"And here we are at our first stop of the day. Liberty Garden!"

"You sure you don't want to come with us?"

"Yeah," N waved off Robert with a pained smile. "I don't feel that great at the moment. I'll be fine, I'll have a friend with me, so you all can go on without me." Zorua yipped and leaped into his lap, curling up. N sat on a bench, a slight green tinge to his face. The three of us bid him farewell and left the ship.

"Let's find a quiet spot," I said, taking this opportunity. "I don't want to be overheard." We walked around the island, a soft wind rustling the grass. Moving away from the lighthouse where all the tourists were hanging out, we went to the edge of the island where there was no one but a few Patrats and the waves crashing upon the rocks.

All of our Pokemon were let out to enjoy the sunny day, Arcaneis starting to roughhouse with Ninetales while the others watched.

"So?" Alex asked once the three of us sat down.

I stared at the waves quietly, as if deciding where to begin. "Back... back when we went our separate ways after Alola, you remember me telling you both about how I met up with my brother, right?"

"Yes," Alex said while Robert said, "You have a brother?"

"You never did get around to telling him I think," Alex said. "Y'know, with all that business with Radiance and the Cult."

"Right," I sighed. "I have a brother named Silver. Half brother at any rate. Anyway, after meeting with Giovanni, he tasked me with essentially taking down the entirety of Team Rocket."

"And did you?" Robert asked eagerly.

I shrugged. "Silver and I managed to shut down the bases we knew about and one that we accidently fell into, literally. That wasn't the hard part though. It's what Giovanni sent after me." Folding my hands, I stared at the sea, seeing something else entirely. "The Executioners."

"They're high ranked assassins," I went on. "The very best. Few actually know stories about them and even fewer know that they actually exist. Then there are those like my father who can contact and hire them." I let my expression darken. "I wouldn't say they're ruthless killers, but they'll see a job done to its end, no matter what stands in their way. They work for the money, but I know they enjoy it." I tightened my right fist against my thigh. "I know they enjoy it."

"Back when I was Giovanni's assassin, I encountered them a couple times, both of the Executioners. A guy in a butler suit wielding a double bladed axe alongside his Gliscor. And a maid with nunchucks with her Weavile. Spicy and Sage were the names they went by, but I doubt that was their real names. But when Silver and I met them again, there was a third." I turned to look straight at Robert. "A girl with white hair and red eyes. When I met her, she wore a white kimono and wielded a katana. Her codename was Spirit."

Robert stiffened. "She was... one of them?" He looked thoroughly disturbed by that fact. "Why didn't she, y'know, kill me then?" Robert asked the obvious question, as if hoping that what I had told him was a lie.

I shrugged. "I don't know. But she obviously didn't want us meddling into this region's affairs, so she tried warning you off. Maybe she doesn't want to kill unnecessarily like the other two."

"What if she's not even the same person as the one you met?" Robert asked again.

"She is," I shook my head. "Because she tried warning me off back in Johto as well, a day before Silver and I encountered the three of them. Plus, her albino Sceptile, her name is Ghost.

Robert sucked in a breath. "The Pokemon she was searching for... But why would she use her Pokémon's name like that if she's a secret assassin?"

"Probably so we knew the full effect of her warning," I told him. "Because if we mess with them... Silver and I only just managed to escape them back in Johto," I said. "And from then on we had to evade them while we took down the Team Rocket hideouts. It was only when I met Giovanni for the last time was when he told me he had called them off. I won't lie, they could have killed us if we weren't so lucky." I faced both Robert and Alex now. "These are people even I can't take on. If we get too involved, we might be their next targets. Don't you see why I would prefer we take a step back and let Unova deal with its own problems now?"

Robert stayed quiet, but Alex said, "I'll ask you again, Zeno." She met my eyes. "Could you really stand by as innocent people and Pokemon were hurt by the actions that we could prevent?"

I looked away. "I could, if it were to protect you."

"Zeno," Alex sighed, her gaze stern now. "You know full well I will help those I can. And I know you would too. So don't pretend otherwise."

I sulked for a minute before rising. "I need to clear my head."

I walked off, feeling the eyes of my friends and all our Pokemon on my back. I made my way to the lighthouse, my annoyance towards Alex fading fast. She was right. She generally was. If I saw people in trouble, I would help them, damn the consequences. I went into the lighthouse, joining a small tour, though I didn't really care much about how old this place was nor of its rich history. When we reached the top, we were able to overlook the whole island and the surrounding ocean, the rising skyscrapers of Castelia City in the distance.

I looked to where I had talked to both Alex and Robert. They were still there, likely talking about me. I tried not to care, but I did. Sometimes I just wished they'd understand the danger we'd be in. I sighed as I leaned against the railing, the salty wind blowing my hair back. "I wonder, do I regret coming to Unova now?"

Something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. A figure was walking into a grove of trees growing on the back of the island. Even at this distance, his clothes and green hair were unmistakable.

"What are you doing, N?" I wondered silently, moving around the metal walkway and squeezing past two tourists to lean over the railing to get a better look. He seemed to check his surroundings before heading into the trees where I lost sight of him for a second. Then I saw him again, standing in front of two others. They wore strange clothing, some sort of uniform. Getting a bad feeling, I hurried down the lighthouse and back outside. I jogged around the lighthouse, before slowing. N was walking back to the ship, but the other two I had seen were nowhere in sight. I ran to the grove of trees, but no one was there. I walked through the dappled shade provided and came to the edge of the island, the sound of the waves roaring now. Looking below, I could see a small stone leading down to the ocean, where a rickety dock was situated. A small private boat was just leaving, heading in Castelia City's direction.

I leaned against a tree. No matter how you sliced it, whatever N was doing or meeting, it was shady.

My thoughts were interrupted as a shadow swept over me. I turned suddenly to see Arcaneis barrel into me, knocking me off my feet. He stood over me, giving me a good long lick across the chest and face.

"Hey, woah there! What's with this!?"

He cocked his head and whined, nuzzling my chest. I raised my hand and scratched his cheek. "Were you worried about me, buddy?"

He whined and backed up so I could stand. He sat on his rump, staring at me with the sun reflecting off his fiery mane. His gaze seemed to resonate within me, as if he were trying to tell me something.

I took a step forward. "You want to continue fighting, don't you." I gripped my fist, but relaxed it after a moment. "It's all we've ever done, you know that? Since our very first encounter, we've been battling. Is that really all we'll ever do in life?"

Arcaneis bowed his head, inviting me to hug his head, which I did. I closed my eyes, basking in the warmth he radiated. "I want to keep you, Alex, everyone safe. Doesn't going headlong into the face of death make that pointless?" I let my hands fall to my side. "I made a promise, never to let harm befall you. I have every intention of protecting my friends till my last. But... I made a vow. That people's hopes could be placed in me." I met his gaze, resigning myself to my fate. "So, if the need ever arrives, I will fight to help those who need me. Will you continue to aid me in that fight, my old friend?" I held out my fist to him and he responded by touching his nose to it. "Thanks... Because this is going to be a fight for all our lives if we end up angering the wrong sort of people. Though," I laughed aloud. "I guess that's familiar territory for us by now."

"C'mon, Arcaneis," I patted his side. "Let's get going. I'm sure Alex will be happy with my decision, though I can't fathom why." I chuckled as we walked side-by-side back to the ship. "You would think it's the best thing in the world to be hunted by assassins..."