The first prospective Federation member was of a species that somewhat complicated Lann's ability to guarantee Luca's safety. As a steel-type, the Scizor that he was currently escorting was not especially susceptible to any of his specialties; the best Lann could do was a fighting-type or dark-type move, and it had been many years since he had performed either. This meant that, depending on his training, the Scizor might be able to take more than one attack—but fortunately, Lann felt confident that even an unpracticed hit would at least be able to interrupt any attempt to attack Luca, and once the initial attempt was thwarted, there was nothing to worry about.

Of course, that was the worst case. Even just by his unbalanced stance and uncertain demeanor, Lann could tell that the Scizor was not capable of being a significant threat—and once they arrived at the door to Luca's room and Lann opened the door for him, the nervous glance the Scizor gave as he entered only reinforced the power dynamic between them.

Inside, Luca was waiting patiently behind her desk. The Riolu that struggled to find the confidence to be a leader had disappeared entirely in the time it took Lann to fetch the Scizor; in her place, there was a Pokémon with a commanding presence befitting her position. "Welcome, Scizor," she said, her sharp gaze never leaving him. "Feel free to sit or stand, whatever you prefer."

"I'll sit," the Scizor said confidently and evenly, managing to create a convincing facade. "Thank you."

"May I ask your name?" Luca asked as Lann closed the door and settled against the frame to watch.

"Elyan."

"Well Elyan, the recruitment poster made clear that joining us would come with a lot of risk. Why take it on?"

"Protection?" Elyan ventured, seeming unsure of his own answer.

"Do you have a history with the White Spine?"

"I do. I may even have a history with you, assuming you are the Riolu that managed to escape the Coalition."

Luca perked up. "Are you claiming to be that Scizor? Because your abdomen is looking a bit intact for that."

"They healed me," Elyan said, apparently uninterested in elaborating.

"I see," Luca said. "And what made you decide to leave the White Spine?"

"Your poster. It made me start doubting."

Luca exhaled. "I would imagine you have quite a lot of useful information."

"I have precious little, I'm afraid," Elyan said, convincingly regretful. "I wasn't even aware of the organization's name until your poster informed me."

Lann was shocked by the abrupt change in Luca's demeanor. The intensity that had been steadily declining as the conversation continued reappeared in full force, and to Lann's surprise, Luca seemed to be narrowly containing a smile. "You expect me to believe that the Pokémon that was trusted with guarding Hollyhead and with the location of the White Spine HQ knows nothing?"

Elyan reacted with confusion that appeared genuine. "You must be confusing me with another Scizor."

"I saw you taking him," Luca said, pressing. "I was there, watching from the forest. You still had his fang marks in your abdomen, so there's no question. I'd bet they healed you for that success, even."

The Scizor's fear was on full display, now; as Lann pushed himself off of the doorframe and drew closer, Elyan turned reflexively to check behind him. Lann acknowledged him with eye contact, then looked to Luca for instruction.

"You don't need to say anything," Luca said, still speaking to Elyan. "We'll get to the bottom of this regardless. Will you consent to having your Aura read?"

Elyan returned his gaze to Luca, and Lann saw her expression briefly warp with pity. He was downright terrified, and Luca was unaccustomed to seeing such a thing outside of combat. For a moment Lann considered intervening, but Elyan managed to nod and Lann allowed Luca to continue.

"May I have a claw?" Luca asked, offering her paw.

Elyan hesitantly complied, and as Luca accepted the weighty pincer into both paws—worryingly close to her chest—she closed her eyes and the weights on either side began rising. In an instant, the tension in the room dissipated and a strange calm settled in. He was still nervous, but Elyan stopped shifting uncomfortably. Giving extra care to not actually touch him and allow Luca to see his Aura, Lann shifted closer to the Scizor's back; regardless of the calm, Luca was still in danger and he had to guarantee her safety.

Even as he waited for any act of aggression, Lann watched Luca's expression carefully. She was obviously thinking hard as she read the Aura, meaning she was taking it seriously. Of course she was—he wouldn't have expected anything less—but even as Luca was acting with authority, and even with her snout broken in a fight for her life that she won, Lann still found it impossible to see anything but the confused little human-Riolu back at the Coalition.

"You haven't left the White Spine yet," Luca suddenly said with the disconnected voice of being open to Aura. "You're here to figure out whether to betray us for them or betray them and join us. Perhaps you were even ordered to come here and spy on us."

Elyan shuddered at the accusation—something that Lann had seen countless times. The Scizor had given up—he was caught.

"Don't worry," Luca said, disconnecting herself from Aura and opening her eyes. "You don't need to say anything. We're not going to kill you."

"Aren't we?" Lann asked, still nearly pressing up against Elyan's back.

"No, we're not. He's already considering us, so we can take a little risk. Elyan, or whatever your real name might be, we'll let you live with us for the time being. You can talk to our members that have properly left the White Spine, see what we're about, and see that we'll be able to protect you. One of the things we need the most right now is information, so if you end up sharing what you know about the White Spine, we'll consider that a decision to join us properly. Otherwise, you'll be free to leave. Fine?"

Lann knew that Elyan hadn't registered a word, and likely wouldn't for at least an hour afterwards. All he likely knew was that Luca had prompted him for an answer and was expecting a yes, so he managed an awkward half-shrug half-nod.

"Alright," Luca said, suddenly speaking casually. "Member bunking is in the first door to your left when you leave, and if you're looking for the ex-members of the White Spine, you'll want to find the Weavile and the Comfey. You're dismissed."

Elyan waited, as if expecting all of Luca's words to have been an elaborate distraction for his impending execution. Lann backed away and gave him plenty of room to move to the door, but it was a long few seconds before he shifted and, with a nervous look at Lann which was returned with a nod towards the door, Elyan disappeared into the rest of the house.

"You seemed quite confident in that choice," Lann said, closing the door. "Are you certain you're not letting his Aura get to your decision making?"

"Could be," Luca admitted. "But this is low-risk high-reward as I see it. The only information that we don't want the White Spine to see is being always guarded anyways, and by being so open and welcoming otherwise, we're maximizing the chance that we'll be able to get what seems like a high-ranking agent to join us."

"As you wish," Lann said, shrugging. "Let's definitely not make a habit of it, though."

"Then let's just hope the rest of the recruits aren't spies."

"Mhm. I'll be back with the next soon."

Leaving Luca alone in her room once again, Lann paused on his way out of the house only to note that Elyan had already disappeared—assumably into the member bunking room, though it was possible he had hurried out the front door, never to return. Fortunately, it wasn't Lann's problem until he became a direct threat—something that seemed profoundly unlikely at this point. Lann moved on, leaving out into Harvest.

Lann surveyed his surroundings just in case, but Harvest was Harvest: unchanging, peaceful, and sweet-smelling. Almost in offense of the lazy energy surrounding him, Lann walked with slight haste to the east. A few minutes later, he had arrived at his destination: an unremarkable home tucked underneath a second-floor trading post. It was quite wide, but without walls, it amounted to little more than the space between the structural supports for the more substantial building above. Lann never did understand the appeal of the open structures of Harvest; even as a grass-type, to him the whole appeal of having a home was the sturdy walls that made it feel safe.

Inside, Lann was greeted by a total of three Pokémon. The first, a Ledyba by the name of Audrey, approached him excitedly, hovering in the air.

"Hey!" Audrey said, grinning brilliantly. "Already done with Mr. Scizor, then?"

"Yup, all done," Lann smiled. Audrey was a friend of his and Absol's from years ago. She had volunteered her home as a secondary location for prospective hires. Lann wasn't quite sure if she understood exactly what she volunteered for, but he would make sure nothing happened to her.

"Who's next, then?"

Turning his attention to the other two Pokémon in the room, Lann weighed his options. The Swellow was sitting attentive, waiting to see if he'd be chosen. It was difficult to read him otherwise, but the other prospective hire, a Buizel, was an open book. She was positively despondent, sitting away from the others and only halfheartedly paying attention. Something had happened to her, but it wasn't Lann's job to figure it out.

In any case, neither of them stood to be a significant threat. "I'll take them both," Lann said. "Thanks."

"OK! I'll see you two later, then," Audrey said, turning back to her guests. "Good luck on your interviews!"

"Thanks," the Buizel said, surprising Lann. Between the two of them, he was not expecting the defeated Buizel to speak over the Swellow, but the flying-type didn't even acknowledge the well-wishes.

"Stay close," Lann instructed, stepping back out into the streets. He purposefully walked slow enough for the Swellow to follow comfortably without flight, and he followed suit, hopping along—and the Buizel seemed content with the slower pace.

A few more minutes later, they had arrived. Lann cracked the front door and stuck his head through to check that no one was loitering in the main room, and seeing that it was empty, he held the door open for the two applicants.

"Swellow first," Lann said. "Buizel, feel free to wait in this room. We'll be with you soon enough."

Once again holding Luca's door open, Lann allowed the Swellow to hop forward into the room. Then, he closed the door and leaned against the frame, settling in to watch the interview.

"Hey, you're Luca, right?" the Swellow asked, not allowing her a word.

"Yup," Luca said, not missing a beat. "Pleased to meet you."

"Is Isle here?" the Swellow continued. "The Weavile?"

Lann watched as Luca's brow hardened. "Calm down. You're here to join us, are you not? I think you're getting ahead of yourself."

"Agh, OK, OK," Swellow said, forcing himself to sit down with visible effort. "Sorry. Go ahead."

Luca's brow softened. "Why do you want to join us? Besides Isle, I suppose."

"I was a White Spine agent," he said, and Lann noticed Luca flinch. "I was tasked with tracking Isle after she escaped some prison, and managed to find her. I—" the Swellow hesitated, finding difficulty in admitting it. "I lost the fight. She cut out my mark and told me to leave the White Spine, so I did."

"Mark? As in Giratina's mark?"

The Swellow nodded.

"So, what? Isle told you to betray the White Spine and you did? Just like that?"

"Yes," he said, absolutely shameless. "I was never really interested in their mission, and if their most famous agent betrayed them, it was probably for a good reason."

"And why should I hire someone that's so willing to turn coat?"

That seemed to give the Swellow pause. Still, his response came within a few seconds: "Do you think it's especially likely that you'll have a lot of 'mons leaving?"

"Well, I just knowingly hired an active White Spine spy in the hopes that he'll join us," Luca admitted. "But other than that, I have yet to have any doubts."

"Well, then you have nothing to fear from me, either."

Lann shifted. It seemed the Swellow was unable to think for himself—probably his least favorite type of Pokémon.

"Well, will you allow me to feel your Aura?" Luca asked.

"Um... What does that entail?"

"Lann?"

"Hm?" Lann said, perking up.

"You're better at explaining this, if you don't mind."

"You're the one that can actually feel it," Lann said, "but sure. She'll be looking at your Aura, meaning although she won't be able to see your memories or thoughts, she'll be able to see your character and feelings. She'll also need to be touching you."

"That's fine, I guess?" the Swellow said, offering a wing.

Luca took it in her hand and opened herself to Aura once again. Lann waited patiently, keeping alert as the weights on either side of Luca's head rose.

Unlike with Elyan, however, it was perfectly uneventful. Luca disconnected, allowing the Swellow's wing to return to his side. "One last thing—may I ask your name?"

"...I don't suppose I could just go by Swellow?"

"Sure. Welcome to the Explorer Federation. Your quarters are the door on your immediate left when you leave, so feel free to get settled in. Isle will be back soon."

Swellow hopped to his feet excitedly and turned to the door. "OK! Thanks, boss."

"Tell the Buizel I'll come out for her in a moment," Lann said, opening the door a crack.

With Swellow hopping out, Lann closed the door and they were alone.

"No issues with this one, then?" Lann asked.

"Oh believe me, there's issues," Luca said, pausing to sigh. "You would not believe how much he needs therapy. No issues with hiring him, though I definitely want to ask Isle about him later. She never told me about that particular encounter."

"But you believe his story?"

"I do. More importantly, you said the next applicant is a female Buizel?"

"That's right. You know her?"

"I might. If I do, though, every single applicant we have is White Spine."

"Well, it's not as if you've met many others."

Luca frowned, seemingly genuinely troubled. "Honestly, I had high hopes for a Lucario that helped me."

"Mmm. He helped you with your Aura, no?"

"That's right. He seemed busy with family, but I thought he might at least come see me."

"He still might. Ready for the next one?"

Luca gave a curt nod, and Lann opened the door to retrieve the Buizel.

He didn't have to look far—the Buizel was waiting a few feet outside, keeping just far enough away from the door for Lann to be sure that she hadn't been eavesdropping. With a gesture, Lann invited her inside.

"Do I know you?" Luca asked as he closed the door.

"You do." Sitting across the desk, the Buizel settled in. "Hello again, Luca."

"What happened to you, Poppy?" Luca asked, voice full of concern. "And where's Fervor?"

"Long story. You want it now or later?"

"Now, if you're up to it."

"Well, after you left us, I decided that I didn't want to report you two. Fervor disagreed strongly, thinking that knowingly keeping our meeting a secret was going to get us killed."

"I was pretty surprised that we didn't end up coming across other agents. I take it you won the argument?"

"If you could call it that," Poppy said dryly. "He was determined to leave, so I stopped him. Knocked him out. Couldn't exactly leave him to go report in when you two weren't safe yet, so I kept him prisoner for a while. Then, I ended up seeing one of your posters and knew that you were safe and that I had somewhere to go. Let Fervor go, got attacked, had to knock him out once again. Then I made my way here."

Throughout the defeated Buizel's story, Luca's face had grown more and more distraught. "I—I don't know what to say, Poppy. I really appreciate what you did for me, but I... I really don't think it was worth what you went through."

Poppy didn't seem especially pleased with her response. "You're not the one that caused it. The White Spine and Fervor did."

"But if I never—"

"We were the aggressors," Poppy interrupted, her voice suddenly sharp. "No one should blame you for simply surviving."

Lann was impressed: Poppy had clearly put a lot of thought into her predicament. Of course, she probably had nothing but reflection time while keeping what sounded like her friend captive, but still.

"...So," Poppy continued when Luca didn't respond. "You've got an interview to give me?"

Luca shook her head. "I've already felt your Aura, and I already know you. If you want to join us, welcome to the team."

Poppy nodded gravely. "I imagine you'd like information from my time as an agent?"

"Anything you're willing to share. We can also wait until later, if you'd like. You can settle in, and then we can get specifics."

"Probably the only significant thing is the location of a single base. It seemed pretty important to them."

"Where was it? And what was it like?"

"It was west of where we met, and it was like... a mine, kind of? A couple of buildings outside a cave entrance, but nearly no one was allowed to enter the cave. Everything was pretty heavily guarded."

"Hm. I think—"

Lann flinched at the sudden knock at the door. There was no movement afterwards, so he looked to Luca for instructions.

She seemed confused; there wasn't a ton of reasons to interrupt an interview. "Come in," she said, raising her voice.

Lann stepped back, getting between Luca and the opening door. He stiffened as a species not counted among the Federation's numbers poked their head in. It was a Charizard, which made him wonder if Dante's family had made a visit—but in an instant, he understood exactly what had transpired. The Charizard's right arm was missing, cut right above the elbow.

Lann turned to Luca just in time to see the realization dawn on her face. "You're kidding," she said, incredulous. "The very first time I don't come to train with you guys..."

"I evolved," the new Dante said, his voice notably deeper. "Sorry you missed it."

"You can fly now, no?" Luca asked, ogling the wings tucked behind his back as she walked around her desk and approached.

"I'm not sure, honestly. My balance might be thrown off by my arm, but I haven't tried yet. I thought maybe we could find out together...?" Dante trailed off, a nervous question in his words.

"Yeah!" Luca said excitedly. "We can—" Suddenly, Luca hesitated. She turned, having remembered that she was in the middle of an interview. "Oh, sorry, uh..."

"I can show Poppy around, if you'd like," Lann said as Luca waffled with indecision. "Make sure she feels comfortable."

"Are you OK with that?" Luca asked Poppy.

"Of course," Poppy said.

Luca nodded thankfully. "I'll see you around, hopefully."

Luca disappeared through the door and, giving a brief nod to both Lann and Poppy, Dante closed the door and left them alone.

"They recently became mates," Lann explained in response to a quizzical look from Poppy.

"Cute," she said, standing up. "Now, if you don't mind showing me to where I'm meant to be sleeping, I think I'll leave the full tour for later."

"As you please," Lann smiled. Although he had volunteered to make her comfortable, he was quite happy with being let off the hook: a nap was exactly what he needed.


Luca was somewhat ashamed of how quickly she had dropped her responsibilities, but in her defense, an evolution was a significant occurrence. In fact, Dante's was especially so—even putting aside the fact that he had gained gigantic wings and could now fly, Luca couldn't believe how huge he was. He rivaled Lann's height—the Pokémon that had toted her around back at the Coalition with near-zero effort. To think that her Dante, less than twice her height the morning before, was now towering far above her was dizzying to consider. As they exited her room, she found herself marveling up at him more than she had her eyes ahead.

In the main hall, Isle was speaking to the Swellow Luca had just hired. She was surprisingly excited to see him; even with her mask on, Luca could tell that she was happy. Callula was significantly less so, and was floating nearby looking unimpressed with Swellow's presence. As Luca and Dante moved by, the little Comfey gave a weary smile and wave, and Isle even paused for a moment to give a nod before returning to the conversation.

Getting to the front door, a clawed orange arm reached above her to the doorknob. The door opened before her, and she stepped out into Harvest first.

"So, Poppy made it?" Dante asked, and Luca shivered with the deepness of his voice.

"Yeah. She ended up having to keep Fervor captive to prevent him from reporting us."

"Did you foresee that? With their Auras?"

"I knew that Poppy wasn't going to report us," Luca explained as they began making their way towards the training grounds. "I was... 65% sure about Fervor. I figured the fact that she was there made risking that 35% worth it."

"I see. Meet any other interesting characters? I saw that Swellow was pretty excited to see Isle."

"Mmm... All three of them were from the White Spine. I was kind of hoping for some unaffiliated 'mons."

"Why?"

Luca frowned. "Because we can't just poach agents for the whole Federation. The more we do, the more risk we'll have."

"Sure," Dante said, "but imagine seeing the posters without any context. Who's more likely to drop everything and come to us—a normal Pokémon, or one learning the truth about their employer for the first time?"

"...The latter, I guess."

"Once we get things rolling and gain some notoriety, the others will start coming. For now, though, I think we should be glad to be getting them. Every piece of information we get from them will be critical."

"Huh," Luca said, surprised. "I think I might actually agree. Even without getting specifics, I think Poppy gave me a really important clue."

"Oh? What's that?"

"She told me about a White Spine base. Remember when we saw that explosion? It wasn't too long after we met her."

"Mhm. We assumed it was a raid of sorts. Are you saying it was on a White Spine facility?"

"I think so. It could always be unrelated coincidence, but the way she described it, it seems likely that they're one in the same."

"You think there's another group out there?" Dante asked. "One also opposed to the White Spine?"

"It's the only thing that really makes sense. I'd love to be able to go and see who's controlling the facility now."

"Well, depending on if I'm able to fly, we might be able to. It would only take a day or two."

"...We would be outside of Lann's protection, though."

"What, you don't trust me?"

Luca looked up at him.

"...Yeah, I'm no Lann," Dante admitted. "Still, flying is generally quite safe—and there's no reason to think that it'd be a trap."

"We'll see how the others feel about it," Luca said as they entered the arena. "In the meantime, let's see what you've got."

"Just a second," Dante said, sitting down in the dust. "I want to talk for a moment first, now that we're alone."

Luca stiffened for a moment, sensing a seriousness in his voice. "OK, sure," she said, sitting as well. He still towered over her, but they were definitely a little more even.

"So..." Dante began, his awkwardness not befitting a fully-grown Charizard. "I'll start by saying I've been really enjoying these past few weeks. Being your mate, I mean."

Luca felt a strange sickness in her stomach. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"No! I just—I'm a Charizard, now. Evolution can change a lot in a relationship, and that's not even considering how much larger I am now. Then, I also remember seeing that the difference between height in humans is fairly small, I just... I don't want you to think you're obligated to continue with me. Does that make sense?"

Luca just stared at him. He was different physically, certainly, but nothing had changed otherwise. What he was feeling was still plain to see in his blue eyes, his scaly skin still emanated heat, and although she hadn't yet felt it, his Aura would still be his. Try as she might, she couldn't imagine that her feelings were unchanged; when she considered that she was his and he was hers, a tight ball of excitement and desire was enflamed behind her heart.

"Well, let me ask you first," Luca finally said. "Do you feel like you still want this?"

"Yes," Dante said, and Luca exhaled. "Nothing's changed for me."

"Then there's nothing to worry about," Luca said, smiling to herself as she stood. "And if there's anything to figure out, we will. But for now, let's see if you can fly."

Stretching to his full height, Dante spread his wings. "OK," he sighed. "But don't make fun if I can't."

"You'll do fine," Luca said, taking a step back. The excitement of being about to witness Dante's first flight mingled with the aftereffects of the attraction she had just felt, creating a pleasant if nervous and uneasy feeling.

Dante leaned forward, nearly touching the dirt with his arm. Then, with a deep, slow breath, he ran forward. Bringing his wings down was a full body motion, and even just by witnessing it from afar, Luca could tell that it was a gesture with a lot of power. She had, of course, witnessed his family flying, but they were all comfortable with flying—seeing an unfamiliar attempt really solidified exactly how much of the body was involved.

Luca held her breath as his forward motion slighted upwards. Each wingbeat was weighty and powerful, and suddenly he was off the ground. Faster than Luca could believe, he soared upwards, clearing the tree line with ease—and as soon as he had, every bit of awkwardness and unfamiliarity in his flight was erased. Suddenly he was zipping around, taking sharp turns and flipping every which way.

Luca watched with awe. It seemed that a missing arm was no match for the instincts of a flying-type. After only a handful of seconds of fighter-piloting around, Dante glided back down to the clearing.

"That looked... really fun," Luca said as Dante landed. He was breathless with excitement, as if he had just gotten off of the craziest rollercoaster of his life.

"Want to ride?" Dante asked, apparently unable to stop smiling.

"You promise to not drop me?" Luca asked, approaching.

"Never." Getting down and nearly pressing himself against the ground, Dante waited for her to mount.

Stepping forward, Luca placed a paw on his neck. This was the very first time she touched him since his evolution, and it didn't disappoint. His scaley skin was noticeably harder than it was before, but it also felt more flexible—less like plate armor, and more like Kevlar. More importantly, that same heat—that same addicting heat—still emanated from it. Luca shivered at the strangely intimate moment.

Then, it had passed. With a jump full of confidence that Dante could easily handle her weight, Luca hopped up onto the base of his neck and settled in.

"Ready?" came his voice from below.

"Ready."

Dante shifted beneath her, and Luca's stomach shifted from the movement. The sick feeling grew more intense as they flew upwards, becoming nearly unbearable for just a moment before waning as they evened out above the trees—and suddenly, every ounce of intensity was gone. Rather than a constant buffeting wind, the most unpleasantness Luca was experiencing was a pleasant breeze. In stark contrast to his extreme maneuvers, this flight was relaxed and lazy; although each pull of Dante's wings had significant power, he was gliding more than flying.

"W-why is this so... peaceful?" Luca asked, amazed.

"Good question," Dante said, a single eye turning back to look at her. "I think it's a combination of this not being a windy area, and my actually caring about my passenger. My family isn't big on either."

"Mm," Luca acknowledged, falling onto her back and enjoying the hot and cold contrast. "Well, I could get used to this."

"...So? Do you want to go check out that facility?"

"The one with the raid?"

"Yeah."

Luca turned her head and looked at the horizon from where she lay. Even as they flew along, the distant scenery refused to budge—and yet, although they weren't far above the tree line, it seemed so much closer than it did on the ground.

"...It really feels like it could be an opportunity," Luca finally said, eyes half-closed. "But it's just too risky. Anything could have happened after the raid, let alone in the intervening weeks."

"It was risky before, but now I've evolved. We could do a flyover, and I could see what it looks like. Make a more informed decision."

"That's not risky? We'll be extremely visible in the sky."

"Visible, sure. But out of reach."

Luca sighed. "I'll see what the others think. See if I can sell it."

"You know you're the leader," Dante said patiently. "You don't have to sell anything."

"But we all know I'm not the most fit to lead."

"I don't think you understand just how much faith all of us have in you. If you simply said 'Dante and I are going to be gone for a day or two, investigating something,' I guarantee that no one would question it."

"Then they'd be complicit in my untimely demise, more than likely. But hey, I don't mind proving you wrong."

"Well, you ready to head back?" Dante asked. "We'll have plenty of time for flying later on."

Luca groaned and reluctantly sat up. "Fine. Let's go."

The landing ended up being much more tolerable than the takeoff; although the descent created the familiar hollow feeling in Luca's stomach, it was nowhere near as bad as ascending. Although he got a few odd glances from the nearby Pokémon, Dante glided down just in front of their building, sliding on the grassy ground for a short distance.

"You know what I just realized?" Luca asked, sliding down from Dante's back.

"What?"

"You're not gonna fit in our bed anymore."

Dante chuckled as he opened the door for her—a throaty laugh, much deeper than before. "You sound disappointed."

"...I am," Luca admitted, flushing a bit at the teasing.

"We'll figure something out," Dante promised. Then, he gestured towards Absol and Lann's room. "Shall we?"

Luca nodded and led the way. No one was present in the main hall and nor were any of the doors open, so she went straight there. Allowing Dante to open the door for her, she stepped inside.

Maybelle and Absol sat opposite each other, with a stack of papers between them. They were nearly done, and apparently found nothing that needed Luca's approval. Lann was in their bed nearby, laying down and entirely motionless—apparently asleep.

Absol acknowledged their entrance with only a glance before returning her eyes to the paper she was currently working on. "Welcome back. I take it the first flight went well?"

"It did indeed," Luca reported. "Is Lann sleeping?"

"Resting, more like," came Lann's voice from his still body. "Poppy's asleep, by the way—in case you thought I left her alone."

"Because Luca has a habit of micromanaging," Absol said sarcastically, not looking up. "And you have a rebellious streak."

A snort was Lann's only response, and Luca smiled with satisfaction: of the Federation's roster, Lann, Absol, and Maybelle were the perfect trio to tell her why going off on a mission with just Dante was a terrible idea.

"Do you think you two could do my paperwork for the next few days as well?" Luca asked. "Dante and I were hoping to investigate something."

Finally, Lann shifted. His head unfolded from behind his large body until one single eye peered at Luca. "Investigate what? That facility that Poppy mentioned?"

"Yes." Something suddenly occurred to Luca, and she hurried to continue: "I was also thinking that maybe we could check the berry dungeon—verify Decly's report, see if we can figure anything out."

The three of them shared quick glances, each of them shrugging in sequence. Absol was the first to speak: "Sure."

"Wh—really?" Luca asked, unable to hide her surprise.

"...Yes? Did you expect us to say no?"

"She thought leaving Lann's protection would be suicidal," Dante explained from behind—though Luca could hear in his voice that he was smirking triumphantly.

Absol returned her eyes to her work. "Relying entirely on his protection has its own risks, frankly. I'd say it's about the same."

"Really?" Luca repeated dumbly.

"Yup," Lann confirmed. "Strong as I am, taking out a careful and observant flying-type in the sky would require a lot of luck. Distance is king, and in the sky, closing that distance is not an option. Then, even if they have a flying-type, evasion and fleeing is many magnitudes easier than aggression."

"Oh... Well, that's all I needed, I guess. Thank you."

"Mhm. Have a good time."

Leaving the trio alone, Luca returned to the main hall and allowed Dante to close the door behind her.

"We don't actually have to go if you don't want to, you know," Dante said. "I could take someone else, or you could send Decly or not even bother."

"Oh, we'll go. But first you need to admit that that was a dirty trick."

"Huh?"

"I didn't know how safe flying would be! That wasn't them trusting me, that was me asking about something obvious!"

Dante rolled his eyes. "They wouldn't have let us go if they didn't trust our judgement."

Luca just stared.

"...Fine. It was a dirty trick."

Luca huffed with satisfaction. "OK. Let's go figure out the planning."

As she followed Dante back into their room, Luca paused. Even with the revelation that it would be much safer than she had assumed, she somehow felt as though they were severely underestimating their opposition. It was true that there had been no White Spine activity since they properly founded the Federation—even the Kecleon group was reporting little to no interference—but Luca felt certain they were just waiting for an opportunity. Just like the one she was about to provide, really.

Then, with a shake of her head, Luca's momentary fear passed. Regardless of her concerns, she had to trust the judgement of those around her. More significantly, she had to be proactive. Slightly relieved of the burden of worry, Luca stepped forward.