After spending a few weeks investigating possible leads outside of the prison, it was time for Arthur to return. He didn't have a lot to show for his time out, but he had enjoyed the vacation from the secluded prison nonetheless. Alola had been the police chief's final destination. It was where much of The Mask Maker's escapades had taken place and where she chose to spend most of her time. It was only rivaled in her favoritism by Unova. Arthur poked around her now eerily empty house, which had been gathering dust. Trophies and medals belonging to the person she was before lined the wall, pictures of her and her friends scattered between them.

"Damn shame," he had said upon viewing them, puffing a cigarette.

The prison was on no map, of course, and accessing it came with certain procedures, one step of which was using the Aether Foundation's airstrip to leave the islands. They had been kind enough to lend it out. Arthur didn't speak to anyone while he was there, simply heading straight to the back of the artificial island where a small jet awaited him. His pilot stood outside to greet him and verify his identity while Arthur did the same. Finally, the tired police agent could board and put his feet up while he poured himself a glass of whiskey.

It didn't take too long for the man to realize something was wrong. He didn't let it show, instead casually taking out his phone to send a distress signal and his location to everyone authorized to see it before wiping his phone of its data. Arthur didn't know how to fly, and he was unsure of how many people were in the cockpit. He also lacked Flying-type Pokémon, making midair escape nearly impossible. Surmising that his captor was Team Rocket, he pulled his hat down over his face and pretended to sleep. Causing trouble was likely to get him killed more quickly. If he stalled for as long as possible, he could both gather information and hopefully be rescued.

"I figured," he sighed upon seeing the doors open to reveal Team Rocket grunts. The police agent didn't put up a fight, letting them frisk him, take his weapons, Pokémon, and phone and bind his wrists. Giovanni was waiting in his office, standing up with a smile as Arthur was led into the room.

"Ah, let him go," he said with a wave of his hand. His Persian stalked out from behind him.

"She really did fight it, I see," Arthur calmly observed, taking a seat. The black and red color scheme of the building reminded him of Morai.

"That she did," the boss answered, pouring them both a drink before sitting across from Arthur. "Is she also responsible for that?" he asked, gesturing to his eye.

"No, that was my wife," Arthur joked.

"Let me see," Giovanni ordered. Arthur rolled his eyes, realizing that he didn't necessarily have a choice. He removed the eyepatch that he had been wearing while his wound healed, revealing a large scar that went through his eyebrow and over his eyelid. His actual eye wasn't rendered completely useless, but nothing was clear through it anymore. Giovanni leaned in and observed it before leaning back with a self-satisfied mile.

"How is she?" he asked.

"She's alive," Arthur tersely answered, not wanting to give anything away. "It's considered irresponsible to leave your pet in the hands of strangers."

"I knew she'd be in good hands. We've had quite the time trying to find her, however."

"It's almost like that was intentional. Is that what you're going to try and waterboard out of me?"

"No, no," Giovanni answered with a chuckle. "Keeping tabs on her has just been harder than I expected, is all. I was hoping you'd help me out. We're at a humorous crossroads. It's not beneficial to kill you now, and you can't do anything to me, so all we can do is talk."

"Is that so?" Arthur said, leaning back in his chair. He hadn't taken a drink of course, because there was always the possibility it had been tampered with. "And you think I'd tell you?"

"It was worth a shot," Giovanni said. "I've seen the personnel that have come out of that place. Scarred, battered, bruised. They wouldn't talk, but their faces said enough. The International Police has bitten off more than it can chew, wasting who knows how many resources all for a fallen hero who can't be resurrected. Is that not true?"

"We knew it would be difficult," Arthur said, ignoring the implication that his guards and the medical staff at the prison had been tortured for information after leaving. "And we're persistent."

"What if you could wash your hands of the entire thing?" Giovanni asked.

"Are you trying to buy your pet back?"

"I'll take her off your hands free of charge. All it would take is a simple escape story that your organization can't be blamed for, and you'd be free."

Arthur stood up.

"She's not only in prison to protect the people outside," he said. "She's also there to keep the likes of you from getting your greedy hands anywhere near her. Not that she'll be of any use soon. Now if you don't mind, I've got work to do."

Giovanni let him get to the door before saying anything else.

"Your daughter led the protests to strip her of her Champion status, right? Yvette, was it? The one she attacked? It's a bit ironic, isn't it? Two parents in the International Police who couldn't protect their daughter from a beginner criminal?"

"Get my daughter's name out of your filthy conniving mouth," Arthur growled before opening the door.

"We'll have to keep you a little longer, Sheridan," Giovanni said. "Your distress signal didn't work, I'm afraid, if that's what you're counting on."

Shit.

"Boss!" a loud, high pitched voice called as someone burst through the doors and ran smack into the police agent. "Oh, you're—okay, okay, it's later than I thought! I've been so busy in the labs that I hadn't even noticed the plan had started."

"What plan?" Arthur asked.

"Ooh, can I do the villain monologue?" the stranger asked. The trainer was a short woman with a high, nearly screeching voice, wearing a lab coat and gloves. Protective eyewear had been moved to rest on the now disheveled orange hair on top of her head."I'll make it really good, I promise."

"No," Giovanni curtly replied. "That's stupid."

"Me? Stupid?" she replied. "I beg to differ. I mean, once you hear about the—"

"Pinstock! Shut up!" Giovanni yelled in a very rare show of anger that wasn't quiet and calculating. The kind that was impulsive instead of controlled and sure to come back to bite whoever caused it. "We can't risk it."

"We already have him," the doctor replied, now calmer. "I'd bet it'd be fun to watch the light leave his eyes as we destroy—"

"Not. Now."

"Alright, alright, whatever you say," Pinstock sighed. "Well at least get him out of here so I can tell you the news."

Arthur was led away by guards, but not after putting up an actual fight this time.

"What plan?" he yelled as he was dragged out after landing a few punches and slipping from their grasp. "I swear, if you touch my family—"

Proton had arrived, as had the other Executives. He was on the other side of the tranquilizer gun that shot the police agent.

"These are really useful," he said. "Thank Arceus we can use them on people, too. Way less messy."

"But less fun," Archer added.

"Right."

"What's the big deal, anyway?" Ariana asked.

"Two things," the scientist eagerly replied. "One, I finally got into the microchip Sheridan—the other Sheridan—had put into Morai's neck. All of the biometrics are there, but I couldn't get the location, unfortunately. Out of all the things they're trying to hide, that's what I can't pry out of their cold and soon to be dead hands."

Dr. Pinstock projected the information up onto the big screen behind Giovanni. It showed a silhouette of Morai's body and every piece of data available with it. It showed that her heart rate was higher than normal, her psychic abilities weren't currently activated, and there was nothing abnormal in her bloodstream—no serum, at least.

"Second, and best of all," the doctor continued. "...It's finally finished." She held out a small device in the palm of her hand. Giovanni slowly rose from his seat to take it in his own.

"So much power, so much potential in one little device," Pinstock said with a smile. Proton and Archer eyed each other. "Oh, I can't wait to meet her! There's so much to do!"

"Everything continues as planned, then, right on time," Giovanni said with his own sly smile. "It's a matter of days, now."

"If there's ever a chance to stop this, it's now," Archer said in a hushed tone. He and Proton had gone off to eat alone at the mess hall. "Once they meet again, that'll be it. It's game over."

"What are we supposed to do?" Proton asked. "No one can find the place! Pinstock's got a screw or two loose, but she was picked for this project for a reason. She can't wait to get her creepy scientific hands on Morai. If she can't find her, no one can."

"So that's it, then?" Archer replied, throwing his hands up. "We're just going to sit back and watch?'

"Anything else would be treason."

"Once a Champion and now...this."