CHAPTER 3

Without a word, I stared into the eyes of the boy in the painting. Everything else seemed to drift away until it was only the two of us in a space devoid of all light. We were in a world of our own now. It was here where a silent and one-sided conversation took place unbeknownst to anyone else.

Imagine someone you love.

It can be anyone.

Perhaps it's a best friend, a platonic soulmate who knows and appreciates all the little quirks that make you you. A best friend who is there for you at your lowest moments, who uplifts and builds you up further at your greatest, and who takes your side even when the world is against you.

Or, if you're older, perhaps it's your significant other. The other half you cannot bear to live without, the person who makes your heart tremble and quake with only three words, the one whose gaze you could be lost in forever and just know everything would turn out alright… Someone who cherishes you with every fiber of their being, who loves all your flaws and imperfections and thinks you're perfect as you are.

Perhaps it's a family member. A sister or brother who might have followed you around as a child and looked up to you as their role model. A sibling whose tiny finger you grasped after they were born and swore to protect forever. A grandparent who spoiled you rotten and kept you company when their own children could not. A cousin, aunt, uncle…

Or… perhaps it's a parent.

Your mother, a strong and beautiful woman who carried you in her womb and ultimately gave you the gift of life. Your mother… who sang you to sleep as a child with gentle lullabies and brushed your hair at night. Your mother… who showered you with unconditional love and the fierce protection only a mother can give, whose arms were always open for you to run into and cry in. The woman who made sure you grew up healthy and loved because you were the greatest joy in her life.

Your father, a good and inspiring man who carried you on his shoulders and encouraged you to follow your dreams. Your father… who was a constant presence in your life and a steady rock whom you could lean and depend on. Your father… who tucked you in at night and read you bedtime stories, who guided you when you felt lost and helped you become the person you were today. He celebrated your successes and loved you even when you failed. The man who made sure you were never lonely or sad because you were the greatest pride in his life.

Imagine someone you love.

Anyone.

And now imagine they're gone.

It's sudden. They're gone before you can blink and before you can even say goodbye. You have to live in a world without them… navigate a world without them. You keep thinking they should be there, but every time you turn and look, they're not.

What's left are traces.

You see them in the people and things they left behind, the songs and foods they once loved, and the words others say that remind you of them.

All you have left are memories.

Your heart hurts and bleeds. It's like an ache that won't ever stop, a loss so profound that you fear it might never fade… a scar you'll carry for the rest of your life.

Can you imagine any of that? I wonder: have you ever felt that way?

I stared expectantly at the boy in the painting, but he didn't respond.

Of course he couldn't. He had stayed the same while I remained adrift in the flow of time. He had no idea that he would lose people he loved. For a fleeting moment, I found myself wishing I could trade places with him.

I leaned against the wall next to the painting instead, eyes still tracing familiar figures.

I'd visited mom and dad at their graves a year ago. Somehow that had been easier for me to do than coming back here to our ancestral home. Here… where simply standing around and breathing the air brought memories rushing back like tidal waves to the shore.

Mom was an Electric Specialist from a count household. She was so skilled that the League practically begged her to take the job when the Lumiose Gym Leader position became vacant. A year after, she met dad when he visited the Prism Tower looking for inspiration. He was a trainer with a hobby for inventing gadgets and had just inherited the title of duke from grandfather.

The rest was history. They fell in love, married, and had me.

My childhood was a happy one. As busy as my parents could get, they always made time for me and bestowed endless affection. They also had a lot of wealth, but they were humble. They didn't flaunt it and raised me with similar values. I grew up watching and learning from my parents as they lived simple lives, often preferring to do as many chores on their own rather than wholly rely on the kind staff. Meanwhile, they contributed staggering donations to charities, orphanages, and the like every year.

Mom and dad were paragons of virtue and the people I loved most.

And fifteen years ago, they were murdered by Kalos's infamous serial killer.

I was eleven years old at the time. I'd come back home to visit my family after successfully completing my first ever League Circuit. I'd qualified for that summer's upcoming Conference, something typically unheard of for one so young. They called me a prodigy, yet I knew better. I wasn't going to win it all, but I was confident about doing fairly well.

I'd still felt like I was on top of the world back then.

My grandparents had come down to visit, too. Together, we sat in the living room waiting for my parents to return from checking on family properties up north.

They never did. Hours later, we were notified by the League when their bodies were found.

Dad had died first protecting mom from a surprise attack. Mom followed him soon after, but she put up a damned hard struggle. Her fight with the enemy created a scorched wasteland in the countryside. None of mom and dad's Pokemon survived either because they gave up their lives to fight and protect.

I still remembered the wails that echoed off these walls. My grandparents had fallen to their knees in utter agony and shock, gasping for breath. Grandfather almost had a heart attack induced by severe emotional stress. Me?

My world crumbled. I fell crashing back down to earth.

The justice my grandparents demanded never came to be. The League couldn't find the perpetrator. Frustrated, confused, and full of grief, my grandparents and I ultimately decided to leave Kalos for our own safety.

Now here I was again, standing in our ancestral home fifteen years later.

I was already starting to feel overwhelmed by ugly, messy feelings that slipped out from the dam I'd built around my heart. Breathe, I reminded myself, and I did.

In and out. I already felt much better after a few seconds, so I cleared my throat.

"I know I visited you at the cemetery last year, but I brought my Pokemon with me to see you two and the house this time," I began in a calm, steady voice. I gestured to the team half-submerged in shadows around me. "Some of them are familiar faces. Some of them aren't. They're all sweethearts, I promise, even if they look scary. You'd know that best, dad. You were a Dark Specialist yourself."

There were some fond eyerolls in my audience while other Pokemon stared at the family painting. A portion of my team remembered mom and dad and had even stayed at our house for a few days before and after the tragedy, but most of them had joined the team later. All they knew were memories and stories I'd sometimes shared when I felt sentimental.

Astre chose that moment to scamper toward me and up my body. Smiling, he assumed his rightful place on my shoulder and waved at the painting. The Morpeko had known mom and dad the longest since he was my starter. I'd adopted him from a Pokemon shelter back when I was a kid. He'd been forcibly captured from the wild for a child's birthday gift and then quickly given away once that kid got bored of him.

He came home with me after we bonded over the course of a few visits (along with plenty of painful finger bites and food bribes along the way).

"Look, Astre is still small and cute. He didn't grow in size much," I told my parents, lips quirking into a playful smile. Astre didn't take offense and chuckled in good humor. "Sorry, mom. I know you got excited when I adopted Astre and thought I'd follow in your footsteps, but I followed dad and the Odaria way in the end. I'm a bona fide Dark Specialist now."

There was a lot more to the story of how and why, but I wasn't here to tell mom and dad that.

One by one, I introduced my Pokemon to my parents. They were the last family members I had in the world now considering my grandparents were gone. I wanted mom and dad to rest in peace in the afterlife knowing that I wasn't totally alone.

I was only halfway through introducing the big softie known as Gyarados when all my Pokemon paused in place.

Someone was heading down the hallway in our direction, they told me. They weren't aware of us judging by the slow and unhurried footsteps. There were only so many people with access to the Odaria Estate, so I had plenty of guesses for who it could be.

What to do, what to do…

Instead of leaving quietly as if I'd never dropped by, I decided it was probably high time I had a proper meeting with the people who still lived on the estate.

So, I stayed put and waited patiently. Footsteps drew near enough that I could hear them from where I stood. They were accompanied by humming sounds in the form of some Kalosian folk song and the dim light of a tiny lamp. Eventually, the person all of that came from stopped in place to fumble for a light switch on the wall. Even though it was pitch-black, I had the ability to make out the person's appearance before the lights turned on.

The room became awash with bright, cheerful lighting in an instant. There was also a loud crash as the person down the hall jumped with fright and dropped their lamp all in one motion.

An elderly man in sleepwear stared not at the Pokemon dwelling in writhing shadows, but at the figure standing at the top of the double staircase: me. He squinted a bit before his eyes suddenly widened to the size of saucers.

A tremulous whisper then echoed in the foyer.

"Good heavens. Is that you, Ray…?"

I gave an apologetic smile.

"It's me. I'm happy to see you again, Nicolas."

Five minutes later, I was seated at the kitchen island with Nicolas directly across from me. Between us were two steaming mugs of hot milk.

They went untouched in favor of us staring at each other in mutual wonder. Nicolas in particular looked at me as if he couldn't believe I existed.

"I'm sorry for the fright I gave you. I didn't think anyone was still up at this hour," I said to start things off. I even dipped my head in a courteous show of apology, but Nicolas was quick to wave wrinkled hands through the air.

"It does make me wonder why you were here so early in the morning, but I could care less. I'm so glad I got up for a drink. You have no idea how happy I am to see you again, Ray," the older man told me with a voice quivering with emotion. His eyes traced every curve and dip of my face as if to commit it to memory. "You've grown so much… I suppose you're no longer a young master now, are you?"

A quiet chuckle left me. Arceus, that had been years ago.

"No. No, I'm not," I agreed with a small smile. "I suppose I'd be Duke Odaria now."

Nicolas's eyes widened.

"Then your grandfather…"

"He and grandmother passed away last year, yes."

"…I'm so sorry."

The mournful silence didn't last long. I didn't let it.

"It's quite alright. I had a long time to grieve. Now I carry their memories in my heart, the same as I do for my parents," I quietly replied. I looked Nicolas in the eye and made sure he was listening. Then… I bowed my head. "That brings me to something I've needed to tell you and the other staff for a long time now. I speak for myself and on behalf of my late grandparents, but thank you for looking after the estate all these years. Truly, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. None of you had to. We weren't sure when we would come back if at all ever."

I saw tears form in Nicolas's eyes when I raised my head.

Before my grandparents and I departed Kalos fifteen years ago, we'd had to settle stuff like the various businesses and properties our family owned. Grandfather entrusted them to longtime family aides and other staff to manage in our absence, but when it came to our estate…

We didn't know at the time when or if we'd come back, so he told the household staff they were free to leave if they wished. He even gave everyone ample sums of money to last them the rest of their lives as appreciation for all their years of service. Many left, but there was a small number who stayed.

Those people were individuals my grandparents and parents had known for decades, and they were like family to us. A lot of them owed my family deep gratitude for taking them in when they were younger or helping them start new lives from questionable backgrounds.

Nicolas was one of them. He had served as our head estate manager for many, many years.

He and the others refused the severance pay grandfather gave them and wanted to take care of the estate while we were away. Grandfather argued with them for a full day before he relented in the face of their adamancy.

While we moved to Galar, they continued living on the estate and managing it. Grandfather kept in touch with them over the years and wired them money for living expenses, hiring new staff to help, or anything else they needed. I took up that quiet duty after grandfather died and I returned to Kalos, but I hadn't been able to bring myself to visit any sooner. A part of me had been too petrified by this place and the memories it held.

I still regretted not visiting sooner.

"I assure you, Ray," Nicolas began in a slow, solemn voice, "that we have never thought of this as a burden. We owe so much to your grandparents and parents for all the kindness they've shown us over the years. This estate is our home, too. And, well…"

He broke off, letting out a hoarse laugh.

"It's a good thing we stayed this long. I get to tell you something I've been dreaming of for a long time now."

Nicolas smiled at me.

"Welcome home, Ray."

I wasn't much of a crier in general. That was never more true than after my parents died. The last instance was during the private funeral of my grandparents, and that was the first time I cried in many years.

At this moment, though, I felt a slight burning sensation in my eyes. I hurriedly blinked any tears away before they could ever hope to form.

It had taken me a lot to get back here and to Kalos in general, but…

I finally accepted that I was home.

This was always going to be my home regardless of the heartbreaking memories attached to it. All I had to do was look a bit to find the good ones, too.

"Thank you," I managed to get out in a surprisingly level voice. I mentally patted myself on the back for a job well done.

Nicolas and I shared a few touching moments of silence before he furiously rubbed at his eyes.

"So, what brought upon this sudden visit? Have you returned to Kalos for good? Will you be living here again?" he rattled off in between a few sniffles.

I had an answer in mind already, but when I saw Nicolas's hopeful eyes and thought about the years he and the others had poured into this place, I found myself abruptly changing it.

"I'll be moving back in, yes," I answered in as cheerful a tone as I could manage. "As for my visit, I just thought I'd take a look around the mansion to relive childhood nostalgia. I couldn't wait until the morning, I'm afraid."

He didn't need to be burdened with knowing I was at the possibly second most important crossroads of my life right now.

Still, my answer made the man across from me happy. Nicolas lit up like the sun and even clapped his hands together in delight.

"Goodness! Oh my, the others will be so pleased— just imagine their faces when you greet them in the morning, they'll be so happy," Nicolas said, beaming. "And your room— oh no, I'm afraid while we kept it clean, it'll need to be redecorated to suit your tastes and the modern era. Shall I give you a tour? Do you need…"

He was so excited that I let him go on a bit before gently cutting him off. I had to remind him that it was almost four o'clock in the morning. Far too late for a tour, not that I even needed one, so I insisted that he go back to sleep.

He did, but only after he paused and turned a few times on the way back as if making sure I wouldn't disappear.

The mansion went back to being quiet again.

Well, apparently I was going to live on the estate again. That hadn't been my intention when coming here, but it felt right. The Odaria Estate had been waiting for its master to come home.

Now I just had to figure out Diantha's damned offer and how I felt about it. That had been my whole reason for coming here in the first place, to clear my head a bit and deliberate things… maybe ask Painting Mom and Dad what they thought. I felt a bit awkward about conversing with the painting again in case someone else decided to wake up and stroll down the hall for a morning snack, so I shelved that idea.

Things got a bit sidetracked, that was all.

I finished the mug of hot milk — Nicolas evidently remembered it had been a favorite of mine when I was younger — before padding back to the main hall. My Pokemon had been waiting patiently for me, and I now led them upstairs. Shadows crawled along the floors and walls as Pokemon swam through them to the second level.

As if the foyer had not already been magnificent enough, the second floor was even more elaborately decorated. Parts of it had been made with beautifully dark wood sourced from some of the oldest trees in Lumiose. Everywhere I looked, there was a sense of history in between all the tasteful pottery and sculptures, family photographs, and other decor hanging in between. I smiled when I saw fresh flowers in vases. Chrysanthemums. They were mom's favorite.

There'd be time for exploration another day. For now, I went straight down the hall with purposeful steps and stopped in front of a door I hadn't seen in years.

With a gentle, almost hesitant pull, I twisted the doorknob to reveal my bedroom.

It hadn't changed at all— well, no, that was a bit of a lie. I remembered leaving it in a decidedly ugly state before I left Kalos. By that, I meant I'd thrown blankets and pillows around after screaming and crying into them. That had been after mom and dad's funeral. I'd even tossed reminders like family photographs into storage bins and the whole shebang. Out of sight, out of mind.

Everything had since been put back to the way it originally was.

A sea of shadows and Pokemon alike followed me into the massive room. I wandered up to my desk first and ran a hand over its smooth surface. There were papers still lying around, notes on potential opponents that eleven-year-old me had jotted down for the upcoming Conference.

I never participated in it, of course. I withdrew before it ever began and left Kalos with my grandparents because I was too heartbroken. I even lost my passion to be a trainer for a bit.

It took a while, but I managed to climb out of that pit of depression.

With all the exaggerated drama I could muster to lighten the somber atmosphere, I flopped into the chair at the desk and swiveled to face my Pokemon. It was time to get this show on the road.

They all looked back at me.

"Alright, team meeting."

I clapped my hands together. Nobody jolted, but my team focused their attention on me even further if that was possible. I hummed to myself.

"I was asked by the Champion of this country to become the next Gym Leader of Lumiose City. Now, I haven't decided yet what to do. Why? Because whatever we do, we do together. That's always been how we operate. The floor is now open for discussion."

With a flourish, I waved a hand in their direction.

Greninja was the first to say something. In his usual old-fashioned manner of speaking, he pointed out that we hadn't managed to find out too much on our own over the last year. Perhaps it was worth working with the League to combine our powers and resources.

Pangoro gruffed back that the League also hadn't found too much on their own… considering they hadn't caught the killer yet after fifteen years. Was there even a point to allying ourselves with them when they seemed so useless?

Zoroark was concerned about a completely different matter. She didn't like the idea of me painting a target on my back and acting as bait to draw out the infamous serial killer. We were strong, yes, but that didn't mean we were invincible. The serial killer was strong enough that they'd taken down two different Gym Leaders and their Pokemon. Seeing as they'd very recently killed one of them, their skills hadn't diminished over the last decade. Maybe they'd even improved. They were on the same level as a Gym Leader or Elite Four at the bare minimum… and in the worst case scenario, the same as me: Champion-level.

A single unguarded moment — a single mistake — could cost me my life, and for my Pokemon, the human they loved like family.

I actually cleared my throat here to interrupt.

"But that's why we trained and fought so hard all this time, right? To someday find and catch this asshole," I said with a raised brow. "I take pride in calling myself a Dark Specialist. There's a risk, yes, but I'm confident we can come out of it alive. We won't go gently into the night. We are the night."

That got me a round of smug cheers and the like, but I had to hurriedly put a finger to my lips and shush Tyranitar and Gyarados. They'd been about to yell their approval out loud. We didn't need to wake up the whole estate.

Zoroark, on the other hand, huffed and crossed her arms. She reluctantly agreed that she believed in our team's strength, but it didn't make her any less worried.

On her other side, Hydreigon's heads snapped at the air as she brought up another very important point: was I gonna be able to handle the work a Gym Leader was known for? Giving kids proper challenges during the League Circuit season and everything that came in between?

"Good point," I said and nodded in approval. The three-headed dragon made her satisfaction known by hissing loudly. "Mom taught me stuff before I made it clear I wanted to try being a trainer of my own first, so I wouldn't be going into it blind. Still… I don't really see the appeal of it."

Sure, I'd thought mom was cool whenever I watched her on the job at the Prism Tower, but had I ever thought about being her successor? To my mom's subtle disappointment back then, not really. I'd been more interested in pushing my own limits first. Mom never gave up, though, and taught me stuff about being a Gym Leader while I grew up in hopes I'd change my mind later.

Meowscarada piped up now with excited purrs. She personally thought it would be fun. I could treat it like a big performance, she suggested. Make it fun for myself as much as I did for the challenger. It'd be a new experience to add to the books, and maybe I'd like it more than I thought I would.

I didn't see that happening ever. Mom was the Gym Leader in the family, not me, but Meowscarada did give me food for thought. It didn't have to be so boring. I'd just have to somehow make it fun for myself.

"Hmm…"

I tapped a finger against my chin, deep in thought. My Pokemon helped me out by listing more pros and cons for me to weigh.

Pro courtesy of Umbreon and Sableye: we'd get more leeway and power to do things we normally couldn't. It'd widen the scope of our influence and activities.

Con courtesy of Kingambit, Grimmsnarl, and Houndoom: we'd also be bound to the League and be obligated to provide assistance with other problems, possibly annoying ones.

Pro courtesy of Absol, Sharpedo, and Gyarados: I'd get my hands on information and connections I normally couldn't when posing as an ordinary citizen or someone from the backstreets. Sometimes people trusted authority figures more.

Con courtesy of Honchkrow, Tyranitar, and Obstagoon: I'd be right in the public eye. Everyone would be watching me and seeing if I lived up to my role as Gym Leader well. They'd also probably dig into my personal history and bring up the whole Odaria Tragedy all over again.

I hated reporters with an absolute burning passion. There were good reporters, yes, but there were also a fuck ton of uncaring pricks who only cared about drama and viewership. Those people were the ones I actually hated.

During all of this, Astre was the only one who didn't say anything at all. We all turned to look at him now for his opinion.

"Astre? What do you think?" I prompted my oldest partner.

The Morpeko had us wait in suspense while he dug out a roasted berry seed from his pocket. He popped the whole thing in his mouth, chewed it, and then swallowed before squeaking. His tone was unusually serious.

His opinion was very simple: I should live as who I wanted to be.

I blinked a few times.

That… was actually exceedingly wise and unexpected from Astre. Then again, he'd been with me the longest. We were each other's closest friend and partner. He knew me maybe more than I knew myself.

I stared out into space as I mulled over Astre's words.

Who I wanted to be…

Ever since I'd returned to Kalos a year ago, I'd masqueraded as so many different people. It could be fun, but it was also very, very tiring. Sometimes I wondered if everything was even worth it considering the minimal returns we'd gotten so far.

The boy named Raynard Odaria had returned as a man, but he was nowhere to be seen in public.

Instead, he spent his time sleuthing and investigating under the guise of other identities all because he was being careful of the infamous serial killer. What did he get? What did I get?

Nothing to show for it. The serial killer had appeared again, but he hadn't gone for me. He'd gone for the newest Lumiose Gym Leader and struck again.

One of my hands clenched into a fist. Maybe… Maybe it was time I stopped being so careful. Maybe it was time I put away all the other masks and became myself again. If I didn't know any better, it almost seemed like I'd been running away from the serial killer all this time… that I'd been afraid of him.

And Raynard Odaria was not afraid. He was a fighter.

I closed my eyes briefly before opening them.

"Whatever we do, we do together," I repeated my earlier words, this time with a solemn air. "I've decided I want to accept Diantha's offer and live as Raynard Odaria in the open again, but… let's put it to a vote. If even one being here disagrees, then I'll decline Diantha's offer. Hand — or foot, claw, whatever other appendage you'd like to raise — in the air if you want me to decline Diantha's offer. We can even skedaddle out of town and make a new base elsewhere in case she's insistent. Otherwise… leave them down if you'd rather make little kids cry during the Circuit instead."

Moments passed while I waited with all the patience in the world. A full minute eventually ticked by.

No one put their hand up. They all looked at me with determined, resolute eyes that probably matched my own.

They were with me, and they always would be.

I ran a hand through my hair with a smile.

"Meeting adjourned."

We slept like babies at the Odaria Estate.

I honestly thought I'd have trouble sleeping and be plagued with nightmares like I usually was, but Sableye didn't have to help me that night. I had my first good night's sleep in many years without external help.

I considered that progress and woke up with a huge smile on my face. No one would ever guess I'd only gotten four hours of sleep from looking at me. It was one of my unique perks as an Ability Holder, someone with supernatural abilities related to Pokemon.

I went out into the backyard to go through morning training with my Pokemon. Half of the team — especially the larger members like Tyranitar and Gyarados — were already there relaxing by the lake before the rest of us joined them.

To let everyone else in the estate sleep peacefully, I had my Pokemon spar within a soundless void today. When we finished, I headed back in—

—and immediately found myself hugged by a large group of household staff members. Nicolas had apparently just finished informing them of my return, and they welcomed me back with tearful smiles.

I recognized every single one of them from my childhood. Guillaume the chef, Maxime the groundskeeper, Anna the housekeeper… there were so many faces I realized I'd missed terribly, and I made sure to thank each and every one of them for their loyalty and kindness over the years.

Our chef was so moved by the reunion that he whipped up a particularly extravagant breakfast. The dining hall had never been more full of people eating and laughing than it was that morning. I spent time catching up with them before I had to go.

There was an appointment I couldn't miss at the Little Star.

I sat at the desk in my office with eyes trained expectantly on the door.

Right on time, the clock struck noon, and knuckles rapped against wood. Mathis opened and closed the door for Diantha. We both got straight to business and undid our respective illusions after she sat down.

"May I hear your decision, Ray?" Diantha inquired.

I leaned back in my chair.

"I have conditions," I told her. My eyes didn't leave hers as I crossed my arms. "First up on the platter: it should be obvious, but I won't run an Electric Gym. It'll be a Dark Gym to fit my specialty. I'll also have full say and power over the Gym itself. That means I get to redo the interior, gym challenge, badge, and vice versa to suit my interests. Oh, and I get to pick who works for me as gym trainers."

"Done," Diantha easily agreed. She crossed one leg over the other. "Gym Leaders usually have full control over all that anyway. You can even try to recruit some of the League's Dark Specialists. We have plenty who work for us as League or Ace Trainers."

"Perhaps. We'll see if they're up to snuff," I said right back without missing a beat. "Next condition: don't question what I do in Lumiose. Support it. If you're going to ask me to run and safeguard one of the world's largest cities, then you'd better expect that I'm going to safeguard it my way when problems crop up. Hint: a lot of force may be involved."

"Okay."

"Third condition, and this one's related to our infamous serial killer: I get to be the first to question him after he's found and captured."

Diantha's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "We need him alive—"

"Oh, he'll definitely be alive," I assured her, and I didn't say it sarcastically. "Contrary to what you might be thinking, I don't want revenge. I had a long time to grieve. At this point of my life… I just want answers. Closure. I'll leave you and the League to mete out the appropriate justice."

We both knew it was going to be a death sentence, but neither of us said anything.

"Very well. I accept that condition, too."

"Great. I'm glad we're on the same page so far. Now the fourth and final condition."

I paused here, staring at Diantha with gleaming eyes.

"We need to trust each other."

"What?" Diantha stared at me.

"We need to trust each other," I repeated. Each word was carefully enunciated. "You asked to team up with me because we share similar goals. We both want this series of tragedies to stop. We both want to make Kalos a safer place and let the dead rest in peace. To that end, we have to work together in mutual trust. That means we share all the information and leads we get, and we don't hide anything from each other. We have to be a team."

Diantha stared at me for a long time without speaking. I didn't have to worry because I already knew what her answer would be. I was a pretty good judge of character if I said so myself, and I wasn't proven wrong.

"I already trust you," Diantha finally said. She held a slender hand out to me with a determined expression. "So please… trust me as well. I agree with your last condition."

"Then we have a deal," I answered. My hand grasped hers in a handshake. "Your commission has been accepted. This will be the Problem Solver's last job."

The corners of my lips tugged upwards in a smile more genuine than anything I'd shown her so far.

"Raynard Odaria, last son of House Odaria and bringer of the endless night… at your service."

Author's Note: I could have written part of Ray's backstory as an actual flashback for this chapter. I could have, but I chose not to. It didn't have the sort of impact I envisioned. So, I ultimately styled the beginning of this chapter this way instead. Hopefully I was able to convey the sense of loss I aimed for through a more personal and intimate way. I had fun writing a little differently from how I normally do.

As a quick reminder, this fic is set in the same universe as WTMR, another Pokemon fic of mine. I've made a database on AO3 that will have information on in-fic lore, the MCs of each story and their Pokemon teams, side characters, terminology, etc. going forward. It will be sort of like a wiki for all the Pokemon stories I write, and I will do my best to keep it updated. Link here (or you can check my AO3 profile/works under the username "fuwamiyu": https archiveofourown org works 60913462 chapters 155831707 workskin

The main point is, if you need to check the MC's Pokemon team, please refer to that document from now on.

Thank you for all the kind reviews, comments, favorites, follows, etc. by the way! Your support is greatly appreciated.