped her hands and leaned forward in her seat "One time, we were watching two Linoones fight. It was bloody, and we'd placed our bets on the bigger of the two. Just when the bigger one is about to land the finishing blow, it hesitated. That hesitation killed it."

There was a moment of silence, and Zee brushed some hair out of her eyes.

"Found out it was a mama and son in that ring. Those fucking people… were starving them. Told 'em they would be without food unless there were one less mouth to feed. That day, I told my ex I wanted to bet no more. His response is why he's my ex."

"Zee, I…" Moxy was regretting making Zee fess up.

"You asked." Zee crossed her arms. "Anyways, what's in the past is the past. At least that little part of my life helped us find those pokemon, right?"

"…Yeah."

The two continued to sit in silence, the hums of the AC the only sound to muffle the somber mood.

"Hey." Moxy reached her hand on top of Zee's. "Thanks for yesterday. You helped me a ton. You… saved me."

"Oh!" Zee jubilated in surprise. "Hehe, it's not really that big of a deal…"

"It is. If you hadn't, I… they would have…"

Zee was silent, and Moxy thought she must have said something that brushed her the wrong way. But after a second, Zee just smiled, her canine poking out.

"Well, what are friends for?"

As amicable as Zee's statement was, Moxy couldn't help the gloom that had overtaken her gaze. "Thanks, but… I don't think I deserve that. I was pretty rude to you the whole day. I'm sorry."

"Maybe," Zee started, the gaudiness in her voice apparent, "You could apologize by telling me what's up with you."

Zee…

Before Moxy could say a word, the door to Chloe's office screeched open.

"How many times do I need to tell you to stop bothering my patients!" Chloe walked inside, her heels clopping as she stormed towards them.

"Sorry, doc." Zee stepped out of her seat as Chloe checked Moxy.

"Chloe." Moxy greeted, her voice unsympathetic. Without batting an eye, Chloe lifted Moxy's shirt. Her belly scars were revealed, healing but looking as grotesque as ever.

"At least the stitches are still intact," Chloe affirmed sharply before flashing a light in Moxy's eye.

"H-hey, stop that. I'm fine!" Moxy shoved the light out of her eye, and Chloe hesitated for a moment. That look went away in a heartbeat when Chloe's ego kicked in.

"Hmph. The nerve. You've done the exact opposite of what I recommended you to do!" Chloe ranted. "Your dehydration levels are off the charts, and you look like you haven't slept in ages! You won't get better if you don't treat yoursel-"

"You must care so much about me, huh?!" Moxy seethed through her lips. "That right? So much in fact, that YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THOSE POKEMON GOT ROBBED!"

Chloe stared at her again, those gray eyes of hers never before dropping her little flashlight into one of her oversized pockets.

"You simply wouldn't have helped me if I told you the truth."

"You lied to me!" Moxy balled the bedsheets in her fist. "You took advantage of my kind-heartedness. I almost died out there!"

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "You look quite alive to me. I doubt you'd do all this for the sake of purity."

"What?"

Chloe glanced over to Zee, who was watching the shouting match in shocking silence. "Can you give us the room, um… Zee, is it?"

"Yes, ma'am," she said with a small voice before turning to leave.

"It's Doctor!" Chloe called after her. As soon as the door closed, Chloe turned back to Moxy.

"I'd like to start with an apology." Chloe took a seat on the creaky stool beside Moxy's cot and crossed her arms. Moxy was fidgeting with rage, but she stayed silent to hear her out.

"I'm glad you helped me, dear. Finding good help is difficult these days. And after what happened to my last assistant, well…"

"W-what happened to your last assistant?" Moxy asked, but she felt like she already knew the answer to that.

"It doesn't matter." Chloe placed a hand on Moxy's shoulder. "Doctor Janson and Zee told me what you did. I'm grateful, and even more so, impressed."

"Impressed?"

"Yes." Chloe adjusted her red spectacles, "You singlehandedly defeated all those goons, took the leader down, and got… most of my pokemon back. What more could I have asked for?"

That isn't true. Moxy lowered her eyebrows. If Zee hadn't saved me, I would have been killed. I definitely screwed up this mission.

Chloe lowered her head just a bit. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You've solved a big problem for me and Team Magma. You will receive a commendation from the summo praefecti later. I am ever so grateful… and sorry."

"Huh? Oh, don't worry, I'll heal. It really wasn't that bad being a detective for a day, heh."

"No, Moxy." Chloe shook her head and slumped in her chair, which was awfully uncharacteristic of the doctor. "That isn't what I'm sorry about."

"W-what?" Moxy was confused.

Chloe stood from her seat and turned her back on Moxy.

"You will no longer report to Admin Quinn. You will be reporting to me, because…"

Moxy widened her eyes. No. She couldn't mean…

"You're assigned to the medical division for the foreseeable future."

Time had stopped. Anger swelled in Moxy like a cauldron of rage.

"WHAT! You can't-"

"Can't?" Chloe turned an eye on Moxy. All the graciousness there was gone, now replaced with an icy, squinted gaze. "On the contrary, I can. Perhaps Tabitha would love to hear how you were dead before miraculously returning to life. Maybe, I can even tell him how you tried to bribe-"

"Okay, stop!" Moxy put her hands out. "I get it. But why do you even need me in your division?"

"Because nobody wants to help me." Chloe looked away. "They'd rather go on fancy missions or do base duty than help me with my research. And finding someone competent? Hah! Don't get me started."

Chloe moved up close to Moxy's bed, her fingers clenching its side. Moxy couldn't tell what was more unsettling; Chloe's hair frayed at the seams, her cloudy gray pupils contracting, or the wrinkles in her slight smile. The expression was as mad as a Cofagrigus.

"The moment you came back to life, I knew you were someone special. I realized this as soon as you were brought back to me yesterday, unconscious and battle-scarred, yet successful. Best of all, you're top-notch. I won't let any other Admin take you."

Moxy wanted to scream at her, but all she could muster was a glare. It was as if Chloe had burdened her with the weight of the sky, and she couldn't move without getting crushed. After everything Aiden had told her about what Infiltrators do, she was not quiet about her enthusiasm to join. But now, Chloe was holding all the cards. If Moxy declined, there was no telling what Chloe would say.

If people found out she was cursed, she would be screwed. They would kick her out, or worse, do tests on her.

Moxy stared coldly at Chloe. "I can't believe you're blackmailing me. After all that shit I went through at that arena."

Chloe disregarded her before fishing around the inside of her red lab coat. She pulled out an envelope and an unprimed Great Ball.

"Don't be so upset, dear. This division is just like all the others, and you'll be paid the same."

Moxy took the envelope and ball from Chloe. Upon opening the envelope, she looked mildly surprised to find a wad of yellow dollar bills inside. She rifled through them, realizing Chloe had given her close to 500 pokedollars.

Wow, Moxy looked greedily at the money. This is more than Dahlia ever lent me.

Moxy then held up the great ball, confused. "Is this a new pokeball for Sylveon?"

Chloe shook her head, "Janson told me how interested you were in the Porygon at the lab, so…"

Moxy aimed the ball at the ground and out came a pink and blue pokemon. Its edges were rigid, and it was looking straight at the ground while making short, beeping noises. Moxy's excitement was momentary, for not a second after did the Porygon tilt its head and stay still in the air, motionless.

"I see it's still broken." Chloe made an awkward chuckle as if she was hesitant on letting out a full one in front of Moxy. "However, if you should be determined to take care of it, I can ask Lucy to help you fix its glitches."

"She can do that?" Moxy questioned.

"Yes, dear. She is an expert when it comes to computers, and Porygon's are hardly any different."

"And… she'll do it for free, right?"

"You have my word." Chloe gave her a small smile. "Now, get some rest. We have a lot of work to do."