Striker was indeed a military man, through and through. Retired, but unable to settle down, so he'd taken this job to keep him busy. "Striker" had apparently been his callsign in the military, so everyone referred to him by it.

His office was decorated with medals and badges, hanging up on the walls above various potted plants he had lingering around, alongside plenty of pictures of him with Pokémon and other people. There was a whole life to be seen here in this room. Atena was almost in awe at it, and couldn't help but wonder if Gray would ever have something like this. If she'd ever have something like this.

Alongside Striker's balding white hair, and his spruce mustache of equal color, he had the blackest eyebrows, like two slugs over his eyes, stuck in a perpetual frown, making the man look like he was a second away from kicking your ass, probably even when he smiled.

Once Gray had entered the office, followed by Ares and Atena (the others had been resigned to their pokéballs), Striker shut the door behind them, and took a seat behind his desk, straightening a name plaque sitting atop it, beside a small stand that held three pokéballs: presumably his team. The plaque read "Chief Bruce "Striker" Shepard."

"Please," Striker gestured to one of two chairs in front of his desk. "Take a seat."

Gray shared a look with Atena, before he cautiously got into the right chair. Atena sat in the left, which seemed to annoy the chief, but he didn't say anything. Ares, as per usual, remained standing off to the side, maintaining stoicism.

"I was told you were livin' in the wild these days," Striker began, staring at Grayson hard, almost as though his eyes were boring into the trainer's very soul. "You look pretty good for a mountain man. Well-groomed, washed-up. Even your gardevoir's got some clean clothing. How long you been avoidin' my men?" He had a strong southern drawl, with a deep and weathered voice to accompany it.

Atena had to admit, she was impressed. Striker had just picked them apart with relative ease, just by looking at them. Of course, it was obvious when you took a few moments to really think about it, but she hadn't been expecting the old man to draw the 100% accurate conclusion so quickly.

"Just been back for a day," Gray replied, his voice forcibly level. What in the world was the baggage between these two? "Was getting ready to challenge Clair."

Striker sniffed, before he leaned back in his chair, gaze drifting over his pokéballs, then back to the trainer. "Fourteen years, and you're finally getting your eighth badge," he said, almost chuckling. "You certainly take your time. What do you do between gyms?"

"I train," Grayson said.

"That all?"

"As far as I know."

"Hm." Striker didn't seem satisfied with that answer. "Been in contact with Lex Wilson lately?"

[They already have video evidence that we were. Just be honest.] Atena encouraged her trainer, establishing a link. However, Striker didn't seem oblivious to the pause from Gray, and the way his shoulders tensed, then relaxed. The chief's eyes shot toward Atena.

"No private communication. I'll ask nicely, just this once."

Atena gulped, feeling her throat run dry. This man was terrifying, to be blunt. Once again, he'd easily and rapidly deduced the truth of the matter, and addressed it. She gave him a slight nod, severing her connection to Grayson.

"It was months back," Gray stated. Atena could see he was beginning to sweat a little. "Hadn't seen him for years. We decided to visit a little bit, then went back to the Ice Path. Haven't heard from him since."

"He give you anything?"

"Nothing I accepted," Gray said.

Striker stared hard at him, as though trying to detect a lie, before he gave the slightest of nods. "His home was filled with illegal surveillance equipment, records of private communications between diplomats, military codes and hardware... he was a loon, convinced the world was against him."

"It looked like a mess to me, sir," Grayson replied.

"His paranoia led him to make some poor choices," Striker elaborated. "I'm gonna ask you one more time: you've had no further correspondence with him? You accepted nothing he gave you?"

"Not anything, I didn't buy into his conspiracies."

Striker gave a nod, finally seeming satisfied. "Well, at least you're still sharp. Better than your dad, at least."

Gray flinched at the mention of his father. "Can we go now?"

"Go," Striker replied. "But if I find out you're lying? There will be hell to pay."

Grayson stood up, Atena following suit, but as they made their way to the door, Striker's voice stopped them. "They shut down the Johto League, y'know."

Gray paused, hand on the door, before he turned around, brow scrunching up. "Wait, what?"

"Clair's gym is down," Striker elaborated. "Elite Four's next. Days of Pokémon Leagues are over, son. Go home. Get a job. Get married. Do something worthwhile, while you still can."

There was a long moment of silence, before Gray wordlessly turned back to the door, opened it, and led his Pokémon outside, saying nothing to the smoking old lady at reception, and making their way outside.

Once they were at a decent distance away from the station, Atena reconnected her mind to Gray's, making sure to include Ares so he was in the loop with them. [What do we do?]

His shoulders tensed, and relaxed.

[I don't know,] he replied. [Maybe he was bluffing.]

[What would he gain from that?] Atena asked.

Gray didn't have an answer. He seemed to be struggling to find a solution for their newest dilemma. Atena herself was struggling with it. She'd spent half of her entire life with Gray. Eleven years. Eleven years of pursuing his dreams and ambitions with and for him. Striker's words had cut deep. It had severed through the cord of everything they'd ever worked toward. It was almost impossible to accept that he was being honest, but the chief didn't strike Atena as the type to lie. He clearly didn't approve of Pokémon adventuring, or the League, but that couldn't have been the only reason he'd said what he'd said. Lex was right. Striker was part of the problem Lex had been warning them about.

[We should probably get out of here,] Atena advised. [Nothing good can come of us outstaying our welcome.]

[We're gonna go visit Clair,] Gray replied. [Then we'll decide what to do after.]

The gardevoir exchanged a worried look with Ares, but didn't argue. Hopefully they could find some kind of solution with Clair. If not... Lex's warnings echoed in her mind.

The gym was closed, unsurprisingly, but everyone knew that the Dragon Den was where Clair spent most of her time. Grayson led his two active Pokémon away from the building and to the mouth of the tunnel, before they entered, perusing through its corridors. Dozens of generations had thrived in this place, had built Blackthorn into what it was known for. How could anyone hold so much power over the League to just... shut them down?

Finding Clair proved to be easier than expected, as quite suddenly—there she was. The woman was beyond her younger years, her skin beginning to sag with age and wear, but despite that, she still held a notable beauty to her, one of strength, resolve, and maturity.

"Grayson Oak..."

"Holy shit-" Gray nearly jumped back. Clair had just sort of emerged from the shadows to confront them. She smirked at his response.

"I've been expecting you. What took you so long?"

"Expecting- I thought the gym was shut down?"

"It is," Clair waved a hand dismissively. "Rinsik has crossed the line, targeting me and my family. I've been waiting for you, so that we can strike back."

"Whoa, hold on," Grayson cleared his throat. "Strike back? What? I don't follow."

Clair stared at Grayson for a long moment, before she frowned. "Your father didn't speak with you, did he?"

"No...?"

"Ugh," Clair rolled her eyes. "He said he'd bring you up to speed. Whatever. Look, there's a guy we've been in contact with, I'm told you know him. Lex Wilson. He has some pretty valuable intel about Rinsik that we need."

Grayson didn't seem to be digesting this well as he stared back at Clair even longer than she'd stared at him. Atena herself was a bit surprised at this turn of events. Lex's conspiracies were quickly beginning to become impossible to ignore. Proof that they were far more than theories was mounting.

"I'm... sorry, I'm not part of whatever this is," Gray shook his head.

"Excuse me? You have Pokémon. You're part of this, whether you like it or not." Clair asserted. "Rinsik is coming for everyone, not just the League. My brother and your dad are out there right now, waiting for me to give the signal. We're gonna bust your buddy Lex out, go somewhere safe, and try to coordinate a resistance against Rinsik."

"That's... extreme..." Gray blinked.

"You think it's extreme to defend our way of life? The League is all I've ever known! Pokémon is all I've ever cared about! Then Rinsik comes along, and thinks they can strip every last ounce of my identity away? To stomp out my people's culture? Someone's gotta stop them. There's resistances on every region, and if we band together-"

"No!" Gray asserted. Atena's brow sharpened as she looked toward her trainer. "This isn't our fight, I'm not gonna... do whatever this is. I came here for a badge. I can see I'm not gonna get it. We're just gonna go."

Clair's anger seethed through her glare, but she said nothing as Grayson turned and started to walk out. Atena could feel the confliction in his heart. The confusion. He didn't know what to do, so he was trying to take the only route that let him stop and think. There was a lot going on, more than any of them had ever realized. They'd spent too long out in the wilderness. The world had changed without them.

Atena swallowed, unsure of what to do. She wanted to tell Gray to stop, to wait, to listen, but she also knew what he was struggling with. It had never happened like this before, but the frequent faces of people he knew, the mentions of his father, the excessive use of his name, and now the crushing of his childhood dreams. It was all a lot to deal with. He was stressed out. He needed time to think.

Atena herself was quick on the uptake of this "rebellion." Had she been alone, she would have signed right up for anything Clair was saying. All the evidence pointed to Rinsik truly doing everything Lex had been warning of. Atena was a believer. More than that, she had that map he'd given her. She hadn't told Gray about it, still, nor even Ares. She had a feeling that was what Striker had been looking for. She sincerely hoped she'd never have to meet him again.

It was strange, comparing yesterday morning to this morning. Yesterday, she was still pining in a one-sided infatuation after Gray. Yesterday, they'd been prepared and ready to finally challenge Clair and claim the last badge Johto had to offer. Now? Everything had changed. There was no comparison.

They were halfway back to the gondolas when the gardevoir finally had to say something. Gray was too wrapped up in his own thoughts.

His shoulders tensed...

[Gray.]

...Then relaxed.

[We need to talk about this.]

[There's nothing to talk about,] he thought back. [It's over. All of it.]

[So where are we going?]

[Wherever our feet carry us.]

[And when Rinsik tracks us down?]

There was a pause, as Grayson finally slowed to a stop, and glanced back at her. [You buying into it now, too?]

[I'd be a fool not to.] She replied.

[So I'm the fool.]

[No. You just don't want to accept what we've heard. Gray, we can't run forever. That's no way to live.]

[We've done just fine for a decade and a half, almost.]

[You were a licensed trainer. The system in place at the time was quite literally designed to help us along. Something tells me we're not gonna make money from winning battles, anymore.]

Gray brought his hands up and rubbed at his face. She could feel the tension inside. [Atena...]

[No. Listen,] the gardevoir interrupted. [I know you're conflicted. This is a lot to take in, it's so sudden, and with what happened between us... you're right to be stressed as all hell. But I don't think we can afford the time or energy to think this through. We need to make a decision. I don't want Rinsik, or whoever, to take us away from you. I don't want to lose everything we've ever earned together. I can't lose you. If we stay and fight, we'll be supported by others like us. If we run... we're on our own, and then it's only a matter of time.]

Gray was staring back at her now. It was a long moment, held in each other's gaze, in which she took the opportunity to slowly close the distance. His eyes were a bit wide, the stress he was exerted immense. She could feel that there were so many things he wanted to do, but so many things he knew he needed to do. Atena reached forward and grabbed one of his hands, their eyes still not breaking as she placed his palm on her empathy horn, and she closed her eyes, feeling through her trainer on a deeper level.

They stood like this for several seconds, before Atena pulled his hand away, opening her eyes to stare back at him. She'd peered into a deeper part of him. Something hidden. Something he'd called forth to show her, willingly or otherwise. She'd seen it, the reason he never spoke to or of his father. The reason he kept extending their journey way beyond the rate it should have gone. The truth behind his heart.

A truth she refused to share.

[Gray...]

He shook his head. [Let's just go, Atena. You, me, the others, and we go somewhere where they'll never find us, like—like Arbos. Away from everyone, and everything.]

She tilted her head slightly to the side, gazing upon him with a look of sympathy, and even pity. For them, they weren't on the street in the middle of the city. They were both trying to convince the other of something else, through words, and through their eyes. They were virtually isolated in their minds.

The gardevoir lifted a hand, placing it against his cheek, much like she had the previous night, but this time with a much different reason. He pressed his face slightly against her hand, closing his eyes. [Gray...] she repeated, [You can't run from this forever. Not from the past. Not from the present. You aren't alone anymore, you know that. You have me. You have us. Stop trying to run and hide because of what happened. Please.]

His own hand came up to clasp the back of hers, and he took a deep breath. Her touch, combined with her words, seemed to be calming him down. Finally, he pulled her hand away, though held on with his own. [I don't know if I can.]

[No matter what, you'll have your family.] Atena reassured.

Gray gulped, and squeezed her hand in his. [You always win, you know that?]

She smiled, grabbing his other hand with her free one, stepping closer. [It's become my defining trait,] she joked, before she released his hands, wrapping her arms around his middle and pulling him into a hug, tilting her body to keep her horn from getting in the way. [Thank you, for listening.]

[I only do because it's you,] Gray admitted, his arms embracing her in return. She could feel his beating heart against her shoulder, and breathed in his scent.

[Then let's return to Clair. Let's try to help,] Atena pulled back, looking up at her trainer's face. [Let's make a difference.]

He seemed about to agree, but their moment was cut short when a sudden rumbling woke them from their almost entranced state, remembering there was a world around them (Ares having been forced to watch from the sidewalk).

A second later, an ear-splitting explosion seemed to shatter the air. Atena cowered, covering her sensors in pain, sensitive to the vibrations. What the hell had happened? A ringing pierced her skull as she opened her eyes, glancing about, noticing a dark plume of black smoke rising from a few blocks away. For a moment, something dark blotted out the sun. A winged creature flew in front of it, zipping down toward the source of the smoke. It appeared to be a Charizard, if Atena had to guess.

[What's happening?]

Gray grimaced beside her, motioning for Ares to go with them, and he pulled the gardevoir with him as he took off down the street. [My guess? That was Clair's signal. Plus... that was my dad's charizard.]

[How can we help them?]

[I don't think we can,] Gray thought. [We don't know what their full plan is, we might get in the way. We should get to safety, then find them when the excitement dies down!]

The gardevoir agreed with him on this one. Without being in on the plan, they'd be dead weight, almost. In the way. If they were available outside of the action, it was possible they could provide help when necessary after, like if Lex needed to be swapped off to lead away the authorities, or if somebody needed aid. It didn't take long for Atena to deduce that the smoke was coming from the station. Striker was no doubt in the thick of defending his prisoner.

[How tough is Striker and his Pokémon?] She asked Gray as they ran. A lot of people on the streets gave them no attention, instead filming the smoke rising into the air, and the rare blasts of Pokémon attacks sailing through the air.

[I wouldn't wanna fight him on our best day,] was Gray's response. Yeouch. He sounded like a nightmare to fight.

So the team raced their way to the gondolas, which fortunately remained active, and boarded a car heading upward. As it climbed, they gradually got a better look at the action. Dots that resembled Pokémon and humans were on the streets, battling ferociously. The large building that was the police station was up in flames, some of it crumbling apart.

Atena had never seen fighting like this before. She was so accustomed to whooping wild Pokémon and engaging in curated, regulated matches. A no-bars all-out brawl was an intimidating thought, and it grew more intimidating the longer she watched, a four-armed machamp was pummeling his fists rapidly into a metagross, which was forming a crater beneath it with each hit, resisting, but being forced an inch deeper into the ground, before it lurched forward, sending the machamp spiraling and crashing through a nearby building. Atena winced at that. Maybe it probably was best they weren't involved in that right now. She wasn't sure how much abuse like that the team could take. They were all too used to a certain way of fighting. It'd be hard when the opponent was trying to kill you, rather than knock you out.

[GRAY!]

She'd barely noticed it in time, calling out telepathically to her trainer, but too late. A chunk of concrete, ripped from the street, had flown right near them, and as it smashed the cord bearing the cars, the cord snapped.

Immediately, gravity seemed to become null, the gardevoir gritting her teeth as she tried to keep her bearings, hearing her name called out by Gray. She reached out an arm, trying to telekinetically slow the car—before it hit.

And the conscious world faded.