A/N: Happy Friday everyone! Welcome to chapter 13, published slightly later than scheduled! This is because I got distracted and wrote/published a short story that has nothing to do with this story lol. Go check it out, I'm pretty proud of it. To make up for that delay, the next chapter will definitely be up in 2 weeks. Then we're back to the original schedule. All that boring stuff aside, we're getting back to our main trio of Juliana's friends this time! What are they up to? Read on to find out! Also please leave favorites and reviews if you're feeling up to it. No pressure.

"Couldn't you've chosen a better location?"

Iono's sentiment echoed around the cramped room. Nobody liked being packed in like remoraids, least of all people with power. Despite this, the League had seen fit to gather them all in one small underground room. Technically, there were a few exceptions. Only the gym leaders had been officially summoned to the Paldea League's underground meeting room today. Nemona, Director Clavell, the representatives from the international police and some kids Nemona only recognized as Team Star's new high-ranking members were attending as witnesses.

"Why did Larry and Tulip get to skip?" Iono continued when nobody addressed her, slapping her oversized sleeves on the table in disgust.

The Levincia City gym leader had been on her worst behavior since arriving, and the room was beginning to follow her lead after being exposed to her for so long. "They're not allowed to skip. We've been waiting on them for nearly an hour." Agent Faller, as he'd introduced himself, was the only thing standing between most people and the door at this point.

"Where's the rule that says we get to go home if the leader doesn't show up in 15 minutes?"

"You should consider yourself lucky that they didn't strip your title already." Cortondo's pride and joy Katy sat with her head resting in her hands on the table, clearly bored.

"Hey, freedom of the press! I can stream anything I want! Buzz off, bug lady!"

Iono's voice sounded a lot more grating in person than it did on her streams. Of all things, that had taken Nemona the most off guard during her gym challenge. Gym leaders were relatively easy to overpower when they weren't allowed to go all out. Right now, they looked to Nemona like a bunch of spoiled children. She hadn't actually seen this many of them in one place before. Had their conditions for meeting not been so dire, she would have tried to start a battle royale by now. Instead, she was here as a witness. Tribunals couldn't be held in complete secrecy. Director Clavell, standing on the edge of the room next to Nemona, placed a hand on her shoulder. "Things will work out," He reassured her calmly, without any elaboration that Nemona desperately craved.

Nothing seemed to be working out from Nemona's perspective. Following Arven's advice and taking a more assertive role in governing the student body had gotten her here, sure, but what was she supposed to do now? Trust in an organization that wasted time on witch hunts didn't feel valuable. She wasn't magically understanding the dire situation her region was in better just because she was here rather than out in the field. It was a vexing problem that Nemona couldn't catch herself thinking too deeply about, lest she give herself a headache. "What makes you so confident?" Nemona asked, unable to see a peaceful solution while the people she looked up to proceeded to be at each other's throats for no reason.

"This isn't the first time," Clavell admitted. "You'd be surprised how often we have to call votes like this. We had one last month over Iono refusing to stop streaming Juliana's message."

Nemona was startled. She hadn't heard of any challenges to Geeta's authority before this whole tera phenomenon thing. Were there this many cracks running under the foundation of her region? Things seemed to work okay when she was out there doing what she'd been instructed to do. The champion trainer shook herself. There was too much going on in the current moment to be concerned about this. A whirlwind of information had been assaulting her ever since running into Arven. More people were looking to her in this crisis than ever now that she'd identified herself as someone willing to stand up to the unnatural levels of aggressive pokémon plaguing their region. It turned out that managing the student body with overwhelming spirit and energy meant that they expected you to actually do something about the crumbling region when things went wrong. She had a good support system, but real change was based mostly around the tera shard treasure hunt that was still being run primarily by Team Star. The best she could do was support them, and she couldn't do that from in here. Nemona sighed. Fighting trainers was much easier than fighting nature.

"We should be out doing our jobs instead of wasting time in here. Larry and Tulip have the right of it," Glaseado's Grusha protested, jerking a mittened thumb toward the door. "I'm going back."

"Hey, chill. We need all of you here. This isn't just a matter for the Paldea League anymore," Faller reminded the gym leaders, kicking off from his spot near the front door to stand by Geeta's spot at the head of the table. "If you want motivation, then understand that the entire League could be held responsible for Geeta's actions if they refuse to cooperate and carry out justice the way it's supposed to be done."

Nobody at the table had a good answer to that. After an uncomfortable silence that lasted at least a minute, Faller clapped his hands together. "Now, with that being said, I'm a busy man too. Clavell! When can we get this over with?!"

Director Clavell cleared his throat. "It would be inappropriate to start without the current top champion present. She has the right to listen to her own proceedings."

"That's a right she gives up when she ignores the summons entirely," Ms. Tyme pointed out from Nemona's other side. Being Team Star's de facto leader had its perks, namely being able to contribute to discussions like this. "Let's face it: She's not coming, and she's keeping her two closest cronies with her. We might as well get this over with before they get too much of a lead on us."

"Are you trying to suggest she would flee?" Grusha accused lightly. "Sounds like something you'd say."

"Watch your tone, ice boy," Montenevara's Ms. Rhyme warned her fellow gym leader in defense of her sister. "I'll diss you so hard your family will disown you."

"Calm down," Clavell interrupted with a raised hand before the bickering could worsen. "We'll compromise. Geeta is well aware of the charges against her. We can start by summarizing those."

The crowded room murmured amongst itself. Nemona found this to be terribly droll. The region was dying and everyone here was wasting time chasing a boogeyman instead of helping people in need. Of course Geeta was innocent. She was mysterious, not a murderer. "I believe I'll take that as my cue," Colress piped up, shoving others out of the way as he made room to set his laptop down on the table. "As some of you know, this contains a copy of the AI recovered from champion Juliana following the events of a month or so ago. Through probing the server connected to its "brain", we've obtained information that implicates Top Champion Geeta in the death of Professor Turo about 12 years ago. Truly a shame. But you don't want to hear it from me. Let me formally introduce you to Professor Turo himself."

Colress bowed dramatically as he activated the computer. After a few annoying clicks and whirs, a face appeared on the screen. For Nemona, it was an uncanny replication of the mechanical marvel she and the others had encountered in Area Zero two years ago. Supposedly this was what had been keeping Penny cooped up in the League's dank basement since Juliana disappeared. It would have been nice to see her, but Colress had insisted in no uncertain terms that Penny was not to be disturbed today. It bothered Nemona, but not enough to pursue the matter. Penny had chosen Juliana over her already anyways. "Is this a joke?" Iono asked. "Like, is it a Vtuber thing?"

"I am real, Gym Leader Iono," Turo responded without input from Colress. "Though I've no way to prove it but on the word of Colress and those who have met me already. What is it you want?"

Colress wagged a finger and tsked in both Iono and the AI's direction. "Don't be testy. We've gathered everyone here for an official tribunal. The accused is this region's Top Champion, for, among other things, playing a part in your demise."

"I am not dead."

"I refer to your creator."

"Professor Turo did not expire while I was active."

"But that memory is backed up in your core by one of your former shells and stored in Area Zero's servers is it not?"

"That is possible."

"Then access it."

"I would need permission."

"From who?"

"Professor Turo."

This continued on for several minutes, Colress reassuring the group that this charade was absolutely necessary at multiple intervals. "Are they supposed to be a comedy act?" Nemona whispered to Clavell, only to raise an eyebrow when she caught a glimpse of the man's face.

"That can't be him… it's like seeing a walking ghost." That was a bit of an overstatement. Ghosts walked around all the time. It wasn't unusual to see a wandering spirit here or there, but Nemona understood what the director was getting at.

This AI was apparently copying the mannerisms of the departed professor perfectly. For a moment, Nemona could understand what the scientist was doing. This complicated series of questions and answers was beyond what someone would reasonably prepare. It was a laundry list of evidence that this AI had, at least, been originally created by the professor himself. This act was lost on the younger generation. "Just hack him already!" Iono protested.

Colress gave her a look that implied just how brilliant the streamer was. Around this time, the AI seemed to be satisfied. "Fine. If you truly believe this is necessary, I can recount the events of 12 years ago, or rather what remains in my memory. My creator was taking care of two pokémon that had successfully been retrieved from the future. They were future versions of the current era's cyclizar. He called them miraidon. At the time, we were unable to bring any more pokémon from the future. Funding was sufficient, but staff retention was not. There was only so much two pairs of hands could do. He began preparing the supplementary shells that I was meant to inhabit, but none were ever completed. So when it came time to move around the research lab bases, security from the League was often recruited. But that is not a job anyone under champion rank could handle, even before things got to the point they have." The AI paused, turning its generated head to ensure that it had the room's attention.

"And on this particular day, the two miraidon decided to spar. The Top Champion was present for this event, visiting to check on progress. An elite four member and a gym leader were present as well."

"Name them," Ms. Tyme ordered.

"I cannot. That memory no longer exists within me," the AI admitted. "One was a man, the other was a woman. That is all I can tell you."

"What is this, a gameshow?" Grusha complained, indicating the AI. "Are we supposed to start pointing fingers at each other?"

"Continue," Colress urged the AI over the growing protests.

"According to the official report I was provided, my creator died protecting the weaker miraidon from the stronger one. This was not the case. While he was indeed injured in this skirmish, his wounds were not fatal provided some treatment was administered. The final blow was delivered by Geeta herself."

"And how do you know that?" Iono asked, folding her arms. "Where's the video footage?"

"Cameras were not running or were disabled. I am basing these conclusions on a transcription of events automatically stored in the memory of every version of me. During the fight, I was badly damaged. It is likely that all present believed me destroyed. Indeed, I only survived because I transferred my data to the network in the Zero lab and isolated myself there. What Juliana found was an incomplete version of me that only obtained this information due to an activation event triggered remotely by Colress in the Zero Lab. In any case, Geeta came up to the injured professor, and when he asked for help, she told him to help himself and abandoned him to die. The gym leader and the elite four member left with him."

Faller snapped his fingers for silence. Nemona was still trying to keep up with what the AI was saying, but the others seemed to have made up their minds and were focusing on Faller. "That's enough. Let me be clear. I don't trust this testimony. It's full of holes and wouldn't hold up in the seediest court in the Orre region. But the circumstances force my hand in this situation. It's the only lead that our primary investigator was able to retrieve from the person who stole it. In all likelihood, the main reason that we were asked to recover the AI in the first place was the information that it could potentially have implicated Geeta. She played these games while the region was falling apart in a desperate bid to maintain her power over this dying region. For that reason, we have decided to put it to your checks and balances whether or not you will cooperate with our investigation."

A chorus of questions were raised at once. Why had it taken this long to tell them about this? How could they accuse Geeta without more proof? What right did the international police have to interfere in their matters? Faller raised his hand and eventually got silence. "Let me be clear. We will investigate this regardless of your vote. This is simply a determination of whether you intend to surrender Geeta to our custody or not while the investigation is conducted. Normally we wouldn't go through the process of asking, but circumstances are understandably dire at the moment. We won't stir direct unrest in the delicate region without your consent, and our priority is preserving human lives. This will only happen right now if you choose for it to happen, but it will happen once the region is safe regardless. Her failure to attend these summons speaks to exactly why this vote needed to be called in the first place." The empty seat at the head of the table drew several pairs of eyes.

"You're the ones who are making everything complicated," Grusha muttered. "My whole area should have been evacuated by now, but you've been throttling travel."

"Air travel is unsafe," Faller responded immediately. "Only the strongest carriers can safely move across the region. I will concede that we were not aggressive enough in dealing with this problem, but we're doing all we can now."

A sore point had been touched for most of the room. Some of the more remote cities that were closer to quarantine zones had been forced to relocate or flee their homes entirely to get away from the encroaching destruction. The League had provided accommodations, but the police were tightly controlling who entered and left the region. Discontent brewed in the crowd. "This feels like you're rushing things just a bit," Casscaraffa's Kofu spoke up. "Shouldn't we hear all sides before we take a vote like this?"

"Geeta forfeited that right by refusing to show up," Ms. Tyme informed the gym leader. "That's right, isn't it Clavell?"

"According to our rules, yes. But to be frank, I wasn't even alive when these guidelines were-"

"If it hasn't been changed in that long, it must have some sort of merit to it," Ms. Tyme interrupted. "Faller, lay out the options."

Faller gave Ms. Tyme a look before shrugging. "Whatever. The gym leaders will vote publicly. We have a few outsiders here to witness the decision. They must state their intent behind their vote. If they vote to unseat Geeta, then the oldest living gym leader, past or present, will temporarily take over the role until the investigation is resolved and the process for selecting a new top champion can begin if needed. If you vote to keep Geeta in her current role, she will be ordered to remain in the region but allowed to operate as normal until the investigation is concluded. Any questions?"

"I got one," Nemona raised her hand high.

"I'm not going to battle you," Faller responded with narrowed eyes.

Nemona scoffed. "Har har. But seriously, is there a point to this? The region is literally about to collapse, and you're interested in seeing who gets to sit in that seat right now?"

"The person who sits in that seat is responsible for ensuring that our region survives this crisis," Artazon's Brassius spoke up. "You wouldn't understand, but things don't get done in the real world without solid leadership that we can put our faith in."

"I couldn't agree more."

The room whipped around at the voice of a newcomer. Geeta strolled into the meeting room, past several stares of disbelief and over to her seat. The crowded room suddenly parted, giving their leader a clear path to her destination. Larry and Tulip were flanking Geeta, but what really drew everyone's attention was the miraidon that was following the three of them obediently, squeezing through the already packed room to make sure that things were thoroughly cramped. Tulip was visibly bored, but Larry looked like he'd just been through a war. Nemona caught Geeta's eye as she crossed the room and received a knowing smile. Unsure of how to feel, Nemona found herself staring in confusion until Geeta took her seat. "Now, if I may, I'd like to say my piece before you call this vote."

"Where have you been?" Faller questioned testily. "All of you. I'm playing your games because you said you'd stick to the rules, Geeta."

"And here I am. It's like you said. Sitting in this chair means being responsible for the region. If I spend too much time here, there's nothing up there left. Surely you all understand that." There was silence in the room. Nemona resisted openly agreeing with the Top Champion. She believed in Geeta, but she doubted her opinion mattered right now. "Right. Now, regarding the accusation. I freely admit that I was there when Turo perished. I did everything I could to save him. Before he died, he requested that I hide my presence there. His wound was fatal and there were no medical supplies on hand. Turo didn't want the region's prospects to dim because of the negative attention that would be garnered if it was known that I failed to save him. So I covered up the event at his request. The region remained strong as Turo stayed in Area Zero. When the truth came out, the money that had been put away was transferred to his next of kin." She spoke quietly, but Nemona could hear frustration in Geeta's voice. This was a bad memory for her.

The perks of such a deal were patently obvious. Nemona knew that Arven had received something for his father's passing, but the idea that it tied him so closely to the League was absurd. If that was the case, why were they following him around? A terrible thought occurred to Nemona. What if they already found him and had simply commandeered his ride? A look at miraidon revealed no signs of distress. Thinking about Arven was giving Nemona a headache, so she refocused on Geeta. "And thus, here we are. I have no ill intent for this region or delusions of power for myself. I intend only to do the best I can with what I have available to me, as I expect from all of you."

Faller waited to make sure that Geeta was done before speaking up again. "There's nothing you can do to stop the investigation. This is merely a formality for-"

"In the past month, I've had Larry here investigate the shrines where the treasures of ruin come from," Geeta interrupted, clearly having waited for the opportunity to do so. "He's discovered that there's an extensive tunnel system, insulated by teraite, that runs underneath the region. Most of the underground teraite that threatens the mainland is probably coming from there. If we found a way in, it would give us access to Area Zero."

"We're going to get into Area Zero. I fail to see how that's relevant."

"My point, Agent Faller, is that my man had answers on my desk within a month of my request. What progress have you made besides learning how to speak to a mechanical puppet so far? We're no closer to directly infiltrating Area Zero. I have no concerns about your investigation."

"Wait wait, if there's a way in, why aren't we storming Area Zero to take out the source?!" Nemona cried out, her voice echoed by a few audience members.

"Why indeed? Perhaps our good professor could enlighten us. Dr. Turo was so proud of this discovery after all."

That bombshell took about as long as it took the AI to think of a response for Nemona to react to. Was the AI lying to them? "This is news to me," Colress admitted, his expressionless eyes wandering across the room. "We were told that the only way into Area Zero was the traditional methods. An underground passage should be impossible."

"I am in agreement with the scientist," AI Turo spoke up. "It is not possible."

"Yet that's what your creator's notes suggest. Someone went as far as to attack Larry to hide this information."

Larry emotionlessly held up his arm, where the remnants of a poison attack were still present under a torn jacket sleeve. He'd been treated, but Nemona would have taken at least a week off of school if she had a wound like that. Larry was way tougher than she gave him credit for. "This has no bearing on the current vote. We can deal with it afterwards," Ms. Tyme announced.

There were disgruntled murmurings, but not even Geeta raised a clear objection to this idea. She'd said her piece. Faller sighed, his confidence gone and replaced with exasperation. He'd meant for this to be a quick meeting. "Alright, vote time. No need for-"

"But one more thing. Who were the two people with you?" Ms. Tyme asked, unwilling to let the point go.

Ms. Tyme and Geeta locked eyes. Nemona could see sparks flying between the two in a way that she never had before. Ms. Tyme had always spoken fondly of her days as a gym leader. To see such animosity suddenly breeding between them was an oddity. "There was nobody with me. Anyone else that was identified is a result of an error on the AI's part."

"He did say that their information was removed, did he not? That would imply that his memories could have been tampered with, unlike a real person's memories." Ms. Tyme pressed.

"But people lie," Brassius emphasized. "Let's not forget how this phenomenon has been handled. You tried to suppress the warnings for so long that most people lost their opportunity to evacuate."

"Lives have been saved thanks to the quarantine zones. We've embraced Juliana's treasure hunt despite her actions and Ruka has been heading up a successful effort to create tera shard stations in the desired locations per her instructions. Yes, there is hardship, but I will ensure this region survives with its people safe in their homes when possible." Geeta's confidence was refreshing to Nemona, who had only heard bad news for over a week now.

Only one plane left Paldea per day, and purely for relief purposes. It took a very large amount of fuel to get people out of the region, and only one plane was both large enough and strong enough to ferry people to a nearby region. Ships were all but off the table while the waters were soaked in terastilized mines ready to tear apart any ship that waded too far into port. "We're living in a death trap now and you haven't shown us the way out! That goes for all of you! My viewers have been donating less and less while asking me to spill secrets I don't have! Do you know how frustrating that is?!"

As Iono continued to complain about the most useless problems Nemona could think of, she focused on the AI. It hadn't said anything since Geeta arrived, turning to look at her and regard her carefully, as if memorizing every word she was saying. It was unnerving. "Save it for your vote," Faller interrupted lazily. "We all seem to be on the same page here. Any objections to moving on? No? Good." Faller sped up as he talked to avoid having to actually entertain an objection.

With things moving forward, the mood in the room suddenly became more solemn. Everyone knew the stakes and what was riding on this moment, except perhaps for Geeta and Nemona. The former remained unfazed by the tension in the room and stroked miraidon's head absentmindedly while she waited for the vote to begin. "May I begin? I have another meeting soon," Larry requested, stepping forward.

"Sure, why not?" Faller waved to the businessman.

"I vote to keep Top Champion Geeta in her current position. The organization doesn't have the flexibility to support an interim leader at the moment." Larry sat down as he finished speaking to save energy.

"Fascinating. Might as well get them both out of the way. Tulip, your turn."

"I vote to keep her. Geeta is a personal friend of mine, and I have full confidence in her innocence. That's sufficient, is it not?"

"We'll see. How about Iono, since she looks like she wants to punch me?"

"Get Geeta out! She cancelled my streams and is threatening to steal power from my city! What sort of dirty government does that? Her election was rigged!" Iono's rage could be felt all the way above ground.

"Yes, you're very hip to the times and everyone thinks you're… based." Nemona could feel her insides turning as the man spoke. "Right then. Grusha?"

"My gym is a quarantine zone. I don't see how anything Geeta has done has been good for me or my town," Grusha responded brusquely. "If someone else can do better, I'd like to give it a shot." Nemona wasn't expecting that, but she barely understood Grusha to begin with. The gym leader was in a tight race with Larry to be the most reclusive gym leader.

"That's a vote to unseat her?" Grusha nodded. "Alright. Uhhh, Ryme, you go."

"Dump her," Ryme responded quietly with a thumbs down. The ordinarily verbose rapper had been startlingly quiet for almost the entire meeting. Nemona was getting a bad vibe from her.

"Okay, how about… Katy?"

"Larry is right. Creating more chaos now would just upset our current efforts. Keep Geeta."

The voting process was becoming clear. Brassius cast his vote against Geeta, and Kofu cast his vote to keep her. "We're tied. That means the status quo is preserved," Faller announced, sighing. "What's the point of you people having these procedures if you can't make up your mind?"

"Wait, can't the elite four break the tie or something? This isn't fair!" Iono protested.

"Are you asking a five-year-old and Geeta's closest advisors to vote on whether to keep Geeta in office?" Faller asked for clarification. "We're investigating how you all let that happen too, by the way. Your region has to have something better than a child to represent it."

Geeta didn't respond to the accusation, instead rising from her seat. "If nobody has any further objections, then we have far more important things to do than waste time here. Colress, how long until the police's digging is done?"

"Oh, not long. Perhaps another day or three," Colress waved off, more interested in his computer than the meeting. "But the shell only gets stronger. Anyone who tries to get in without heavy protective gear will find themselves a crystal within moments."

That didn't bode well for Juliana's condition. Nemona gripped her arm, feeling the atmosphere get colder. Did any of these people really understand what was going on in the region? Getting into Area Zero was well and good, but if all they were trying to do was bring Juliana in, it felt like a fool's errand. After all, the only person who really needed to be in Area Zero was someone who could stop Juliana from doing something so stupid that Nemona wouldn't put it into words. "Allow me to say one more thing," AI Turo suddenly spoke up as the meeting was just starting to break up. "While I cannot speak clearly as to the true nature of my master's demise, he felt that Geeta herself was responsible."

"Oh, it's a medium now. Fascinating," Tulip scoffed, leaning in close. "I can't read your mind, but a lying AI sounds the same as a lying person." She flicked the screen.

As Colress told the gym leader off, Turo continued. "As you spoke, I searched my files for information on what Top Champion Geeta has presented. Though I do not have any clear results yet, I did find a log dated one hour before the professor's termination. It makes it clear that he suspects Geeta has designs on his life due to his research threatening to upend the region through overusing the tera phenomenon."

"So you're saying Turo knew that what he was doing would be bad for the environment and proceeded anyways." Director Clavell summarized.

"Sounds like justice was served, incidentally," Larry added in a rare moment of willing participation.

"Sounds like we know who was there when Turo died," Grusha countered almost as quietly.

"Whatever your thoughts, I believe it is relevant to know that Turo and Geeta were not on good terms at the time of the incident," Turo clarified.

"So all of this information is accessible, you just can't read all of it?" Geeta asked.

"That is correct." As the AI spoke, Nemona thought she heard a beeping noise coming from Geeta's direction.

This response was like a flipped switch. The debate over this new information didn't get a chance to begin. Miraidon surged forward, taking the laptop with the AI's USB in its mouth as it jumped past the startled crowd. Nobody was able to react before the pokémon had disappeared. "After it!" Geeta ordered, leaping out of her seat to follow the fleeing pokémon as it bowled over multiple people. "Lock down the building and sound the alarms!"

"We're still in the middle of a meeting!" Ms. Tyme tried to protest before she was drowned out by the alarms being triggered by Colress.

"That's my research!" The scientist cried, charging out of the room right behind Geeta.

Most of the gym leaders, even those that voted against Geeta, leapt out of their seats and ran off after the fleeing legendary pokémon. Nemona knew they wouldn't catch it easily, but she still found herself wanting to leave her spot and head for the door. That miraidon belonged to Arven, and she'd definitely heard some sort of beeping noise before the pokémon had struck. Her gut was telling her that Arven was finally making a move, and she needed to be involved.

Agent Faller was disappearing through the door, shouting orders into a walkie talkie, when Director Clavell appeared at Nemona's side. He was one of the few people remaining in the room, working with Ms. Tyme to make sure the students present were alright. "Do you believe Geeta is innocent?" he asked gently, his voice only heard because of their proximity to each other.

"Yes," Nemona replied, though she caught herself hesitating first.

"Then find that pokémon and have faith. You'll get your chance, but it isn't now," He warned her. "I'll take care of the students. Go!"

Nemona nodded her thanks to Clavell and took off. Without any leadership pressure, she could focus on her task. She'd been chasing after this miraidon far longer than any of the others. But there were plenty of talented trainers handling that task. Rather than following the sound of shouting, Nemona concentrated on the ozone hanging in the air. Miraidon knew that it couldn't take the elevator back up. It was leading the others on a false chase while its master did whatever he came here to do. Right now, that person had to be Arven. She refused to believe that Geeta would do something so brash. There was no alternative. With no time to lose, Nemona started sprinting as far away from miraidon's trail, hoping she could find Arven before someone got hurt.

Arven ambled into the front entrance of the Paldea League, abandoned for the first time since Juliana had broken their window. He liked the renovations they'd done since then, adding plated glass that a raging tauros couldn't smash through. Being a wanted man meant that he didn't really have the opportunity to take in the little things. It was faint, but he could hear alarms blaring beneath his feet. Miraidon had gotten the message just like he planned. As long as chaos was being caused, there was no need to worry about one kid who looked more than confident enough about his actions. The elevator was disabled, but nobody had bothered to lock the doors yet. Of course not. Electronic locks would have been a different story, but Geeta insisted on traditional locks that could easily be broken in a crisis above ground. More importantly, they were focused on keeping miraidon in, not from protecting against outsiders. Arven started up the stairs, away from the commotion on the lower floors.

A few employees rushed past Arven as he ascended, but none of them paid him any heed. Arven continued until he reached the top floor where Geeta had been issuing orders from before Arven could talk. The room had been redesigned from what he remembered, but that wasn't what he was here for. He strolled into the auxiliary offices and down a gaudy hallway that had clearly been designed to look intimidating. The Paldea League surely could do better than a bunch of hallways for showing how expansive the Paldea region actually was to visitors.

Suppressing his superfluous thoughts, Arven made his way toward Geeta's office, and after making sure nobody was watching, he sat down at her computer. While he waited for it to turn on, he started searching through her file cabinet. There was nothing in there except for boring reports, of course. It was only natural that Geeta wouldn't keep anything interesting where a fool like him could waltz in and peruse it. Instead, Arven focused his attention on the PC. He pulled out the tera crystals he'd picked up on the way along with some teraite. This computer, as his information had suggested, had been modified to accept tera energy input. All he had to do was insert the necessary materials and switch to a remote connection underground. It asked for a password, of course, but Arven bypassed that using the password breaker he'd taken from Penny's room a while ago. It was nice having such generous friends that didn't keep their things bolted down.

Finally, Arven found himself looking at a new window. There was only one file available, and when Arven ran it, the same program that was currently being executed in miraidon's mouth began running in Geeta's computer. It whirred and complained as an excessive amount of energy was used getting it running, but AI Turo's face eventually appeared on screen. "Activating me in three places at once places large strain on my processor," Turo warned before realizing who he was talking to. "Ah. It's you. Hello, Arven."

"Hello, not dad," Arven replied cheerfully, having gotten over the initial shock of seeing a moving image of his father while the AI spoke. "We need to have a chat. Sorry about your pokémon giving you a ride, but I didn't want any distractions."

"You could have just gone to Area Zero if you wanted to talk to me."

"Oh yeah, why didn't I think of that? Ah, that's right, because it's almost impossible to get into. You couldn't be bothered to make accessing it a little easier, could you?"

The AI thought for a moment. Arven wasn't sure if that was the best way to describe it. When his dad was lost in thought, as he so often was, nothing could penetrate the shield that was his mind palace guarding the man from the outside world. The AI was still looking right at him, searching for a response to this challenge that Arven wasn't helping it with. Mannerisms and appearance aside, this wasn't his father. Anyone could talk like his dad, but this AI didn't act like him. "Let me help you out, since time is short," Arven interjected. "I don't know what the police have been doing and I don't care. The Paldea League is built on a mountain of lies and backstabbing, whatever. All I care about is paying back the favor I owe to my friend. So what I need from you is the way into the tunnels under Area Zero."

"The existence of those tunnels was only recently revealed to me. I have no way of providing a path to you as the details are not clear."

"Don't lie to me. I did my research, visiting shrines and quarantined areas all over the region. Have you noticed how they form a pattern? It's not perfect, but there's a clear relationship between the larger quarantine zones and that so-called teraite destruction trick of yours. Learned that from dad's books too. There's no way he wouldn't have known anything. This entire damn region has been a catalyst for something else this entire time, and that means that there's a connection between the region and Area Zero's core. So spill it. What's the best way to get in? My dad noticed this. I know he did."

The AI thought. This was better than being rejected, but Arven could feel time slipping away. He wasn't sure how long miraidon could actually keep the strongest trainers in the region distracted. "I do not know the details. I can provide you with a map of likely entrance points based on research conducted here, but I am unable to draw conclusions."

"That's bullshit!" Arven cried, slamming a hand on the desk. "I know my father was researching this! His documents proved it! Tell me why you're letting Juliana go along with this stupid plan of hers!"

"I am cooperating with the man responsible for bringing me back online in accordance with the instructions left to me by my creator," The AI answered neutrally. "There is much I do not understand, but he made it very clear that this information was not to be accessed."

"Then as the inheritor of Turo's estate, I'm telling you as the closest thing to your creator to spill everything you know about the crisis going on in our region right now."

"Please input the correct password."

Arven tilted his head. This was new. His father's notes had spoken of a sort of reset function within the AIs he'd developed, but it should have been found and exploited by the League by now. "What are you talking about?"

"The information you are trying to access requires biometric confirmation from the professor or his next of kin. Please input the correct biometric password."

That didn't make any sense. It wasn't like this computer had a fingerprint scanner he could place his thumb on. "That's as far as they've gotten, huh?" A voice asked from the doorway.

In his confusion, Arven had failed to notice that he had company. Larry stood at the only doorway leading out of the room, clutching his arm and attempting to look intimidating. Starraptor was perched at his side, watching Arven carefully. "Shouldn't you be busy?" Arven asked, preparing mentally for the man to come at him at any second. He hoped Geeta's desks could handle an angry bird hurtling into it.

"The others can clean that mess up. I assumed that you wouldn't let an opportunity go to waste," Larry explained, walking into the room. "Besides, we have business."

"Wait!" Arven ordered, drawing several pokéballs. "You owe me one, don't you?"

"In your terms, I guess I do," Larry conceded, adjusting his tie. "And that's why I haven't done anything yet. What it is you're actually trying to accomplish, Arven?"

Arven locked eyes with the businessman. He had the eyes of someone 40 years older than he actually was. Arven couldn't tell what he was thinking at all, but he'd gone out of his way to help the elite four member out. All he had to do now was cash this good deed in. "I don't think our goals are unaligned," Arven posited. "We both visited those shrines. I don't know how you heard about them and I don't care. I'm not trying to get revenge for my old man or anything. I know a lot of this is his fault. My only goal is to get into Area Zero and get Juliana out of there."

"You didn't have to run if that were the case."

"Didn't I? Has Penny left this lab since you brought her here?"

"That wasn't our call to make." A lie. Both sides knew that, but Arven didn't pursue it.

"Regardless of whose call it was, the fact remains that you or the police or both wouldn't have let me go. And unlike her, I can do a lot more good out there than I can in here."

Larry's good hand found his tie, adjusting it casually. "We have rules for a reason."

"That's rich, coming from you. But that's not why I'm here either. I told you I needed to get into Area Zero, and rather than asking you, I was going to get that information from what's left of my old man."

"Very bold of you. Do you expect to survive in Area Zero with your inheritance and attitude alone? Who do you think has been letting you run around unabated?"

He was questioning Arven's exit strategy. Even after going off the grid, Arven's access to his father's legacy remained intact in the form of miraidon and Turo's bank account. Arven had chosen to see it as an oversight on the League's part, but now Larry was threatening to take both away. "Miraidon will be fine. And I don't need to get out if Juliana does. I have to prove to her that she was wrong."

"An argument worth throwing your life away is worth taking a minute to rethink your strategy," Larry responded emotionlessly. "But if you're serious, the only biometric scanner is in the police's laboratory down below."

The chef gritted his teeth. "And you can't just give me the information?"

"I can't give you something I don't have. The scientist and your friend spent most of this time trying to break that biometric lock. If you take care of it for us, I don't see why we can't both benefit. How about this? I'll tell the staff to ignore you if you make your way down there. I'll even open the doors. All you have to do is leave a copy of that information for me." It echoed the same offer Arven had made earlier, surprising him.

Arven raised his eyebrow. "You haven't found it yourself? Penny shouldn't have had any problems with hacking my dad."

"She has tried. I estimate it will be another three months before she succeeds," AI Turo spoke up.

Larry looked away. "It's not something we're proud of. The police are making this as difficult for us as we have for you. They're turning the boss into a pariah. She'll take all the blame when the region falls and the police will be able to label it a failed state and take over once all the dust settles."

"Poor you. That won't happen if the region doesn't collapse. More importantly, what are you planning to do in Area Zero? Don't tell me this is still about arresting Juliana for you."

"Stop the destruction of the region. That's what Geeta wants to happen, so that's what I'll do. … My partner is also down there. I can't call my job finished until he comes back."

Arven pondered on that for a moment. A vague goal on top of a sentimental one meant that their objectives probably wouldn't stay aligned forever. But for now, it would have to do. He didn't like Looker, but he was a much better ally than enemy. "Fine. Then I'll leave you a copy of my findings on the way out. But if you cross me, I'll make sure that neither of us get this information."

"You have my word," Larry reassured the former student unconvincingly. "Your pet isn't going to keep the police or my boss distracted forever and I have no power over them. I can't help you if they stop you."

"They won't stop me," Arven muttered to himself in an effort to stay convinced. "Then I'm off. You still have my phone, right? I'll be in touch with the information."

"Before you go," Larry requested as Arven started to leave. "The student who attacked me. You spoke as if you knew it was going to happen. Why?"

Arven hadn't really wanted to address this. After confirming that Atticus lived, there was no reason to pursue the matter further. In researching tera energy and its uses, he'd found experiments that boggled the mind and made him want to throw up. Seeing that sort of dark work carried out in real life only made things worse. To even imply it was possible would be akin to betraying his human decency. But if Arven really wanted Larry's guarantee of safety, he needed to show he could cede ground. So he stepped to the side. "You weren't the only ones chasing me. Think about it. Where else would a student get their instruction from? I have to assume you can figure it out from there." With that vague hint, Arven took off, leaving the silent room behind.

It took several minutes of jumping down stairs for Arven to reach the basement level. Larry had sent him a map on his phone to follow that revealed just how complicated the tunnel network was. If something like this was possible, there was no way that an alternate passage to Area Zero didn't exist. Breaking into a sprint, Arven found his route mostly abandoned. There was the odd shout here and there around the alarms blaring, but nobody paid any mind to the student running in a different direction compared to everyone else. When Arven finally arrived at his destination, he was greeted by a lab beyond anything he'd seen before. Turo's research lab was impressive, but that didn't even come close to comparing to the technology he was seeing in front of him. Holographic panels, workstations, and generators he could barely process were staring at him, but there wasn't time to get distracted. He ran over to the other side of the room that had been clearly set up for interfacing with AI Turo. The system was a near replica of what Arven had seen in Area Zero, meaning that it was most likely Penny's doing. As he started the system and waited impatiently for it to come on, everything went wrong. Rather than bringing up AI Turo, a new password screen appeared. Startled, Arven plugged in Penny's code breaker.

Immediately, the system spat it back out. That shouldn't have been possible "Very funny, Penny. Please input your password." An automated female voice spoke to Arven from the computer.

Arven's eyes widened. This was Penny's system. Of course her own attacks wouldn't work on it. That meant that if he wanted to get access to the AI's biometric scanner he would have to find the person he'd left behind a month ago. The student bit his lip. Miraidon probably wouldn't last much longer. He'd have to move fast, assuming Penny was still here and wasn't using the confusion to escape. Calling her didn't tell him anything when she didn't pick up. "Damn it… you better still be here, Penny!" Arven uselessly warned his friend as he turned on his heel and sprinted out of the lab.

Time was short. Everything was always too short. Never enough time, never enough resources, and never enough complaints when it came to the work being done. Enough was enough. Penny had gotten herself into this situation and now it was time to get herself out. She frantically darted around her small room, throwing what belongings she could carry into a backpack. It was a futile effort. She couldn't transport her PC on her back, the one non-living thing she was interested in bringing with her. The best she could do was take what data storage had been exported to transportable hard drives and find a way to piece everything together later. But she was supposed to have more time to do that than this. Colress had reassured her that this was but the first step of many in a plan to ensure that they both got what they wanted, so why were alarms blaring everywhere? All six of Penny's pokémon were active, either flanking her for comfort or going around the small room to gather what supplies they could. It made the room unnecessarily difficult to navigate, but Penny had no intention of letting her support pokémon out of her sight. This was a time of panic and times of panic required pokémon.

As she shoved the last of her loose hard drives haphazardly in her bag along with a change of clothes and some other necessities, Penny checked her phone again. Ortega had only contacted her once since they'd last spoken in the lab, but Penny found herself referencing the message almost hourly. If you need a way out, all you have to do is come to me.

Taking advantage of Ortega didn't feel right. He had already given up most of his school life to support her, just like most of Team Star. No, it was more than that. Everyone but Ortega had pledged their very lives when she asked them to go with Juliana, turning their backs not only on the school, but the League and the law overall, all in the name of stomping out oppression. Only Ortega had decided that his personal feelings outweighed his sense of duty. Simply being grateful for that and moving on was the best course of action. "We're moving," Penny informed her team as they proceeded out of their room and down the hall. She'd make do with what she had.

Penny hadn't been shown the way out of the complex, nor had she bothered to learn it. There had been no reason to leave and she was pretty sure she'd be arrested if she tried. If she hadn't been motivated to go out before, she had even more reasons to be a shut-in now. But that wasn't good enough. If it had just been alarms going off or even some yelling outside her door she'd have put her headphones on and gone dead to the world. Unfortunately, someone had accessed the computer in the lab, or at least tried to. Whatever the building's alarm was, the culprit's true objective likely had something to do with the AI Turo, and she was the genius who had encoded the main body with the strongest password protector she could. Even Colress probably wouldn't be able to get in without her help, not that he didn't know the password. But it was her name on the login. Whoever had tried to access it probably realized this and was now coming for her. She couldn't count on the police or the League for protection. If she wanted to survive, she'd have to get out herself. Anyone willing to attack the League directly wouldn't feel pressured by the loss of one girl.

Despite appearances, Penny hadn't been completely complacent regarding what was going on. She'd browsed around in Colress' private folders and found out what he was doing to the mercenaries greedy enough to invade quarantine zones. She'd watched the news and seen all the horrible things Paldea was dealing with. Terrible as all that was, it didn't concern her anymore. Juliana was going to handle it. She could be trusted to take care of problems that blew out of proportion. Most of her friends were in the safest place possible, which was by Juliana's side. Ortega was being an Ortega, and Atticus was probably too busy brooding somewhere to care. The shouts coming from the hallways yanked Penny out of her mind and into the present.

Track was Penny's worst subject in school, just barely worse than home economics. People noticed her, but they got out of the way when they saw six eeveelutions flanking her. Someone moving with that much purpose had to be important, after all. They probably thought she was trying to solve their problem. Bits and pieces of conversation told her that there was a legendary pokémon loose in the complex somewhere. She began to notice claw marks on the solid steel ground and walls as she progressed. Some of the alarms had gone out along with the red flashing lights, leaving parts of hallways in darkness. Penny avoided those. She wasn't trying to find whatever monster was wreaking havoc, or worse, its master. She just needed to escape. As she turned another corner, the signs of the pokemon's destructive path began to fade, and things looked more normal. The alarms were still blaring, but people had less urgency. She rounded one more corner only to stop dead when one of the last people she wanted to see appeared before her. "The exit has been closed off," Colress informed his pupil.

"I'll go through you if I have to," Penny warned him. "Whoever's in here tried to access the AI. The safest place for me is anywhere but here."

Colress tsked. A magnezone floated just behind him, watching with an emotionless expression to match its master. "Your self-preservation instincts are sublime. At the first sign of trouble, you're ready to flee from everything. Does it not bother you that your friend is caught up in this mess?"

"Juliana will be fine. I sent my friends to help her. They can do anything," Penny confidently asserted.

"I wasn't referring to her. I was talking about the champion trainer."

Penny raised an eyebrow. "Nemona's here? But she's not-"

"A good show is nothing without witnesses. I hadn't anticipated the interruption, but it's given many actors the chance to take actions that would otherwise have been illegal. Take yourself for example. This is the perfect excuse for you to flee the region, isn't it? For all we know, that rampaging pokémon could have blown a hole in the exit."

Colress was speaking like the matter didn't concern him, yet he refused to step out of Penny's way. She knew there was no way he would willingly let her go. Like it or not, she'd allowed him to see her value as a scientist and hacker. If she wanted to pass, she'd have to make an offer more valuable than that or do things the Nemona way. "I don't have time to battle you," Penny admitted, hoping none of the passing employees would pay them much mind. "But this whole thing shouldn't involve me anymore. I've done everything that could be expected of me. If you force me to stay around, I won't help you anyways."

"I've no doubt of that, not after what you've seen. But your work has been invaluable to me, Penny, and I've learned to express gratitude for such work. If you promise never to return to this region, then I have no qualms with letting you go."

That was the last thing Penny expected to hear. Her pokémon continued to bristle at her side. "You don't mean that."

"But of course I do. An unwilling worker in the modern age is worth less than nothing. If you take the next three immediate rights you'll find an emergency exit you can use. I'm here to guard it, after all. Running around after pokémon is for the young. Ah, it's lamentable, but I understand your decision. We're reaching the point where casualties are less of a speculation and more of a running statistic." The way he spoke so callously of widespread death sent a shiver down Penny's spine.

"How can I trust you?" Penny asked, her sylveon stepping forward threateningly.

"You have no choice. To ignore my advice would be to go against logic. Regardless of your opinion of me and the work I do, I have nothing to gain from your death. I would have those who work for me live more satisfactory lives than that."

Once again, Colress remained dispassionate, but he stepped aside, letting Penny pass by his barricade. "Go. There's no telling when that beast will try coming this way."

Penny found her feet making her decision for her. Without really thinking about it, she was running away from the only man who had attempted even an imitation of kindness since she'd been locked in this stupid underground maze. There were no words exchanged between them. They both preferred to avoid communication when possible. Unlike her friends, she knew how to seize a good opportunity when she saw one. As Penny ran, she felt her thoughts continue to be pulled back to what was going on behind her. Every gym leader and the strongest champions in the region were here. There was no way that Nemona wouldn't be fine. She had no reason to really care about Nemona anyways. The first right turn was made.

Nemona was annoying. She was always going on about duty this, have a battle with me that. It ran as a direct counter to Penny's laidback lifestyle. She had no idea how Juliana ever kept up with the girl. But she did. Juliana cared about Nemona. Enough that she had decided to abandon both Nemona and Arven with Penny's help, using Team Star as surrogates at Penny's insistence. But that didn't matter. The second right turn.

All she needed to do at this point was leave. Her presence would only be a burden on everyone in the building so long as someone was trying to get into the heart of the AI she'd been preserving for the last month. She shouldn't go back. Juliana wouldn't want her to go back. But if she didn't go back, then the entire building might be torn apart looking for her. Worse, it could be caved in entirely. Strength didn't mean anything to tons of metal and rubble. Penny paused at the last right turn. She could leave right now. But that would mean turning her back on Juliana and her trust that her friends would survive this crisis. Her sylveon wrapped a feeler around Penny's arm, sensing her hesitation. "I know…. Damn it, I know!" Penny cried out, smacking her forehead. "Fine. I'll make sure Nemona is fine, but then we're getting out of here, got it?!" The party had no complaints.

Penny wasn't sure how long she'd been running. After making her way back, she'd started following the signs of destruction as best she could. Vaguely she was aware that she was getting closer to her lab, but it was impossible to be certain. All she could be sure of was that people were getting hurt and there was screaming going on somewhere the alarms couldn't blare out. How strong was this one pokémon? It didn't matter. Penny only had one objective. She just hadn't expected it to appear in front of her so suddenly.

As Penny approached a dimly lit t-intersection, she ran into the two people she least expected to see in the same place. Arven and Nemona stared dumbly back at her, having expected to run into each other just as much as the other. Nemona was completely out of breath and flanked by her entire team like Penny. The champion trainer was sweating hard, and Penny could see singes from some sort of electrical attack on her school uniform. Arven looked as Penny remembered him, but the fact that he was walking around alone in this situation spoke volumes to the other two trainers. None of them reacted for a moment, as if the first person to acknowledge the situation they'd just put themselves in would lose. Penny knew Arven and probably Nemona resented her for obeying Juliana's whims. She'd been stupid for coming here in the first place. Without a word, Penny turned to leave. Why did she expect Nemona to be anything but exactly where she wanted to be? A hand grasped her arm before she could get anywhere. Arven was holding her in place dispassionately, but his expression suppressed emotions of fear and anger in equal parts rather than lacking them entirely. "This is convenient. Come with me. I need your help."